CYCLES OF LEARNING
  • BLOG
  • TED
  • BOOK
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTACT

When curiosity is sparked...

deep cycles of learning can occur.

Google Slides Lab Report: A Simple, Tangible, Reasonable Solution

12/28/2018

 
I have written in the past (click here and here) about my transition from formal lab reporting to the use of Google Slides as a student form of reporting lab work. 

Today I sat down to begin the arduous process of finalizing all fall semester grades for my sophomore chemistry class and the benefit of using Google Slides their lab reporting format was clearly evident! 

My final "stack of papers" to grade was a shared folder full with our final lab practical reports: a group experiment where students determined the optimal H2-O2 ratio to fill a 2L bottle fo for maximum product upon ignition. 

Not only was I able to grade each project directly from my phone, but embedded video of procedures, screenshots of calculations, and clear images of laboratory procedures made for a meaningful assessment process. 

MORE IMPORTANTLY, the process of student creation and curation of their work using a Google Slide template (click here for the one used in this activity), was fluid, easy, and put the learning, rather than the reporting, at the forefront. 

Below is an embed of one group's  "report". 

Secret to Fixing BAD Classroom Presentations!

7/23/2018

 
I have written before about my use of medical case studies as entry points to inquiry cycles in my Biology class. Although a powerful way of forcing awareness of an information gap on various topics and bringing, "real life" problem solving to the classroom, this process also forces students to confront their fear of public speaking and ability to create a concise, clear, and engaging presentation to their peers. 

In the past I leveraged student presentations sparingly. Here and there when it was appropriate to share but nothing that formal. Medical case study diagnosis in Biology has forced me to think about the how I how I train students to give good presentations. I LOVE my students, but man...sometimes sitting through a challenging presentation full of overused animations and bullet points [God forbid Comic Sans] can be painful. 

Enter "Death by PowerPoint" by Comedian Don McMillian (see below). I stumbled across Don's incredible comedy sketch accidentally and found myself laughing hysterically! Then it hit me...Don's presentation was the RUBRIC I WAS LOOKING FOR! Simple, clear, and a fun way to share my expectations with students before class presentations in a way that wasn't me yapping at them about what a bad presentation looks like. 

I took it one step further and converted Don's bit into a "Dead or Alive" scoring Rubric. Click here for your copy! 

If you found the information in this message useful to your practice, I invite you to learn more about becoming a site member. Monthly membership includes, but is not limited to, frequent distributions of detailed online video courses, lesson plans, teaching websites, curricular resources, and access to webinars exploring the world of curiosity, inquiry and technology in the classroom. ​​Additionally, you can find a copy of my new book, "Spark Learning: 3 Keys to Embracing the Power of Student Curiosity" here. ​
    Picture
    Ramsey Musallam is a full-time science teacher in Santa Rosa California.
    Starter Pack

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    3-Bullet Thursdays
    5E
    5E/Hero's Journey
    AI
    Apple Tv
    Arduino
    Assessment
    Assistive Technology
    Biochemistry
    Biology
    CAD
    ChatGPT
    Chemistry
    Clips
    Coding
    Cognition
    Commencement
    Commentary
    Computer Science
    Consulting
    Courses
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Curiosity
    Curriculum
    Design
    Distance Learning
    Engineering
    Feynman
    Flipped Learning
    Friday 5
    Game Design
    Games
    Google
    Hack Series
    Hands On
    Hands-On
    Hero's Journey
    Homework
    Inquiry
    Invention
    Itm
    Lecture
    Maker
    Masterclass
    Megacognition
    Misc.
    Models
    Movies
    Neuroscience
    Online Teaching
    Opioid Crisis
    PBL
    Pd
    Pedagogy
    Physics
    Podcast
    Presentation
    Presentations
    Products
    Programming
    Public
    Reflection
    Research
    Robotics
    Rubrics
    Science Camp
    Simulations
    Slides
    Social Good
    STEM
    Store
    Technology
    Tutorials
    Videos
    What If
    Workshop Materials
    Zoom

    Archives

    March 2025
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    March 2022
    January 2022
    August 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    November 2010

  • BLOG
  • TED
  • BOOK
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTACT