Experimenter Reflection

A response to the I’m an Experimenter! Activity
created by Ana Maria Peric (@anamaria.peric)

Number of views: 135


  1. Which three experimenter activities did you choose to complete and why? Include the links to your Activity Bank responses.

I chose to use the animated GIF for my first activity. I used this one because many of the concepts we discuss in my courses are three dimensional in nature, and these entities are easier to appreciate under a microscope. When we are in our distance learning weeks, I thought it would be a great way to illustrate the three dimensional nature of these entities using the GIF technology. I used this in one of my zoom chats with the students, and they seemed to really enjoy it.

GIF animation for illustrating 3D concepts

The second tool I chose to use was the Poll Everywhere activity. I chose this because I am always looking for ways to engage the students more when we are in a synchronous chat online. I also wanted to use a tool to help assess their knowledge, and look for any areas where I might need to go over in more detail.

Poll Everywhere for Class Engagement

For my last tool I chose to use quizlet, because I also wanted to offer the students a way of assessing themselves and their knowledge individually. I believe it is a great study tool, and will hopefully give them a different way to assess their knowledge and study for future tests and exams.

Quizlet

2. Identify and explain three overall lessons learned from experimenting with these three activities. How might you use these activities going forward in your teaching practice?

I learned that using different methods of assessing knowledge can help identify gaps in students knowledge, and help determine what areas require more work. Second, I learned that it keeps students more engaged when using activities, and different modes of delivery for content. And finally, I learned that there are many tools available, many of which are free and very easy to use.

3.You were asked to complete at least one experimenter activity on a tablet or a smartphone.

The tool I chose to use with the smart phone was poll everywhere. I asked students to go to the address I supplied, and respond using their phones. This was a bit of a challenge as many of the images used required looking at small details to answer the questions, and some students were not as comfortable using their phones as others. I will continue to use this tool, however, I think in future I will ask students to use either an iPad or computer, as they have larger screens, and will allow for students to see in greater detail.

Example for "Experimenter Reflection":
https://vimeo.com/812057037