Hands-on Activities & Concrete Manipulatives
Technology for Science & Math
“Which are More Effective, Hands-on Manipulatives or Technology Equipment and Applications?” Should we be asking,
Do modern technologies make low-tech, hands-on activities and concrete manipulatives outdated?
Engaged Students & More Learning! NO! Hands-on Activities + Technology =
Benefits to Incorporating Both Reach more students by addressing different learning styles & multiple modalities Deepen students’ understanding and mastery of concepts and skills
When, Where, Why, and How? To Tech or Not to Tech
Does this equipment, application, digital media, resource, or activity… Facilitate effective content delivery or increase the effectiveness of the lesson? Allow the students or the teacher to access information or complete a task that would not be possible or would be difficult without the technology?
Enhance students’ ability to demonstrate or apply, practice, create, evaluate or analyze, communicate or present? Save time and/or increase productivity? Does the technology… Increase student engagement in ways that promote deeper understanding and achievement?
Integrating various technologies into hands-on concrete activities should not mean double (or triple) the preparation or double the class time.
Technology can help students Organize their thinking (brainstorming, collaborative planning, concept mapping) Graphically represent, manipulate and revise ideas, procedures, flow charts Illustrate and manipulate concepts and processes, including cycles, cause and effect.
Technology can help students Digitally capture observations made during hands-on activities –Photograph or video –Record and organize individual, group and whole class results –Display, manipulate, analyze and evaluate data Perform time-consuming or complex computations which might otherwise frustrate or detract from the essential concepts around which the activity is focused
Technology can help students: Communicate and collaborate remotely with other students and with experts –Wikis –Collaborative web projects –Ask an expert –Chat and Video conferencing
Technology can help students: Present what they know and can do –PowerPoint or other presentation software –Digital Stories- free or low cost –Video and podcasts –Flash or other animation
So, how can you do this in your district, school, classroom? Let’s take a look at some authentic examples Or… Sounds great in theory, but what about a real classroom?
Space Unit Hands-on with concrete manipulatives: –Models of solar system –Kinesthetic simulations (ex: flashlight, globe, simulating rotation and revolution) –Star charts –Creating Constellation Models- construction paper, holes, flashlight (or overhead projector) –Live viewing of constellations
Online Interactive Star Charts - Skyview Café Space Unit- Technology Integration
Starry Night software NASA website and other interactive websites Create your own: Space Adventure Web QuestSpace Adventure Web Quest Presentations
Hands-on Flower Dissection Students dissect a complete flower to locate and identify the male and female reproductive parts. As they remove the parts they place them in the correct place on their recording sheet.
Flower Parts- Gizmo ExploreLearning.com
Pollination Gizmo – ExploreLearning.com
Going Further & Increasing Interactivity and Student Engagement Let’s seamlessly incorporate the technology into the concrete, hands-on activities
Document Cameras & Interactive Whiteboards Incorporating
* Activities modified from: AIMS (Activities Integrating Math and Science) FOSS (Full Option Science System) Into Hands-On Activities with Concrete Manipulatives
Thank You Karen Muska Resources at: