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Title: Interactive, Collaborative, Electronic Learning Logs in the Physics Classroom


1
Interactive, Collaborative, Electronic Learning
Logs in the Physics Classroom
  • Chris Gosling
  • Physics Teacher
  • Saranac Lake High School

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
DUE0302097, SUNY-Buffalo State Physics, The
Adirondack Teacher Center, and Saranac Lake
Central School District
2
Presentation Structure
  • Why journal?
  • Types of journals
  • Personal experiences
  • Methods for implementation
  • Selected excerpts

3
Why journal?
  • Students who journal outperform their peers
  • MacDonald and Cooper as cited by Bazerman,
    Little, Bethel, Chavkin, Fouquette, Garufis
    (2005).
  • Written record of ideas and attitudes
  • Opportunity to make sense of different
    experiences
  • Form group identity
  • Gauge student understanding

4
Paper Journals -
  • Traditional paper journals
  • kept by the student without prompts
  • checked periodically by an instructor

5
Limitations of paper journals
  • Student entries do not keep up with class
  • most entries written just before due date
  • Feedback limited to instructor comments at end of
    grading cycle
  • Quality of writing/reflection limited with
    students of lower ability MacDonald and Cooper as
    cited by Bazerman et. al. (2005).

6
Dialogue Journals
  • Students respond to questions posed by instructor
  • Instructor reads responses, comments, and asks
    both follow-up and new questions

7
Advantages of Dialogue Journals
  • Rapid feedback from instructor
  • High quality reflection can be achieved with
    proper questions

8
Disadvantages of Dialogue Journals
  • Time consuming for instructor
  • Physically challenging numerous journals to be
    collected and transported

9
Advantages of Using an Electronic Format
  • Physical demands of traditional dialogue journals
    eliminated
  • Identical questions can easily be directed to all
    students (copy paste)
  • Students can quickly search for topics

10
Disadvantages of Using an Electronic Format
  • Still time-consuming
  • Files can be lost or corrupted
  • Physical act of writing is eliminated
  • If images are improperly used files can become
    unwieldy

11
Advantages of Group-Based Journaling
  • Easier for instructor respond to 1/3 of entries
    compared to individual journals
  • (for groups of 3)
  • Variety of class experiences within journaling
    group can lead to good discussion

12
Disadvantages of Group-Based Journaling
  • Written comments may be those of typist rather
    than group
  • Must ensure that typist rotates
  • Perspectives of quiet group members can be
    ignored
  • Sketches are more complicated to create

13
Personal Experiences
  • Used traditional individual paper journals in
    graduate physics education coursework
  • Functional, but only if students keep up with
    class

14
Use of Journals as a Teacher
  • Spring 2005 Paul Smiths College
  • Implemented traditional paper journals with
    algebra and calculus-based physics courses for
    non-physics majors
  • Students wrote entries after each class meeting
    (3x per week)

15
Traditional Journal Results
  • Collected Journals at Midterm Disaster
    Disappointment
  • Most students wrote the journals the night before
    they were due
  • Complete journals showed little genuine reflection

16
Hickmans Interactive Collaborative Electronic
Learning Logs (ICE Learning Logs)
  • Used with high school students
  • Word-processing documents facilitate a group
    dialogue journal
  • instructor bold font
  • students non-bold font
  • Randomly assigned groups
  • (no single sex groups)
  • (Hickman, 2000)

17
My Adaptation of the ICE Learning Logs
  • Virtually identical to Hickmans
  • With small classes, single-sex groups were
    sometimes unavoidable
  • Random groupings helped ensure that groups had
    different class experiences

18
My Adaptation of the ICE Learning Logs
  • 3 semesters of use with calculus and
    algebra-based courses of non-physics majors at
    the college level
  • 1 semester of use with algebra-based high school
    students
  • (color-coding will denote origin of excerpt)

19
Methods of Implementation
  • 2 methods of sharing shared network folder and
    website
  • Shared folder is greatly preferred
  • faster and easier to access
  • Dont have to email file back to instructor
  • instructor doesnt have to repost file to website

20
Themes of Focus
  • Group Identity
  • Connection to the real-world
  • Probing for Conceptual Understanding
  • Ah-ha moments (for Learning Commentaries)
  • Humor
  • Student Responses

21
Group Identity
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
Group Names
  • Sassinators
  • Killer Time Traveling Train Team
  • Rats in a Box
  • Kinematic Cockatoos
  • The Best Group Ever
  • The Snowmen
  • Nameless
  • Friction Fighters
  • Bowling Balls
  • Wyld stallions
  • Dream Team

22
Group Identity
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
Group Names
  • The Exotic Yet Tasteful Learning Loggers
  • Team This is Nice n Warm
  • Team déjà vu
  • Interactive Collaborative Electronic Learning
    Loggers
  • The Pink Flamingos
  • The Rubber Duckies
  • The Blowfish

The most common group names were those formed
using students initials
23
Conceptual Understanding
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • What is the difference between average and
    instantaneous velocity?
  • Instantaneous velocity is the slope of the
    tangent line at a specific point. Average
    velocity is the average slope of the entire curve
    on the p vs t graph. Good!
  • The difference between average and instantaneous
    velocity is the average is between many different
    velocities and the instantaneous is the actual
    velocity. You find the velocity of each part of
    the line and then average them together to get
    the instantaneous velocity and then to find
    Average velocity draw a line of best fit and find
    the slope of the line of best fit. I agree with
    your strategy for finding average velocity, but
    am not sure why youd average all the slopes
    together to find instantaneous velocity. Would
    you like to revise your statement? If youre
    still unsure feel free to call me over for a
    quick moment.

24
Cptl. Und. / real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • What does it mean when you say that an object is
    accelerating? Provide an example of a situation
    where an object accelerates.
  • When an object accelerates, it is gaining
    velocity. An example of this would be a small
    child rolling down a hill in a garbage can. Ouch,
    but good example!
  • A sled accelerates going down a hill.
  • When you spit off a bridge the spit accelerates
    from your mouth as at falls to the icy depths of
    the water. Wow, very vivid example.

25
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Question 2.b. helped ideas hit home because it
    showed a real life situation that created a
    visual of what was really happening with distance
    and time and coming up with the story on our own
    allowed us to see this comparison better. Good, I
    really like this question and was sorry that we
    didnt have time to discuss it as a class.

26
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Aside from the human-sized cage, whats another
    example of a real-life object than can function
    as a Faraday cage? How so?
  • We talked about cars, trucks, or other petroleum
    spewing vehicles acting as a faraday cage in a
    lightning storm. With a metallic shell,
    electrical charge is distributed on the outside.
    This is the reason that people do not get
    barbequed when their car is struck with lightning
    while sitting on the side of the highway during a
    tornado (e.g. Student Cs poor, unfortunate
    family).
  • An object in the real world that can function
    like a Faraday cage would be a car in a lightning
    storm. This is because if the car is struck
    while youre inside it, the outside of the car is
    charged, but inside youre safe.

27
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Give an example of a situation where the velocity
    of an object is changing but its speed is not.
  • An example of the velocity of an object changes
    but not the speed is if an airplane was changing
    course but maintaining a constant speed.
  • A car can be traveling north on I87 at 60 mph and
    then go South on I87 at 60 mph. The speed of the
    car remains the same and the direction changes.

28
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Come up with a real-life situation where you
    could use the kinematic equations to solve a
    problem. Be creative!
  • You are flying a helicopter at an elevation of
    500m Above Ground Level and are hovering at a
    blistering speed of 0m/s. wow! You are trying to
    drop a ball out and land it in your friends
    pool. How long would it take for the ball to
    land in the water? Great problem!
  • A squirrel is running to a tree at the constant
    velocity of 2 m/s. The tree is 50 m away from the
    squirrels starting point. You could use a
    kinematic equation to figure out how long it
    would take the squirrel to reach the tree. Great!
  • Student G jumps off Bluff (a cliff above water).
    The rock is precisely 25m high?. It takes him
    precisely 5 seconds to hit the water. Given the
    average acceleration based on the downward force
    of gravity to be 9.81m/s2, what is Student Gs
    velocity when he hits the water?

29
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Tell me a story about a situation where net force
    might be applicable.
  • A tow truck pulling someone out a ditch is an
    example of net force. The cars gravidity is
    pulling against the truck and the truck is
    pulling against the car. The truck needs to exert
    more force than the car to pull it out of the
    ditch. ok
  • An example of this is if Student Bs car stalls
    out and he needs two of his friends, Willie and
    Bob, to help him push while he steers the wheel.
    The net force is equivalent to the force applied
    on the car by Willie (F_w) plus the force applied
    on the car by Bob (F_b). Therefore, F_xnet F_w
    F_b.

30
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • And finally, please tell me a story that could
    have resulted in the motion shown on the graph
    below. Be creative!

31
Responses
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Suzy was walking her dog at a constant speed.
    Then she stopped to look at a bird for a moment
    and all of the sudden a car hit her and the dog
    and sent them both backwards at a constant speed.
    Then they both lie in coma on the rode until
    someone came along and found them. But it was too
    late, they were already dead. Ouch! Harsh, but it
    matches the graph well.
  • Student D was on his way to school and turned
    around, then he got back to his house and fought
    with his mom for a little while, until she drove
    him back to school, were he stayed for the day.
    Interesting story, but a perfect match to the
    graph!
  • A runner goes back toward the starting line
    because he dropped the baton then stops to pick
    it up, and after a few seconds sprints forward
    make up the time lost and stops at the finish.

32
Responses continued
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • So, there was this guy. His name was Phil. So,
    he was sitting there, in his recliner, 10 feet
    away from his T.V. But he left the remote on the
    coffee table, 6 ft away from the T.V. He went
    and got the remote, and tripped and fell. So,
    now hes lying on the floor, for some seconds.
    So then, his show came on, but he forgot his iced
    tea in the kitchen. So, he SPRINTED to the
    kitchen and got his iced tea. So, then he sat
    and drank his iced tea, when someone called. It
    was his mom. And then she made him talk
    indefinitely. The End. Wow, thats an incredibly
    sad story. Nice work!
  • There was a zookeeper and he started at his
    office, and then he went away from his office to
    go home and on his way he stopped at the lions
    cage and realized it was open. So he stopped on
    his way out to close the gate. He then heard a
    noise behind him and ran because he knew it was
    the lion. He ran past his office and into the
    woods where the lion tackled him and ate him and
    that is where the line remains in the same
    position.

33
Connection to real world
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Please tell me a story where an object or a
    person has a positive position and velocity, but
    negative acceleration.
  • If you are moving in a positive direction but
    slow down so you dont you get hit by a truck you
    will have negative acceleration.
  • A runner is running away from the starting line
    (the origin), steps into a pothole, stumbles for
    a bit, and then continues running. His velocity
    would have decreased, but would stay positive,
    while acceleration would be negative. Yes! This
    is a good story. Did Scott (whos on the
    cross-country team) help dream it up? Im glad
    you liked it, It was Scott.
  • A story about a sprinter running away from a
    starting line has a positive position and
    velocity but a negative acceleration. Oops sorry
    hes drunk and turned around to start running
    towards the starting line. check this- you sure?
    If the sprinter is moving away from the starting
    line at an increasing rate (speed is getting
    faster) then the acceleration would be positive.
    If youd like to edit your story youre welcome
    to.

34
Ah-ha moments
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Did any of your group members have an Ah-ha
    moment when the light bulb turned on and
    everything made sense?
  • The analogy with the car and the gas tank made a
    lot of sense for us. reference to constructing
    motion maps Good, glad to hear that it worked
    for you.
  • None of us experienced an epiphany but we all
    understand the subjects proficiently. ok
  • Our light bulbs are flickering, but are not turn
    on completely. We understand most of the
    material but the subtleties in understanding the
    different graphs. All we need is just to review
    the material to gain a complete understanding.
    Ok, sounds good to me. Did anyone have time to do
    this over the past week?
  • There werent any real ah-ha moments, everything
    was pretty straight forward. We enjoyed playing
    with the balloons and tinsel, that was fun.

35
made you think
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Within your group, select one problem that made
    you THINK!
  • 4.20 in the purple book made us think hard about
    where the ball would go. We thought the ball
    would continue in a straight line, but we would
    like to see proof in class. (tennis ball and pvc
    pipes). (a bowling ball and rope would also work
    well) How about a marble and a pie tin? Though a
    bowling ball would certainly be more dramatic,
    especially since were working in 2-D without the
    effects of gravity. That means that the ball
    would have to be swinging in a perfect horizontal
    circle while Andrew gets to run in with a pair of
    scissors and cut the string. Remind me if we
    didnt do this activity!
  • And I just found out from Student I explaining to
    me that the ax vector is the same as the vector
    of the net force. When you say the same, do you
    mean that it has the same units and magnitude? OR
    do you mean that theyre proportional? We meant
    that they are in the same direction, we werent
    talking about units or magnitude or
    proportionality at all.
  • The problem that made us think was the problem
    with the two cars colliding with different masses
    and velocities. We had to predict the direction
    after the collision. It made us think because it
    was a real life situation.

36
made you think
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Within your group, select one problem that made
    you THINK!
  • Student Ks group did a problem with the
    quarterback and it showed that you can move
    backwards and forwards. The quarterback dropped
    back from the line of scrimmage, then threw the
    ball forward to a receiver, and then the receiver
    continued to run into the end zone. This showed
    us that there is both positive and negative
    movement in terms of direction.
  • Question 1c was helpful because we could compare
    our answer to another groups answer. It showed
    how real life situations could be represented and
    how different people use different scales for the
    same thing.
  • Student J predicted that two objects of equal
    size but different weight would hit at different
    times, the heavier of the two hitting first. I
    predicted that objects of different weight would
    hit at the same time. Ok- thanks. Most people on
    the street would predict that they hit at
    different times, but now you know! We observed
    that the shape of the object has more affect on
    falling rate than the mass of the object does.
  • Problem number seven was the one that made us
    think the most. Intuitively, most of us thought
    that the object with the higher mass would have
    the greater momentum, but when we put the numbers
    into the equation the momentums were equal. Yes!
    This shows that momentum depends on more than
    mass alone.

37
made you think
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Within your group, select one problem that made
    you THINK!
  • The problem with the resistors in series and the
    voltage graph showing the drop in voltage across
    the resistors. This problem made us think because
    we had to consider current as well. Ok- good.
  • The problem with the electric filed (what is
    this?) um we meant field (sp) lines and the
    five different points surprised us. We did not
    expect that they would all have the same electric
    field potential. We thought that the closer the
    point was to the negative charge, the weaker the
    force would be. Yes, this is certainly the case
    when dealing with charges. However, the problem
    gave us lines of equipotential rather than the
    charges themselves, so thats all we had to go on.

38
made you think
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Within your group, select one problem that made
    you THINK!
  • We think number 7 on the homework 3 was really
    difficult. You had to apply a lot more thinking
    to it then previous questions. You had to
    realize the relationship and substitute different
    numbers in different places in the equation. You
    also had to alter the equation so that it would
    work for the variable you were trying to find!

39
Cries for help
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • No one in our group has an epiphany, but most of
    our group is confused with the slope of velocity.
    We also have trouble with acceleration vectors.
  • Soooo, the homework, was NOT as easy as we were
    thought to believe. In fact, the diver question
    and skier question were near impossible! It is
    partially our fault for not starting the homework
    earlier and asking questions on it, but we
    thought it would be easy and quick, and the fact
    that blackboard was down this weekend did not
    help
  • We all had trouble understanding the force
    vectors. Ok, thanks for letting me know. The good
    news is that well be spending a lot more time
    with them in the future so there will be plenty
    of time to practice.

40
Humor/trade books
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • But once we started talking about the Greenies
    I actually understood. Physics should be taught
    everywhere using Greenies.
  • p.s. What we really learned is that the
    greenies will go on THE PRICE IS RIGHT and will
    play plinko with flashing bouncey balls and win
    Switzerland. Greenies enjoy cheese and
    chocolate. In fact cheese and chocolate are the
    two major constituents of the greenies diet.
    They also enjoy hamsters. (reference to There
    are no electrons Electronics for Earthlings)
    cite?zgf

41
Humor
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Tell me a story about a situation where net force
    might be applicable.
  • If you have two Rare Mountain Shoats playing tug
    of war on top of St. Regis Mountain. The two
    shoats are of equal strength but not stamina. So
    for a while the net force on the rope applied by
    the shoats is ZERO. After 3 minutes shoat 1 gets
    tired and is applying less force than Shoat 2.
    Shoat 2 pulls him down the mountain and into
    Lower St. Regis Lake. He won. Thats one of the
    best shoat stories ever. Maybe you should write
    it down and put it in a fairy tale book for your
    grandkids someday. I might do that too.

42
Humor
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Invent a motion map and then provide a plausible
    explanation for how it could have been created.
  • This guy Chris Gosling was walking along one day
    and he tripped on a porcupine. It is important to
    note that he was near the top of a hill when this
    incident happened. So when he tripped he fell in
    the direction of the downward slope and proceeded
    to roll into a ball and then down the hill.
    Along the way a large rock intercepted Chris
    path and he flew 2ft into the air and was caught
    by a large eagle and carried off to spend the
    rest of his life to live in a nest. However,
    between the time of porcupine impact and when he
    slammed into the rock, some nearby Physics
    students decided to measure motion maps than save
    him from his doomed fate. Outstanding scenario!

43
Humor
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Teddy, Makeda, and Brian- This drawing is one
    of the best Ive ever seen. Maybe I will take it
    home and put it on my fridge. But why is the
    grassy hillside level? The eagle is a
    particularly nice touch.

44
Humor
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Tell me a story about a situation where net force
    might be applicable.
  • So we got team A and team B in an extreme
    tug-o-war tournament. They are in the final
    round and its a heated match. Team A is a
    applying a force of 80 wheat fig N and team B is
    applying a force of -80 wheat fig N. The net
    force of the tug-o-war match is 0 wheat fig N.
    All of a sudden, little Timmy musters up enough
    strength to increase the force of team Bs net
    force to -82 wheat fig N. With this larger
    amount of force, the new net force of the
    tug-o-war match is -2 wheat fig N. Team B is now
    able to pull team A into the alligator infested
    mud pit and win the extreme tug-o-war tournament
    for the fifth consecutive year. All of the
    players of team A were sadly consumed by the
    alligators and will no longer be able to compete
    in next years tournament.

45
Humor
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
46
Student Reactions
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Which do you prefer individual journaling or the
    group journals weve been doing the second half
    of the semester? Why?
  • We all agree that group journal is the better way
    to get thoughts and ideas out and is much easier
    to work in a group than to sit down individually
    and write the entries. Being done in class, you
    dont forget like you would when having to do
    them individually.
  • Well the groups journal was preferred as we can
    work together to find our way and in addition we
    get some satisfaction in the more immediate reply
    from you the teacher as to our rightness or
    wrongness
  • Journaling is definitely better as a group
    because its fresh in the mind and it makes sure
    we do it.
  • It was nice to have your question to point us in
    a direction.

47
Student Reactions Cont.
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Which do you prefer individual journaling or the
    group journals weve been doing the second half
    of the semester? Why?
  • We believe that the journals in class were
    definitely the way to go. They allowed us more
    constructive journal entries, instead of writing
    them all at the end and forgetting some stuff.
    Its actually incentive to do them, since its
    done in class.
  • Group journaling is much better. In case we dont
    understand something we can discuss it over with
    our group and understand it better. it helped to
    direct the journal entries.

48
Student Reactions
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Which method makes it easier to write a Learning
    Commentary later?
  • When it comes to writing Learning Commentaries we
    feel that individual journaling is better because
    individually your problems are in the journal,
    maybe the problems that you (individually) have.
  • We think it was also easier to write Learning
    Commentaries because you didnt have to keep
    flipping through journal pages, and everything
    was found on the computer.

49
Student Reactions
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Which method helps you learn better?
  • (electronic learning logs vs. traditional
    journals)
  • We believe that this electronic journaling helps
    us learn better since there are specific
    questions to answer about the topics we cover in
    class.
  • We think that as a group you learn better because
    every ones views are expressed and discussed.
  • This method was also probably better for learning
    because of two reasons you always did it and
    your answers were more complete and correct.

50
Student Reactions
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • How do these learning logs compare to traditional
    journals (pencil and paper) that youve kept for
    other classes?
  • We all like the electronic learning logs a lot
    better than having to write them on paper.
  • They are faster and are easier to correct
    mistakes with a teachers response.
  • We decided that we like electronic learning logs
    better than written ones, because it is more
    efficient and fast than journals on paper.

51
Student Reactions
Calculus-Based Algebra-Based High School
(Algebra-Based)
  • Do you think that writing the Learning Logs helps
    you learn physics?
  • Learning logs help- they kind of bring everything
    together.
  • We think they help us and they are a better way
    to figure out things we have problems with.
  • they do help us get information straight.
  • It didnt necessarily help to learn physics but
    they definitely gave us a good summary of the
    material and good practice!

52
References
Bazerman, C., Little, J., Bethel, L., Chavkin,
T., Fouquette, D., Garufis, J. (2005).
Reference guide to writing across the curriculum.
West Lafayette, Indiana Parlor
Press. http//wac.colostate.edu/books/bazerman_wac
/ Hickman, P. (2000). Assessing student
understanding with interactive-electronic-collabor
ative learning logs. ENC Focus, 7(2), 24-27.
53
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