Blog Post #5

The two projects I reviewed were by my classmates Nia and Brittany. Nia’s final project was a top motion video on organism relationships. In the film Nia used graphics and characters to display the relationships of mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism.  One of the things I found interesting about Nia’s project was the way her sound effects were perfectly timed with the frame, I also found it easier to understand organism relationships thanks to her animation style. The overall presentation was very well put together and you can tell a great deal of effort went into it. I think the activity was perfectly aligned with Nia’s standards and the graphics and text not only explained each concept but applied it in a fun way. Brittany’s final project was an arcade game on ratios. I am not very good at math so I found the game format interesting and interactive. Brittany did not limit her arcade questions to word problems; in fact, she actually incorporated some mathematic definitions and numerical problems in her game. I think Brittany’s students will find her game engaging because it involves lots of movement (key strokes) and the game is interactive, colorful, and challenging.  I think Brittany’s game and standard are perfectly aligned because the variety of questions she provides does not limit students to simply regurgitate information, the game requires them to think and apply their knowledge by selecting the correct answer. Overall both projects were very well constructed, engaging, and a pleasure to view and participate in. This class has really equipped teachers of various content areas and grade levels a chance to produce engaging classroom activities outside of the routine text book, pen, and paper activity.  The final projects completed by my classmates and I will set the standard for the types of interactive technology we will use in our future classrooms, and though I began this class as a digital alien I am confident enough in my abilities to now say I am a digital native.