Dear Reds
Here's my two website reviews.
E207 Subject knowledge and professional practice in primary schools.
Use this form to report on two of the three websites that you visited.
Create a form for each website.
Post the two forms on your e-group forum.
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Student name:
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Jan Dering
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Date:
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20/02/2015
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Name and URL of website:
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Topic:
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History of the idea/theory of gravity.
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Keywords
for search
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Isaac Newton
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Ease of finding the site:
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Tricky to find as the search engines only seem to point to the old outdated British broadcasting company (BBC) bite-size website, which is still operational, but which is archived. The only way to find the correct website is via the correct web address. Typing in Isaac Newton will not bring you to this site. I found this site via a link on another site, which I did not review as its information was not supplied by a reliable source.
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Attractiveness of the site (appearance, tone, style, etc.):
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The site is styled to appeal to primary school children with lots of colourful header graphics. Some of the video clips are presented by Children’s BBC presenters, which the children will be familiar with.
The appearance of the site is bright, with text in a clear font to aid accessibility on the tabs however the text description of the videos and the classroom ideas is hard to read, as its font is not very clear on the light blue background.
The quality of the video on Isaac Newton is broadcast quality, therefore it is very clear to see and hear. However there are no subtitles, which would help include deaf children in this learning experience.
The tone is child friendly and fun, with complex physics ideas shown to pupils through experiments and experiences that the presenters undertake. The language is simple, and information is delivered in small pieces, ensuring that children understand the history of gravity and Isaac Newton’s theory on it.
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Ease of using the site (organisation, navigation):
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The site as whole is very easy to navigate with clear links to other history and gravity related information. The landing page offers 9 different video clips. only one of which is about Isaac Newton, however another video do add extra historical knowledge about the history of thinking about gravity, and the results of some early experiments as well as some experiments done on the moon.
Site organisation is simple and reasonably straight forward to find what you are looking for.
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Types of information offered on the site:
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There is only one way that information is given on this website and that is through the use of videos only one of which is about Isaac Newton, however another video do add extra historical knowledge about the history of thinking about gravity by Aristotle, and the results of some early experiments undertaken by Galileo, as well as some experiments done on the moon.
The type of information given on the website is factual, based on scientific facts, research and documented history relating to the theory of gravity.
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Usefulness of information for adults:
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The scientific information on history of gravity thinking and theories behind it given via the videos are a little basic for adults to gain much insight on the history, but it does supply correct names and dates, which adults could use to conduct more detailed research.
Under each video there is a tab, which contains classroom ideas information. This information explains how the video clip can be used as part of a lesson. Also it gives adults where else this clip can be found.
The links in the grey box to the right hand side of the screen offer the chance to explore other websites with related content. One of which is the Khan Academy, which offers more in depth gravity information better suited to adults.
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Usefulness of information for children:
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For children the clips supply a starting point for them to talk about the history of theory of gravity. This would be a good way to introduce the children to the history of thinking around the force of gravity, showing them that some of the great scientists of the past started to wonder why, which is the basis of scientific thinking. The related clips give children more information about the effects of gravity while navigating this child safe website.
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How an adult might support children’s learning with this website:
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This website provides a teacher with the visual learning tool to help support the children’s first steps to understanding the important historical figures relating to the scientific understanding of gravity. This can then be further supported by the use of suggestions given on the class room ideas tab, which highlights the children writing interview style questions to these historical men. This helps to strengthen the children’s subject knowledge of these historical men and their unique theories on the topic of gravity and the results of Galileo’s leaning tower of Pisa experiments. The questions the children come up with, could then lead to further child led science experiments.
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Trustworthiness of information:
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The BBC is an internationally renowned public broadcasting company. The two presenters from the clip are BAFTA award winning. The scientist that appears on the clips is Fran Scott (credited as Science Consultant) and other experts in the field of gravity are also represented. This all makes the information given on the clips very trustworthy.
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Strong points:
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Clips give good grounding in the basic information and well as providing children with some of the key vocabulary with which to describe the historical figures and their theories and experiments on gravity.
The clips presented by award winning television presenters, who are backed up by a range of scientist who are experts in their given field.
There are a good range of related clips on the topic of gravity, to further the children’s understanding of this force.
The Class room ideas give teachers information on how to integrate the clips into a lesson plan. These ideas aim to deepen the children’s understanding on the force of gravity.
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Weak points:
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The older website that the search engines takes you to, had information on how the lesson ideas linked to the national curriculum, as well as more links related to the topic of gravity which included interactive games to further the children’s understand, which this new website does not.
While the clips are informative, they fail to have subtitles, which would aid deaf children to access the clips.
Three of the links are not relevant to the subject of gravity, and one of those is a subscription site.
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Overall rating (10 = highest, 1 = lowest):
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7
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Any other comments:
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This website could be used effectively for children to research questions they come up with around the topic of Gravity. From which they could make a report about their findings. The children could also invent their own gravity experiments based upon the historical experiments and try to predict the answers before they do them.
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E207 Subject knowledge and professional practice in primary schools.
Use this form to report on two of the three websites that you visited.
Create a form for each website.
Post the two forms on your e-group forum.
|
Student name:
|
Jan Dering
|
Date:
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20/02/2015
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Name and URL of website:
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Topic:
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What is gravity and what are its effects on objects on earth and in space?
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Keywords
for search
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Effect, Gravity, Earth, Space.
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Ease of finding the site:
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From a united kingdom web based search, this website is reasonably easy to access through the normal range of popular website search engines.
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Attractiveness of the site (appearance, tone, style, etc.):
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The site has a clean layout, simple to understand. The website is easy to read and access. All the buttons are clearly explained. This site is broken down into two interlinked sites, one aimed at teachers and the other at pupils. The teacher site is written to appeal to the teaching profession offering a wide range of resources that can be stored into lessons.
Some of the clips are of American broadcast quality that are short enough to be used as part of a lesson on Gravity to visually explain to pupils what gravity is and its effects as seem on earth, and in space.
The tone of both websites is very well aimed at the intended audiences. With pupils it is clear and informative.
The pupils site, offers them a clear pathway to finding their own teachers lessons on gravity. This pupil site has a colourful landing page, which then leads to a very similar website to the teachers view.
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Ease of using the site (organisation, navigation):
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The pupils site, offers them a clear pathway to finding their own teachers lessons on gravity. This pupil site has a colourful landing page, which then leads to a very similar website to the teachers view.
The organisation of the site aimed at teachers, shows the teacher a brief synopsis of what each clip is about, with the ones that are aimed at answering the question what is the effects of gravity in space, teachers are given the choice to two video clips and one image to use as part of their lessons on gravity. Each of these comes complete with support materials like background information, and discussion question to ask the pupils. All of these are located under the clip or image for ease of access. Also there is a link to American standards, which are similar to the united kingdom standards.
Navigation is simple and very straight forward on both teachers and pupil’s websites, with the buttons being clearly labelled, as well as all clips and related gravity material been shown on the search page. These resources can be narrowed down by using the filters of class year group, subject, media type, language and permitted use.
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Types of information offered on the site:
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For the question, What is gravity? The site provides a wealth of back ground information, on Isaac Newton and Einstein and well as the latest information on Gravitations. This information is given in a variety of ways, through video clips, supplied by award winning science T.V. shows. Other clips are supplied by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), both these types of clips pose questions for pupils to think about and answer.
Teachers are provided with in most cases lesson plans and ideas on pedagogy as well as being offered further subject knowledge information to further their own understanding of the subject of gravity, as well as offering teachers a bank of clips to show pupils the effects of gravity both on earth and in space to further the pupils understanding of this unseen but felt force.
Some of the videos, show experiments which the pupils could try for themselves and thought experiments from Aristotle too, which were first done by Galileo. This is an interactive activity were the pupils can first think, then try out the same experiments thought of by Galileo. This extends their understanding of Gravity and how it applies to objects on Earth, thereby answering the question of how objects are affected by gravity here. While other clips supplied by NASA, show pupils the effects of minimal gravity on objects while in orbit in the international space station (ISS). This is not an experiment that can easily achieved within a normal classroom.
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Usefulness of information for adults:
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There is a wide variety of information which is aimed at the teachers around the question what are the effects of Gravity on objects on earth and in space?
Pedagogical knowledge, relating to the teaching of gravity and its effects on objects comes from a range of clips showing best teaching practice on the subject of Gravity and how best to explain this invisible force, so that the pupils can understand it.
There is very useful advanced subject knowledge about the effects of gravity to help further the teacher’s personal understanding of this subject. This includes relevant background information, which could be used to support more able pupils in a more detailed in depth analysis of this physics topic and associated keywords.
The clips on the topic of gravity are linked to further a question that helps to make the pupils think and understand this invisible force and to introduce the idea that gravity does not always stay the same, but is subject to changes due to an objects location, mass and speed. Theses discussion questions help the teacher to pick up any misunderstandings or misconceptions that may surround gravity, which the children might have about the clips they watch. This is further enhanced by the standards and common core information, which can be adapted to link to the national curriculum.
All the resources on this site can be searched in year group and the needs of the teacher. The types of resources can be narrowed down and sorted according to relevance to the keywords.
All the content on this website is safe for school children to use, so it can be used safely as a research tool for the children, with the confidence that they are safe and that the content is suitable for the age range selected.
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Usefulness of information for children:
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The information on this site is provided in a wide variety of ways. Through the use of short clips which be integrated into a lesson about the effects of gravity which helps to show pupils the effects of gravity on earth and on the ISS on everyday objects.
These gravity clips are then linked to further questions about what they have just seen, to assess their understanding of the new knowledge acquired.
Some clips are linked to interactive experiments, which allow the pupils to conduct some of Galileo movement experiments. The pupils are asked to predict what will happen. Then they press a button and conduct that experiment to see if their prediction was correct. These interactive activities give the pupils the chance to integrate history learning alongside their science/physics education.
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How an adult might support children’s learning with this website:
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The site can be used as tool to extend pupils subject knowledge and to look at related areas of study, including the history of the thinking about gravity as well as thinking about how people use gravity, like for example circus performers. By looking at real life examples of people understanding how gravity effects them, shows the pupils the way in which performers greater understand of gravity helps them do their job. Also astronauts can be shown to need a good understanding of gravity too.
The site could be used for integrated learning, where one than one subject area is studied at once. With the question what is Gravity, you come across scientists from the past, which means that history could be integrated. Gravity is a mathematical formula, which shows how scientists use this to calculate how gravity effects the movement of objects, which would introduce mathematics.
There are also some self-guided lessons, which would help to support pupil’s independent learning skills, around the topic of Gravity.
The website could also be used as a research tool, on which pupils could safely search, without the worry that they will come across a clip that they should not, which can be set up via the teacher’s website.
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Trustworthiness of information:
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The website draws its resources from a variety of award winning science programs that are fronted by leading scientists in their given field, for example Neil de Grasse Tyson, who fronts some Nova science programs is a leading astrophysicist and cosmologist. With some of clips about gravity and it’s effects being from NASA, as part of their aerospace education services project, you can be sure that the information contained with these clips are extremely trustworthy.
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Strong points:
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The website contains lots of high quality trustworthy information aimed at both teachers and pupils a like.
The clips are short with information underneath to aid the teachers in selecting the correct clip to answer the question about the effects of gravity both on earth and in space.
This information can be further narrowed down by using the filters provided on the site.
It is a safe pupil friendly site that can be tailored by the teacher to meet the needs of a whole class or group of pupils that can be altered overtime, as the pupils address the different questions that surround gravity and its effects on objects both on earth and in space. This information can be linked to integrated learning opportunities that arise from the topic of gravity.
The use of the interlinked websites for both teachers and pupils, gives each access to the parts of the website they both need to ensure a seamless learning environment which is best suited to their different needs, rather than one site trying to be everything to everyone.
The simple way, that the site offers teachers to customize the pupil’s website, and therefore learning experience, based on what they understand to be their pupil’s needs to further the pupils understanding on the topic of Gravity and covering a wide range of questions that are linked to this physics area, including looking at other influences on how gravity works on other planets, and how certain people use their understanding of gravity to do certain jobs, like circus performers and astronauts.
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Weak points:
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With so much customisation available, it robs the pupils of the chance coming across of an interesting, related topic that surrounds the subject of gravity, which could support the pupil’s subject understanding of gravity.
There is so much rich information that it could be classed as too much. Unless you narrow your search criteria you can get over 8 pages of relevant information relating to the topic of gravity.
On the website there is no direct link to U.K. national Curriculum or Key stages, however it’s easy to find out what American grades correlate the United Kingdom year groups.
After the brightly coloured landing page for the pupils, the colour is gone, and the layout turns to a simpler version of the teachers website, with links only the teacher has placed on, visible to the pupils, which robs them of the chance to search for relevant associate topics that correlate with the topic of gravity.
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Overall rating (10 = highest, 1 = lowest):
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9
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Any other comments:
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On balance this is a good teaching website, if only for the rich well thought out content and large variety of topic material on the general topic of gravity.
The interlinked use of the websites, allows a fully customised (by the teacher) experience for the pupils. Which gives teachers control over what the pupils sees which can be a handy feature if on other websites you find pupils looking at non-related science material.
The links to pedagogical guidance is a nice extra, which I have not seen on the other websites I reviewed.
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