Gizmos-Regina

=** How can Gizmos be used to optimize student education both inside and outside the classroom? **=

 **Connection to Future Teachers **
====As the Internet is becoming more prevalent in classrooms, there are more and more websites that are being created to foster learning. However, with the increase in online teaching tools comes the question of whether one can actual learn from online technology. In this report the use of gizmos and simulations in general are examined for how they can be used to optimize student education both inside and outside the classroom. Gizmos are online simulations offered to teach many different science and mathematics concepts to students. This project aims to define what influences, if any, gizmos have on student achievement. Ultimately, how can gizmos be used to optimize student education both inside and outside the classroom? Furthermore, should gizmos be used to enhance student learning? ====

** Personal Connection **
==== I have volunteered and observed in several classes where teachers use gizmos as a supplemental teaching aid. Particularly in science and mathematics courses gizmos are useful. After observing students' use of gizmos I wanted to explore more about what exactly constitutes a gizmo and if using them is actually helpful or not. One gizmo I saw being used in a fifth grade mathematics classroom that I found interesting was called Chocomatic. This gizmo applied multiplication and area as students designed their own candy bars made out of chocolate squares. Students used multiplication to answer how many squares comprised each bar. Then they made more chocolate bars that had the same area as the previous bar. I found this gizmo to be very fun and wanted to explore how to utilize these gizmos more in my classroom to optimize instruction. ====

=Using Gizmos in Instruction =


====Gizmos are online interactive simulations that teach students a variety of science concepts in grades 3-12 and a variety of math concepts from 3rd grade through beginning college mathematics courses. ====

**Benefits of using gizmos in instruction include:**
====1. Gizmos are real or virtually real and thus they simulate some activity so well that real learning takes place. Students have the ability to manipulate things on the computer to simulate events in real life. Using gizmos on the computer allows different variations to be tested in a quicker manner than if students were to conduct these things in real life. Gizmos, ultimately, facilitate the teaching of complex subjects and concepts. ==== ====2. Gizmos are 'hands-on' so students become actual participants in their learning rather than just listeners or observers. Students become active learners who participate in building their own understanding. Thus, students remember content better when they experience it for themselves. ==== ====3. Gizmos are motivators that get students so involved in the activity that they become interested in learning about the subject area further. Gizmos thus increase students' motivation. ==== ====4. Gizmos are empowering, as students take responsibility of their own learning. Teachers are put in a new role that no longer has them as just a presenter of information but rather has students actively involved in their own learning. ====

5. Gizmos are web-based so they can be assessed from anywhere.
====6. There are a variety of different types of gizmos appropriate for differing grade levels and ages. Students can choose gizmos that are specific for enhancing their individual needs. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">7. Gizmos are developmentally valid. Since there are a tons of different gizmos teachers and students can select those appropriate for the developmental levels of each student. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">8. Gizmos promote students participation in inquiry based learning.
====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">9. Using gizmos improves student achievement in science and mathematics. Students gain an average of 18-24 percentile points in their science test scores after using gizmos. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">1. Some gizmos over simplify some real world experiences.
====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">2. Gizmos cannot replace teacher instruction. Gizmos should be used to enhance teacher instruction. The teacher is still a vital part of educating children and thus teachers should help guide students to the correct understanding while supplementing the curriculum with extra gizmo resources. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">7. Some gizmos are too basic and do not thoroughly explain the concepts to students.
====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">8. Gizmos can also be too complex for young students. Thus using them students can become confused and not learn the concepts correctly. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">9. Students can ignore the purpose of the gizmo and instead begin pushing buttons and clicking on random objects. Thus, instead of actually trying to comprehend the activity students would be completing useless busy work. ====

<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;"> =<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Considerations for Teachers Before Using Gizmos in the Classroom (Rudolph, 2009) =

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====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">1. When students are using gizmos, teachers should provide students with guidance and teacher assistance to monitor student learning. When gizmos are used together with teacher instruction student learning is enhanced. However, if teachers skip their instruction then students' learning can be negatively affected. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">2. Teachers should practice using the gizmos before students begin working on the gizmos. Teachers should be experts on each gizmo and concept presented so that when students have questions about how to use the gizmo they will be able to assist students. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">3. Due to the high number of gizmos available, before introducing students to gizmos, teachers should find the content area and grade level appropriate gizmos that correlate with the specific state standards and curriculum being taught. In order to optimize instruction teachers should have supplemental gizmos already picked out so students do not have to search for related gizmos on their own. During free time, students can explore the various gizmos and practice other content area material. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">4. Teachers should always go over the gizmos with students emphasizing the main objectives and the concepts covered during the activity. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">5. Teachers should always relate the gizmos used to the content being covered in the class. Teachers must connect the simulations to how they relate to real life examples so students can gain a greater understanding of the concepts being taught. ==== <span style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

=<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;"> Videos about Gizmos ** =

media type="youtube" key="SdytwsEmbPo" height="344" width="425" ====<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;"> This video describes how one school is using gizmos to enhance students' overall educational experience. ====

media type="youtube" key="u0Mvf6lsvHc" height="344" width="425"

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">This video explains how to use virtual reality simulations to enhance ones' education.
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">[|Video Examples of Using Gizmos in the Classroom]
=<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;">Interesting Links and Resources =

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">[|Tech & Learning Article Review]
====<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">[|A School That's Too High on Gizmos] ====

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">[|Educational Simulations]
====<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">Cholmsky, P. (2003, December). //Why gizmos work: Empirical evidence for the instructional effectiveness of explorelearning's interactive content//. Retrieved from [] ====

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;"> Rudolph, K. (2009, October 15). //Math gizmos//. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/content/m32365/latest/.
====<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">[|See what other have to say about Gizmos] ==== ====<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Wayne Worthley, a teacher at Redland Middle school in the Dade County School District in south Florida, used gizmos with his students in preparation for the science FCAT. "There were around 350 8th grade students in the school and I taught about 75 of them. Of those 75, **67% passed with a 3 or better.** Of the other approximately 275 8th grade students, only 10% of them passed with a 3 or better...**GIZMOS make a difference and are a valuable instructional tool for me**." ====

=<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;">**Articles on Using Gizmos in the Classroom** =

Barab, S., & Dede, C. (2007). Games and Immersive Participatory Simulations for Science Education: An Emerging Type of Curricula. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(1), 1-3.
==== This article focuses on discussing how games and immersive participatory simulations could be used to support science education. Barab claims in order to teach science effectively technologies should be integrated into the curriculum to foster students’ knowledge and skills as part of an inquiry process (2007). Games and immersive participatory simulations provide students with a strong sense of engagement and relate the material to real life situations and opportunities. Ultimately, engaging in games and simulations helps students gain a greater understanding of the curriculum. Simulations also help promote changes in students’ self-efficacy and learning processes. ==== ==== This article was useful in providing evidence for why games and simulations can enhance student achievement in science education. Since gizmos are a type of online simulations this article demonstrates the benefits of using simulations like gizmos in the classroom. This article provides evidence for how simulations are beneficial in the classroom as a means to increase the amount of meaningful learning that occurs. ====

==== Buzzetto-More, N., & Mitchell, B. C. (2009). Student performance and perceptions in a web-based competitive computer simulation. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 5, 73-90. ==== ==== This article aims to provide evidence for how simulations in general can be an effective method to teach rather complicated concepts. During this study the effectiveness of simulations was assessed by surveying students about their opinion on simulations in the classroom. Additionally, students were given performance tests after completing the simulations. This study found that students overwhelmingly believed simulations helped enhance their educational experience. Students’ performance results also demonstrated the success rate of using simulations in the classroom as a means to increase student achievement. ==== ==== Simulations help students relate concepts to how they are applied in the real world. Additionally simulations help make learning more fun, which in turn results in more meaningful learning. Using games and simulations also helps foster students’ self-confidence in their own decision-making skills. This article further discussed the fact that competitive web-based simulations enhance the overall learning experience of minorities in higher education classes; thus simulations serve as an educational equalizer. ==== ==== This article was useful in that it relates the use of simulations and gizmos on a broader scale to how they enhance student achievement across grade levels. Gizmos are effective because they illustrate to students how rather complex ideas are applied in the real world. Thus, if one was to use simulations in their classroom in an effort to enhance student achievement, it is essential for teachers to make sure these simulations are realistic. ====

Rieber, L. P., & Noah, D. (2008). Games, simulations, and visual metaphors in education: antagonism between enjoyment and learning. Educational Media International, 45(2), 77-92.
==== This article aims to investigate the use of computer-based simulations and their influence on student achievement. According to Rieber and Noah (2008), although using games and simulations engage students so they enjoy learning about concepts, this study found that if games are used without proper guidance and instruction then they actually interfere with students’ learning. This study illustrated the negative side effects of using games in the classroom. However if games and simulations are used in conjunction with other instructional tools then learning is enhanced. ==== ==== Central to the influence of simulations on students’ learning was the wording of the questions. When the questions after using the simulation prompted students to recall their experiences with the simulations then students were able to demonstrate their knowledge learned from the activities. However, when students were not prompted to relate the question to their simulations activities they were at a loss for how to respond to the questions. This study stressed that the use of games and simulations in education should be carefully implemented. Teacher guidance is a necessity when using simulations in the classroom to help reemphasize the important parts of the lesson. ==== ==== Since this article discussed the influences of computer-based simulations on student achievement this directly relates to the project. This article provides direct evidence for why if games and simulations are included in the daily curriculum then students need teacher guidance to keep them on track and to help foster their learning. ====

==== (2006). Effective k-12 science instruction: Implementing research-validated teaching strategies using explorelearning gizmos. Retrieved from http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResearch.dspEffectiveK12. ==== ==== This resource is a research brief released from ExploreLearning.com to promote the use of using gizmos to enhance science instruction. This brief discusses the finding from a meta-analysis of 60 plus research studies. According to this report manipulation, inquiry-based learning and technology-enhanced instruction are three specific teaching strategies that are effective in enhancing student achievement. Gizmos are a great resource to use in the classroom as students can participate in building their own understanding through manipulating gizmos and creating different circumstances. Gizmos also promote inquiry-based learning, as students engage in actual scientific practices while developing their understanding. According to this report, gizmos also provide teachers with an effective method of integrating technology into the curriculum. ==== ==== Although this resource does provide evidence for how explorelearning.com gizmos help to enhance student performance, since this resource was released from the site that produces these gizmos it is a biased source. The research brief was designed to convince others to use explorelearning.com’s gizmos to enhance performance. Yet since explorelearning.com costs money to enroll and use the gizmos, this report should be viewed as suspicious and the finding should be further tested to see if they are in fact valid claims. ==== ==== This article is useful in illustrating how gizmos influence students’ achievement. Since the focus of this paper is on explaining the effects of gizmos on student achievement, this resource provides direct evidence to validate the usefulness of gizmos in the classroom. This report provides a good starting point for further researching about the effects of using gizmos in the classroom. Additionally, this article demonstrated three specific uses of how gizmos could be used in the classroom. Knowing that gizmos can be used as a manipulation tool, inquiry-based learning tool, or as a means to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum helped provide a foundation for where to start further research on the effects of gizmos. ====

(2008). Maine impact study for technology in mathematics (mistm). Retrieved from http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResearch.dspMISTM.
==== This article is a research brief released from explorelearning.com that aims to provide evidence for how technology helps enhance students’ mathematical performance. This report describes the results of a two-year study on the use of integrating technology into the mathematics program in rural middle schools. Maine’s Impact Study of Technology in Mathematics (MISTM) developed a professional development program aimed to improve teacher knowledge about middle school mathematics to ultimately help improve student achievement scores. Teachers were taught how to successfully integrate technology into their daily instruction. Additionally, this study aimed to find whether or not using technology in math instruction enhanced student achievement scores in mathematics. Student performance after use of these technologies was evaluated in relation to the performance of students who did not use these gizmos. This study found that professional development that focused on integrating online virtual manipulation like explorelearning.com’s gizmos resulted in increased teacher content knowledge and increased student mathematical achievement. ==== ==== This report is one-sided because it was released by the website that supplies these gizmos for people to use. However in order to use these gizmos one must sign up and enroll their class, which has an subscription fee and requires money yearly. Thus, the purpose of this article is to promote the use of gizmos in education and as a result encourage the use of explorelearning.com. ==== ==== Since explorelearning.com was one of the focuses of the paper this article helped in demonstrating ways gizmos from explorelearning.com could be used to enhance student achievement. This article also gives examples for how to use gizmos in the mathematics curriculum. This report illustrated how the same perspectives presented in the other articles applied to a different subject area, mathematics. ====

=**<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;"> What does this all mean? **=

==== Overall, gizmos are interesting tools that can help enhance student achievement if used appropriately. Technology in the form of gizmos and simulations in general could be used to increase students’ motivation, interaction and engagement in learning; promote more meaningful learning; facilitate the teaching of complex subjects and concepts; promote decision-making skills; and overall help enhance the educational experiences for all students. ==== ==== According to the research, simulations, specifically gizmos, are helpful in promoting science education. Although explorelearning.com offers online gizmos for both science and mathematics there is not enough evidence to fully support using gizmos in mathematics education. Gizmos were first created to re-enforce scientific ideas and concepts. Recently the use of gizmos in mathematics education has become more popular resulting in an increase in the number of mathematically aimed gizmos. However, if gizmos are to be implemented in the daily scientific and mathematics curriculum teachers need to use gizmos as a supplementary resource. Teachers need to provide students some type of instruction to guide students’ learning. Gizmos can enhance student learning and achievement but they cannot do everything; teachers need to still be active members in promoting meaningful student learning. ====

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