My name is Mary Barkley. I am Life Science teacher at Dodgen Middle School in Marietta Georgia. I have been teaching for 9 years both in public and private schools. My love of technology began with my oldest son and his fascination with all things technical. In order to keep up with him and keep him safe, I had to learn as well. I have taught an integration to technology class in Cobb county but wanted to go further in my understanding of how to use technology in my classroom. ECOMP 5106 quicklinks are found to the right or within this posting.My "Cells Sustain Survival" unit brings students from the abstract to the concrete. Students
learn through a variety of modes in order to come to a complete understanding of cell structure and function. Students use real world data from our Adopt a Stream macroinvertebrate sampling to apply their new knowledge in explaining how all living organisms need cells to survive.We worked on numerous assignments such as the technology autobiography explaining how we first became interested in technology. Read more...
My thoughts on technology integration are that as with any tool there is a time and a place for technology. No unit should be changed just for the sake of using a new or different tool whether the tool is technology or a science probe. Read more...
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When writing about understanding I choose to discuss my emerging gardening skills. I love to play in my garden. I was not always a good gardener although God knows the multitude of plant carcasses in my past can attest that I tried. Read more...The generative topic assignment truly helped me focus my thinking about what I wanted my students to learn which then helped me uncover my essential questions. I went through several questions before I decided upon my final overarching question, "To what extent is survival dependent on cells?" Read more...
We played with Microsoft Word and learned some new applications such as making a table of contents which can be updated as you edit your document. We created a word chain to display some creative uses of this program. And we also used Mindmeister or Inspiration to plan out our unit in a more visual format.
In my technology brochure I highlighted a virtual microscope that is almost as good as 
the real thing. University of Delaware found that even at the college level, students often did not know how to use a compound microscope.
the real thing. University of Delaware found that even at the college level, students often did not know how to use a compound microscope. Though all teachers learn and know Blooms Taxonomy, it sometimes takes some thought when creating questions to specifically address each level. We spent some time in discussion and creation of discriminating questions to address our curriculum unit. Read more...
On the final day of class we were introduced to a wonderful data analysis tool, InspireData. We completed a short analysis of the resource data provided. I hope to use some local funds to purchase this software for use in my classroom. See example...
The overarching curriculum unit is a document that I am now be able to implement in my classroom and share with my colleagues. Read more...
Final Reflection
In creating a curriculum unit on cells for my students, I learned so much about myself and my thought processes. Often I will look at activities first and then figure out how they fit with the culminating assessment. By working with the curriculum unit, Read more......
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