Health+Part+2

//By Scott Trivisonno //** **Strategy One: Generating and Testing Hypotheses**
 * Part II: [[image:graph_header.gif align="right"]]

In the Health lesson, students will be generating and testing hypotheses. Students are asked the number of calories they think they burned during their exercise in gym class (had they completed the exercise for an hour) and compare that to what they actually would have burned. Students will also compare burned calories to consumed calories. These two amounts will be plotted against one another and bunched into groups and also whole class. Students will be accessing the website [] students do not need accounts and can easily save pictures of their graphs or e-mail them to the instructor.

The internet will serve as the main source of information to calculate and gather data. The website [|www.caloriesburnedperhour.com] allows students to navigate around and choose an exercise activity then calculate the calories burned. The Internet will also be used to locate popular fast food caloric data. With the computer, students can use the above link to make their graphs. The Internet is also a tool that students are familiar with and lets them take control of the lesson to test their hypothesis. Spreadsheet software allows students to create their own graphs then analyze the graphs for any patterns. Information will not be spelled out for them, students must analyze and interpret. A fiscal advantage for the school is that most building will have the needed technology already implemented in classrooms or labs.

**Strategy Two: Providing Feedback**

The Internet and websites such as [] allow students to send their work via e-mail and allows instructors to give immediate feedback. The website allows students to send the graphs they made (caloric intake vs. caloric output) e-mailed to the instructor immediately. Teachers can then view the graphs instantly and make comments or view that at home to grade or make comments to give students the following day. The important part of providing feedback is that it is as immediate as possible. Research shows that there is a larger opportunity for learning if feedback is given in a timely manner. The school will not have to purchase any expensive software since the website is free. It also gives students free range for students to complete assignments at home. Lastly programs such as Excel offer more features to graph data, but are sometimes difficult to teach students in a short time and are not available to all students or installed on all computers. Its greatest flaw is the lack of immediate feedback to students, there is not easy to use e-mail program embedded in the software.

 Using technology in any class engages students, which increase motivation. From personal observation and the article I have read from this class, students love technology and expect it in their daily lives. The two website described above will be easy for students to navigate and also allows students to access non-linearly. The website for CreateAGraph allows students to personalize their graphs and data with colors, fonts and data point styles. This of course should be monitored so graphs are legible, but this brings a personal feel to student constructed work. Just today a co-worker and friend told me how his entire class (the last two periods of the day) were more on task today, than any other day this year. Today was the second to last day of school, his trick, laptop activities. This just helps to show that students are engaged and motivated by technologies they grew up with. Lastly these technologies also give teachers the ability for immediate feedback, when students can hear their mistakes or successes immediately they are encouraged to complete assignments with better precision. This starts to take on an intrinsic motivation when students are self guiding their own work.