Journal 4

Changing the Face of the Traditional Lab Report by Jared Mader and Ben Smith (Sept./Oct. 2007, Learning and Leading with Technology, p.32).


This article is geared to my discipline, as a I am chemistry teacher in the lab daily. The article addressed one of the biggest difficulties in collaborative lab experiments: continuing the collaborative process outside class to complete the lab report in its entirety. The article points to Web 2.0, Zoho and Google Docs as venues that allow students to work synchronously of projects utilizing the internet. The latter two sites provide a “near”-Excel Software program that students would easily be able to use if they are familiar with EXCEL. Besides the three above, students could utilize the discussion board in WebCT and when utilizing Pasco probes in the lab, can actively incorporate screen shots and graphical representations of data to compile and create a powerpoint, iMovie or MovieMaker to discuss their experiment in great and visual detail.

1. Was this article directly applicable to my classroom.
Yes! I use WebCT, but I do not encourage students to utilized the Discussion Board often enough. I will work hard to model this, as many of my students work as partners in the collaborative laboratory environment. I am also developing curricula for various Pasco Probes in Chemistry, so I will highlight and model the visual presentation method as a substitute for one formal lab report. This would be an excellent opportunity for students to carefully synthesize and analyze data, theories and students questions.

2. Of the programs listed, which would be better to use in the classroom? This is an excellent question that I do not necessarily have the answer to at this point. However, I am interesting in promoting active learning through a variety of technology media, so I will be evaluating Web 2.0, etc to see which matches my students’ needs the best. Most of my students are used to formal report writing; it would be nice to take it to a new level and increase student understanding through more effective collaboration and increased communication of results.