9-18-08 – Interaction, Collaboration, and Technology

Today we got to do an activity that included interaction, collaboration, and technology. To complete this activity, we got into groups of three with one computer per group. We then went on the Foss web site that runs in conjunction with the Foss Kits we have in the classroom. We were asked to collaborate with the members of our group to plan a meal that met required calorie and fat intake amounts. This was a fun activity to, but it also proved to be harder than we thought. It took my group quite a few attempts to successfully plan an adequate meal. We also completed a few nutrition worksheets from the Foss Kits. All this time, we were also taking time to discuss our findings as a class.

This was a wonderful example of how to integrate interaction, collaboration, and technology into a lesson. I believe that it is important to include these characteristics in some of your lessons because these characteristics are part children’s learning styles today. Many kids are so use to using the computer and being in social situations due to society's practices, so we really need to build on these strengths and allow the students to use them.