Kentucky Academy of Technology Education

Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons

Core Connections

By Melissa Quertermous, teacher at Crittendon County High School

Best practices in the classroom call for student engagement. Exposing students to Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon era can achieve this principle and much more. By incorporating history, technology, media, and other avenues, teachers can create enthusiasm and excitement in learning about the Anglo-Saxons.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of introducing this unit of study to students is its universal appeal. Themes that we find in modern entertainment, such as bravery, heroism, conflict, and stereotypes, can all be found in Beowulf and the history of this time period. Recognizing the fact that "some things really don't change" allows students to make connections among cultures and time periods.

Additionally, students (both struggling and gifted) can be actively engaged in this learning process by incorporating technology into the lessons, and interactive websites are a great tool in this process. The BBC's website is a great interactive site that will teach students about the history and also allow them to interact with the history through on-line games. I have also included other links to various resources on the web, including information about the time period and the epic and example lessons.

Easy Lab Experiments

Core Connections

by Amanda LeClere, teacher at Hickman County High School

Conducting laboratory experiments in a classroom setting can be both time consuming and expensive, depending on the lab. With technology expanding rapidly in both society and education, there are alternatives to spending a lot of time and money on lab equipment by utilizing the resources available.

There are many websites that contain virtual labs and interactive activities that teach students the same concepts as doing the experiment in the classroom. One such instance includes performing the titration of an acid using a base. In the classroom, this technique requires fine tuned skills and is costly, the burettes costing approximately sixty to one-hundred dollars each. This same lab can be conducted on the computer, without using corrosive chemicals and expensive burettes. This is not to say that students should not do this in the classroom setting as well, in order to obtain lab skills. However, the virtual version can be used to introduce students to the procedure and help students understand the basic principles behind the titration process.

This is just one example of using technology to enhance the science classroom. Check out many other interactive science classrooms at the following links:

What is Probeware Anyway?

Instructional Illuminations

As teachers in today's education society, we are constantly trying to find ways to engage our students in higher order learning activities. One way for math and science teachers to accomplish this goal is through the use of probeware. What is probeware anyway? Probeware consists of measurement probes, software, and hardware (also known as data loggers) that are used to gather information such as temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity to promote scientific inquiry.

Data loggers are an example of a piece of instructional technology that has measurable benefits for students and teachers alike. The use of probeware transforms a student's task from simply collecting data to synthesizing and analyzing the information. Students get real-time data and can instantly associate the information they are collecting with the science concepts that are being taught. Probeware is a great way to get visual and kinesthetic learners involved in science. Often science concepts are abstract and hard to understand for many students. Data loggers and external probeware provide the means to perform hands-on experiments that will help students to understand these concepts and be able to make predictions and decisions based upon collected data.

Used by NASA to monitor the temperature of an astronaut's extremities while in space, it may seem that data loggers are a piece of equipment that is out of reach for the average teacher. However, data loggers are available to the general public at reasonable prices. Visit this techLearning article compares six data loggers.