Their first task was to upload their product for the DNA Replication Assignment I had given them last week. They were to find an engaging way to explain the details of DNA replication. I allowed them to choose their format and I was so impressed by the results. There were Prezis, and PowerPoints, a Popplet and an iMovie, oh my! They were amazing. The students presented their product to each other and uploaded a copy to Schoology as a reference and for those who were absent to use. I really enjoyed how each group focused on a slightly different aspect in their presentation. This made the whole project extremely useful as a study tool.
We have also been talking about the world population since the beginning of the year and the students have been anxiously awaiting the birth of the 7 billionth person. Today a student mentioned that she had heard that we had surpassed 7 billion inhabitants, yet the site we had been relying on had the world at a mere 6.87 billion people. On the fly, I assigned an extra credit opportunity for each student to find a reputable source that told them how many people we had on the planet. Here is where Schoology came in...because I wanted everyone to have this opportunity, but I didn't want everyone to use the same resource, I created a discussion post. The students could post at 9:30pm (the best time determined by the class). You could earn the point if you were the first to post using a unique resource. They could easily see who had posted before them and what source they had used and find a new resource to share. You will note that the students were so excited to share what they learned (or maybe it was the use of the magic term Extra Credit) that 3 students posted at 9:30pm!
Both of these assignments were trial runs for what I have planned for my RILS next week.
The students have really been enjoying using Schoology. I am curious to see if this engagement and interest changes as we continue to use Schoology. Check back and see!
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