Curriculum, learning and teaching
Looking closely at the ear of a bearded dragon How technology has helped Anthony Artist to gain new perspectives in science lessons
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the hole in the head to the right of the eye. We can even see the thin white tympanic membrane, or eardrum, separating the external from the middle ear. But can we see even closer? Can we do this quickly to maximise the impact of a teaching and learning moment? I am fortunate enough to have in my science lab a 75 inch Legamaster interactive touch screen monitor. I usually connect it to my laptop to play movies and explain activities. I also have a visualizer attached, and that is useful for science demonstrations. If that was not enough, I also had an Apple TV installed recently just to add to the technologies. Might it be possible to combine my array of tech items to look even closer? I invite science experts into the classroom on Autumn |
Spring
Microscopes are great for looking at things closely, but by the time the slide has been arranged, and you have focused in, the teaching moment might have passed. Magnifying glasses also have their place, but magnifying power is usually poor and usage is clumsy. Enter technology. iPads are now commonplace in classrooms, and picture quality over the last few years has given SLR (single lens reflex) cameras a run for their money. We photographed a bearded dragon using the camera from an iPad Air, exhibiting wonderful definition showing the spikes and scales around its head that give the ‘bearded’ effect. But we can look even closer. iPads allow us to zoom in, and if we look closely at the image we can see the ear, which is
| 2018