Written by: Dan Maas
1/15/2010 

So, as a former science teacher, I always crindge when a software vendor shows me some great way for kids to learn the Periodic Table of the Elements.  I never made kids memorize the table but rather always felt that the kids needed to understand how the table worked and could use it effectively.  What do the symbols mean?  What information does it convey?  Why is it arrayed the way it is?  What can you tell about the properties of an element based on its placement?  Software that helps kids memorize stuff is always low on my list.

So when Randy Stall first remarked to me that Mr. Genson's 8th grade science class at Powell Middle School had created a wiki for the Periodic Table, I have to admit I crindged.  Flashes of reciting the properties of Oxygen appeared in my mind as I tried to guess how a wiki had been used to advance "knowledge-level" work.  But, I put my instincts aside because I know I am in Littleton Public Schools, and here you should never underestimate a teacher.  The best tend work here [;-)

Sure enough, Mr. Genson has come up with a real beauty!  He worked with Randy Stall to build a cover page on the wiki with a handsom layout of the Table and then linked each element (or at least all the elements they planned to study) to a blank wiki page.  The students were then tasked to populate the wiki pages with information they could find, learn and apply about each element.  Teacher formatted; kid populated!  The expression of learning in a 21st century context is good and I encourage you to visit!

http://gensonscience.wikispaces.com/Periodic+Table+of+Elements

Please note that Mr. Genson follows good Internet safety practices, so if you would like to leave a comment or get involved with his class, you'll need a wikispaces account and you will need to request access to the wiki.

Good job everyone!

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Location: Blogs Dan Maas, Ed.D. Chief Information Officer

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