Chemistry Unit 4
Exploring ethanol fuels for the future using collaborative slidesharing/slidecasting
1. Intended learning outcomes »
By the end of this unit teachers will be able to:
- virtually host PowerPoint slides and embed them in their virtual learning environment
- record a narration and link the file to the online presentation to create a slidecast
- provide students with alternative learning pathways.
2. Integration of ICT within the science context »
Developing thinking and analytical skills is an important aspect of the revised science specifications. One way in which these skills can be addressed is by reviewing the evidence that exists to support the case for ethanol fuels and bio-ethanol fuels. This is a hotly debated research area in which facts are often in apparent disagreement between research groups and between countries, particularly when wider economic and social implications are taken into account. This high-level area of the curriculum provides an opportunity for learning about scientific debate, while building an understanding of the chemistry and technologies in use to exploit the benefits of these energy sources.
An easily updatable web-based learning pathway is suited to this area of the curriculum, where a science process story links to current updated resource sites. Analysis tools provided in the pathway enable students to place other resources in context and personalise their learning experience by building informed opinions and counter arguments.
3. Challenges and opportunities to enhance effective teaching and learning »
These are some solutions to the potential barriers to effective teaching and learning in this area:
- The plethora of conflicting information, which can cause confusion
This unit will explore how teachers can control the core of the presentation, which provides a roadmap for the students to navigate conflicting information
- Large-scale manufacturing processes are removed from students' everyday life and visits are often impossible, which could lead to students not engaging with the topic
A media-rich presentation allows students to comprehend the scale of processes and see equipment in dangerous or inaccessible locations. In addition, students respond well to web-based media in an interactive format, which allows student-centred personalised learning pathways and links to other resources
- It is difficult to link laboratory simulation with an industrial scale operation
Relevance is established by linking to current news and debate.
- There is a lack of up-to-date resources at GCSE level, as this is a new extension topic area in 2008 and rapidly evolving subject matter makes printed teaching materials quickly outdated
This unit looks at a ready mechanism for rapidly adapting existing materials; presentations can be updated and disseminated to groups of students over multiple examination cycles.
4. Software and hardware requirements »
As SlideShare is a web application, there are few desktop requirements. You must have an internet-enabled computer and some sort of presentation-generating software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynotes, or any software that can produce pdfs. If you do not have any presentation software, download Impress from Open Office free
The maximum file size for your presentations is 100MB, but most presentations are well below this limit. You can upload files in ppt, pps and pot (PowerPoint), pdf and odp (OpenOffice). Mac users can save their keynote presentations as pdfs. For pptx (PowerPoint 2007), please save in the lower version (ppt) or as a pdf.
5. Activities »
6. 'How to' guides »
7. Exemplar material »
8. What next? »
This is activity that perhaps could be carried out in conjunction with your school's ICT department. Direct students to an incomplete presentation on SlideShare and show them how to download the presentation. The presentation is not complete because:
- there is information missing in 'Fill in the blank' sections
- it only covers half the topic area required
- it is a skeletal presentation with just titles.
Ask the students to complete the presentation and submit it for marking by uploading the slides to SlideShare. This sort of activity is particularly useful in helping guide students to create their own notes for class tests. Over the course of the year students build up an online repository of their notes ready for GCSE revision.
9. Useful websites and additional reading list »
Image resource
Websites
Additional reading material
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