Generating+and+Testing+Hypotheses+S17


 * Nikki Stone**
 * Generating and Testing Hypotheses**
 * Resources:** Amazing Alex -- iOS and Android app
 * Rating:** 10/10
 * Description:** Amazing Alex is a fun puzzle game geared toward 4th-8th grade students developed by the creators of Angry Birds. Alex, the main character, is a builder and inventor. The app allows students create chain-reaction puzzles and encourages them to think and create with every day tools. The animated character and easy navigation make this game fun while being educational. The basic version is free and comes with eight puzzles of the week as well as unlimited student-developed puzzles. Add on options run up to $2.99 total.
 * Alignment with strategy:** Amazing Alex grows engineering skills by focusing cause and effect while students develop and share their custom puzzles within the app. The peer-to-peer interaction is structured so that students can safely share ideas. In addition to students generating and testing hypotheses, students also use STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) skills in a way that develops creativity, critical thinking, and reasoning.

Jenna Hough Generating and Testing Hypotheses
 * Resource: **Google Sheets
 * Rating: ** 10/10
 * Description: ** Google Sheets is an online application very comparable to Microsoft Excel. It contains a spreadsheet format with cells in which you are able to enter in text and/or data. With the information you are able to create organization and calculations of information.
 * Alignment w/ Strategy: ** Much like in Excel you can create a spreadsheet that contains predictions of outcomes and actual outcomes. Collected information and data can be organized in the spreadsheet and a formula can be applied to calculate an outcome.


 * Leanne Colvin**
 * Generating and Testing Hypotheses**
 * Resource:** Breakout EDU
 * Rating:** 10/10 for Alignment, 9/10 for ease of use
 * Description:** Breakout EDU is a website, but technically, it is much more. This resource opens a door for students and teachers to make learning mobile, interactive, and almost like a treasure hunt. The site itself gives teachers an idea behind the Breakout EDU movement, and it also offers the database of Breakout games, some of which are researched and approved, others that are still ¨sandbox¨ ideas that educators have posted but have not been officially approved by the site yet. The games make students collaborate to solve critical thinking puzzles. As they solve each puzzle, they unlock a different lock or code to get the next clue. All clues are put together at the end to solve the big game puzzle.
 * Alignment with Strategy:** This site and the games it offers force students to immerse themselves in a problem. They must work together to solve the problem. They are forming and testing hypotheses throughout the whole activity because they must try different approaches to get to the next clue, unlock the next lock, find the next password, etc. If it doesn´t work, they must go back to the drawing board and reassess the clues. The coolest thing about it is that (if you buy the kit) it actually comes with real locks, keys, a wooden box: basically it is like the ¨Room Escape¨ game, educational style, for students. All of the games come with instructions for setup, materials that must be printed, everything an instructor would need to set up the game. Unfortunately, the locks, lockboxes, keys, etc. must be purchased individually from any hardware store if the educator chooses not to buy the kit right from the site. It´s pretty sweet though, I´ll be honest!

**Resource:** NOVA Building Big [|website] **Description:** The Building Big site allows students to become engineers! Students can create bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels on this site. They can accept challenges and also participate in labs. Students are able to become hands-on and engaged in their learning by being able to have a choice in which structure they would like to work with. This is my first time looking into this site and I wasn't able to find a place for teachers to be able to log-in and monitor student work.
 * Jaclyn Trahan **
 * Rating: 8/10 **
 * Alignment with Strategy: **This site truly allows learners to become engaged as they generate tasks to complete and test them in the labs and challenges. In addition with this site, students have to have higher-level thinking in trying to explain which why they have chosen what they did when experimenting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Dawn Weller

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Generating and Testing Hypothesis


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Resource: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;"> Smog City


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Source: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;"> http://www.smogcity.com/


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Rating: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;"> 6 out of 10


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Brief description: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;"> Smog City is a website that lets students explore what smog is and how it affects the environment around them. Smog City also teaches students about weather and population control, factories, consumer products. Smog City can be played online or as a download.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Instructional strategy alignmen **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">t: This software aligns with the instructions strategy by providing the students with the ability to collect data and then to analysis it. It also allows students to set other types of parameters that can affect the game results.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">References **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Pilter, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: McRel.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">(SMAQMD), S. M. (1999, July 4). Smog City. Retrieved from Smog City: http://www.smogcity.com/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">**Resource:** Algodoo (iOS / iPad application) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">**Rating:** 9/10 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">**Description:** Algodoo is physics simulator software that lets students create objects and scenes to interact with to explore the laws of physics. The concepts of gravity, friction, refraction, restitution, and velocity are accurately simulated. Scenes can be easily shared between users for analysis and further research. Students can experiment with various springs, motors, and gears in their simulations. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">**Alignment with strategy:** Algodoo helps students learn the concepts of physics by giving them a virtual sandbox to play in. Teacher can assign specific physics-related challenges for the students to work on. Students can design and test their hypotheses in Algodoo. There are hundreds of free pre-made lessons available to teachers using Algodoo.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Ronald Barranco **

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Resource:** [|PhET Interactive Simulations] educational website/also available as an [|app] =====

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Description:** PhET Interactive Simulations is an extensive selection of math and science interactives, produced by the University of Colorado Boulder. The content spans from elementary through college level, with most created with HTML 5, which allows them to be used across platforms. Students can be guided through these interactive investigations, using the provided guidance that teachers are able to use to scaffold, connect to standards, and provide offline support. The interactives stimulate the curious mind of students, allowing them to answer the question "what if?" As students are guided through, they are able to experience significant conceptual understanding. =====

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Alignment with Strategy:** PhET supports the testing of hypotheses through experimental inquiry.Students are able to test and re-test their hypotheses by simply changing the parameters of the interactive they are working through. Through guidance, students evaluate their assumptions and findings quickly, by being able to use the technology to create outcomes, rather than depending on their own accuracy in using manipulatives and scientific equipment. =====

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shawn Peklo <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Resource:[|Explore Learning] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating:9 out of 10. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Description:Explore learning is a website that students and teachers can use to test and track a hypothesis that a student has come up with for a certain project or assignment. This website is mainly for math and science classes and students can create gizmos to support their research through various methods. Students can make a prediction, test their data, and then analyze the overall result at the end to see if their hypothesis was correct or not. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alignment with strategy:Explore learning aligns with the strategy because students can take whatever science or math problem that they have and take the data and test it. If they find something similar with a particular gizmo, they can make correlations between the two. Explore learning can help students analyze data and make deeper connections in terms of critical thinking. And through gizmos, students can have examples of how to test a hypothesis and the proper steps used to get your result.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sarah Kemmer <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Resource: [|PBS Building Big]Website <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 8/10 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Description: PBS Building big is an educational website for students to research different large structures. This website allows students to learn what it takes to build structures such as bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams and tunnels. This website shows students real-life situations about different scenarios and forces them to use their own minds how to fix the problem. I chose to only give this website an 8 because there is a lot of information for students to look at and it may not be developmentally appropriate for younger students. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alignment with Strategy: This website aligns with the chapter because it allows students to generate and test a hypothesis based on what they think is correct for the specific challenge. A student can hypothesize what resolution would be best and then test their hypothesis. It also allows students to use their knowledge of other subjects to see whether certain structures could be built in a certain location and then reasons why.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mark York <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Resource: [|Anneberg Learner] Design a Roller Coaster Rating: 5/10 Description: this website allow students to design a rollercoaster based on experimental inquiry. Students take time to create the height and shape of a rollercoaster to see if it will be fun and safe. As the student selects various parts with descriptions, they build the whole thing and check the safety. The student can review the details of the safety or fun study to determine what they want to change and test it again. Alignment with strategy: This helps the student with one example to generate and test a hypothesis. The idea behind the training is interesting, but the level of interaction is very little compared to current interactive websites. This works off a IF-THEN function and only addresses the small number of options individually. I was let down by my rollercoaster evaluation. I wanted to see some animation and the coaster fly to its inevitable doom. I got a safety report instead.


 * Ryan Brown**
 * Resource**: Microsoft Excel
 * Rating**: 7/10
 * Description**: Excel is a spreadsheet creation program that allows users to collect and input data. Users can order and arrange the data however they see fit. Users can also input formulas to aid in their data collection.
 * Alignment w/ Strategy**: Excel is a great, stripped-down data collection tool. When students make predictions, they can use excel to keep track of their data they collect, and then use the spreadsheet to make decisions based off of the information presented versus their initial hypothesis. Students can also show their data they collected as a table or a graph to aid in their decisions when testing their hypothesis.

Brittany DeRupa Appeals to the interests of many different students and is easy to navigate.
 * Generating and testing Hypotheses**
 * Resource:** Code
 * Rating**: 9/10
 * Description:** Code.org is a wonderful website that provides lesson plans for teachers to teach students code. It allows students to be the engineer! It also has a code studio where students can work independently coding a game that appeals to their interest. Students can then play each others games.
 * Alignment with Strategy:** Code.org aligns with this strategy because coding involves trial and error. Students predict what they think they need to code next. They then run the program to determine the result and collect data. If it works, they can continue. If it does not work, they have to make changes and try again.

Kory Stevens Generating and testing Hypotheses Resource:[| www.realityworks.com] Rating: 9/10 Description: The reality works website is a website used for career technical students as an instructional interactive tool. This website has many different interest areas such as career and tech education, health sciences, welding and trade skills and agriculture. These simulations give students an oppurtunity to learn while being hands on. Alignment with Strategy: This simulation software is a great tool to engage students in learning. When students can actually participate in their learning the learning retention increases and so does the motivation. This is also a great tool because some of the learning wouldn't be financially feasible or just impossible.

Cheryl Barden
 * Generating and Testing Hypotheses**
 * Resource:** [|Monster Physics] (App)
 * Rating**: 9/10
 * Description:** Monster Physics is a great app that allows the user to play with physics. You are able to build machines and test their effectiveness. The app assigns challenges and the user must figure out ways to successfully beat the challenge. There are often several solutions to each challenge so the user can try different ideas to solve the same problem. This app gives the user the ability to explore possibilities and engages the user in fun problem solving activities. The app costs $1.99 and is well worth it for the creativity it provides to the user however, if it were free, I would have given it 10/10.
 * Alignment with Strategy:** Monster Physics aligns with the strategy of generating and testing hypothesis because it allows the user to look at a problem and generate possible solutions. It then affords the user the ability to test that hypothesis.

Alex Talmadge
 * Resource**: Kodable App and Website
 * Rating**: 9/10
 * Description**: Kodable is an incredible app that allows students access to a wide range of coding games. Students start out in early stages and work their way through challenging and engaging coding exercises. There is a help feature which is nice for beginning students.
 * Alignment with Strategy**: Students use a problem solving type process to succeed at the different levels. They must recognize what blocks they have available to them, understand the problem they're given, and figure out a solution. Once the students believe they've entered in the correct code, a simulation occurs that will tell them whether or not they've completed their task. If not, then they are asked to try another solution.

Name: Chris Curry Resource: [|Graph Tools]. Rating: 10 Description: This is a tool on the web that allows students to create graphical depictions of their data. They are able to view survey responses and experiment results in a graph format. This, in turn, will help students quickly determine results that occurred most often. This will allow them to put focus on the areas that may need further research. All they need is a Computer, Internet connection, and Data/experiment results. Alignment with strategy: This tool will allow them to quickly generate and test Hypotheses.
 * Generating and Testing Hypotheses. **