Mary Mejia is beginning her 16th year of teaching high school science. She teaches at Dulles High School in Fort Bend ISD. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Texas A&M University.
In an effort to bring more interactivity to her classroom, Mary started to integrate Gizmos in her lessons last year. She really liked how Gizmos help students understand hard-to-grasp physics concepts.
“My students always enjoy going into the computer lab to complete a Gizmo. The students are more interested when they are able to manipulate and analyze the content. The graphics and animations are wonderful, too. When time is limited in the classroom, the students can always work on a Gizmo for homework, too. The next day, we may have a short class discussion regarding pitfalls or positive experiences. I also utilize the mini-quiz at the end of the lesson. I like that the scores are reflected on my roster.”
Mary’s Top Three Gizmos
Circuit Builder– “Electricity is always hard to understand. I really like the Circuit Builder Gizmo because the students can ‘see’ the current moving through the wires in both series and parallel circuits. They can also see the effects of resistors and capacitors.” |
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Ray Tracing (Mirrors)– “Real and virtual images produced by mirrors are hard to explain and comprehend, but the Ray Tracing Gizmo does an excellent job of showing the reflected light and sight lines.” |
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Ants on a Slant – “Students get interested in certain topics, like machines. With the Ants on a Slant Gizmo, they are able to manipulate components. Their interest improves their analysis abilities.”
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