How to Use Technology with a Unit on Forces

Our class began Unit 3 Forces a couple of weeks ago, and we are still working on this unit. In order to begin a unit on forces, students have to gain a working knowledge of Newton's Laws of Motion. However, I have found that many of the students, while understanding general ideas of forces, do not have the basic foundational skills and conceptual knowledge necessary to scaffold and build upon with new information.

Therefore, I immediately located activities, labs, and simulations for students to manipulate. My first finding was from phet.colorado.edu for students to experience. This website is a host of great simulations that will be beneficial for the students throughout the year. One specifically titled "Forces and Motion: Basics" is based on the traditional ideas of the game "tug-of-war" and explores the aspects of motion associated with opposing forces. You can experience what your students are learning by manipulating the simulation. Just click on the simulation, try it out, and post some of your thoughts in the comment section!

Through my searches, I also found a great resource for students who are struggling with the definitions of Newton's Laws of Motion. We spent some time exploring each of the three laws, and this simple demonstration integrates scientific vocabulary and the laws to build conceptual understanding and work on scientific language skills. You can also check it out with your student and have them explain the meaning behind each law. The link to the simulation is the Science Channel.

As you can see, we are fully integrating technology into our learning environment and receiving many benefits from it. The technology allows us to manipulate scenarios and situations that we observe in our daily lives but have difficulties exploring in a traditional classroom. Continue to follow our learning and experience our exploration with technology throughout this unit!