This teaching packet consists of a narrative script used to accompany a slide set. The packet is arranged in 3 sections. The first section introduces the brain and presents some basic neurobiology, the second introduces the reward pathway, and the third presents the mechanism of action of each drug and how each affects the reward system.
Type of Material:
Learning resource about the brain with access to a set of annotated multimedia slides.
Technical Requirements:
Need to be able to download, unzip or unstuf file for PowerPoint Presentation.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The objective of the teaching packet is to inform students (high school) how 3 drugs (cocaine, opiates, marijuana) actually work in the brain. To explain how the brain works and how drugs such as cocaine, opiates and marijuana interact with the brain's normal activities.
Target Student Population:
High School Students and Teachers
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Knowledge of how to use the PowerPoint Viewer or PowerPoint program to adapt slides.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Website provides valuable information about the serious subject of the effects of drugs on our brains. A straight forward scientific explanation of the effect of drugs on the brain. Important subject (drugs), which is presented with scientific information.
Concerns:
The slides are too concise. The teacher is left with too many details to fill in. As presented you could just download the materials and read the narration. If you do then a great learning and interaction experience is lost. It expects high school teachers of science to be much more advanced in their knowledge of brain anatomy and chemistry than almost general training. The ability of the user to be able to access the slide shows with necessary additional programs is also a concern.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Most useful for teachers and students to enhance a drug or brain unit with this website information. The website provides a realistic and straight-forward picture of the effects of drugs on the brain. Perhaps the best way to use the material is to have teacher education students modify the slides to present to students, developing a shorter show with more lengthy explanation or detail, or presenting the same length show with narration developed by the teachers highlighting the psychological implication of the physical changes of drugs on the brain.
Concerns:
As presented, you could just download the materials and read the narration. If you do, then a great learning and interaction experience is lost. As more and more scientific organizations make accurate material available to teachers in a multimedia framework, we may be tempted to use them ?as is.? As teacher educators we can use these opportunities to take excellent and accurate materials and show how they can be turned into top-notch teaching materials and in the process show how technology can be used to enhance and customize teaching resources.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Provides a basis for teaching, as the slides are excellent representations of the processes and anatomy of drug effect on the brain. Easy to download the slides and have immediate use of high quality slides. Must have unzip or unstuffit program.
Concerns:
A very effective example to show that ?canned? slide shows will probably not be appropriate for use "as is" and that modification and adaptation will be required.
Creative Commons:
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