PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an awesome tool for teaching.  I like the fact that it allows a teacher to have all of their notes already written down before the class begins.  Teachers that use PowerPoint save about fifteen minutes each class in writing down notes.  Great teachers always prepare for their classes.  Another feature that I like is that the teacher can control how quickly or slowly the slides are changed.  The best part of this piece of technology is that all the teachers of this generation grew up using this technology.  My classmates and I know more about this technology than teachers have ever before.  This is a great piece of technology that helps teacher prepare for and control the tempo of class. 

PowerPoint is also a great tool because it allows the user to make it into what they want it to be by having multiple backgrounds and the user can even create their own.  In addition, it allows the user to add as many slides as needed.  On these slides can be text, pictures, sound, videos, and many animations.  This is great because teaching style and methods have really changed over the past few years.  Instead of just lecturing and writing down notes for students teachers today are encouraged to show visual representations of problems.  PowerPoint really allows teachers to show the information in any format that they want. 

Another feature of PowerPoint that I think is great is that you can print the slides out as handouts.  This is great because students can reference the class notes anytime they want to.  This is a very effective way to use technology to enhance a teacher’s teaching ability and the way student’s learn.  This is a similar circumstance to the use of Webassign in my last post.  Students are always looking for something to reference when they get home to do schoolwork.  This represents another piece of technology that gives students something to reference.        

Webassign

Webassign is a great piece of technology to use in the classroom.  Webassign is a website for students to do their homework online and the teacher can see when it was submitted, started, and how long it took to do it.  In addition the teacher can control the number of times a student has to answer the question.  However, it is also student friendly because it has practice problems and it tells student what part of the text book the problem goes with.  As a student I loved using this website because I grew up using computers, the internet, and technology.  This made doing homework fun and helpful.  I was used to doing homework and being on my own.  This website and the practice problems provided me lots of help. 

As a teacher it is great too because so many students do not do their homework because they get home and struggle with the problems.  I know because I have done this.  There have been multiple times when I said I will figure it out tomorrow when I get to class.  This website provides so much help so that is not the case.  From a teacher’s perspective this website serves as a formative assessment as well.  This is another important aspect because normally teachers cannot check every student’s homework.  This is a problem for us teachers because the students know that a teacher does not have enough time to check everyone’s homework.  This leads to students just writing down anything. 

If I knew that the teacher was checking and grading my homework every night I would really take the time to make sure it is correct.  The teacher could also see which problems confuse students in a matter of seconds.  This is great because then the teacher can focus his/her teaching on those certain problems.  This is one way technology can be integrated into teaching to make a teacher more effective.            

Technology Integration Plan

The lesson plan that I broke down is from my teaching of mathematics class that I am taking this semester.  This is a lesson on surface area of cubes and rectangular prisms.  It is the second lesson of unit plan that consists of twelve lessons.  The sixth grade geometry standard that I used was from the common core website and the standard was embedded in many aspects throughout the lesson.  This standard says, “Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.”

The first row of my matrix represents the do now activity in this lesson.  It will be easier to understand the standard by exploring it.  I will lecture a little bit and present a visual form of what the standard means.  Following my instruction I will present the think-pair-share strategy to the students.  This is a great way of having students think critically and collaborate.  The students will consider how using nets made up of rectangles and triangles could be an effective way of thinking about surface area.  On the iPad they will use an appropriate application to share their explorations and thoughts.  After they collaborate, the students will share their thoughts with the class and show their visual explorations on the document camera.  After the students share, I will present my thoughts and then lead a group discussion about this standard. 

The second row of this matrix is symbolizes the heart of this lesson.  This activity and the do now are the foundation for the rest of the lesson.  This activity will start with a demonstration by the teacher.  The class will continue to explore how using nets made up of rectangles and triangles can help learn about surface area.  Then they will look at the interactive activity using the computers in the classroom on the website, learner.org.  This is a great interactive geometric activity that helps teach surface area in multiple ways.  After the students complete this activity they will work with their partner and discuss how each of these strategies led to the surface area.  The students will see that the multiple approaches all connect.  Each group of partners will use the document camera to present their findings and connections.  The students will present their findings because sometimes students can understand students better.  They “speak” the same language.  At the end of each student presentation the class will have a Q&A session. 

In the third row the students will be required to evaluate and assess the most effective way to find surface area. The class will start my making a KWL chart which I will put on the document camera for the whole class to view.  This will help students with this activity because it will refresh them about the methods that they have learned.  In addition, if they have anything that they want to learn then we can address that.  After the students decide which method to use, they will need to show this through a visual representation.  They can use manipulative tools, the computer, or any other material that they can think of.  To finish this activity the students will assess each other and the teacher’s method.

In the fourth row the students will be required to visually breakdown surface area and show how it connects to the formula.  This activity will start out with the teacher explaining what he/she expects and how they expect it to be done.  Following the explanation, the students will be placed into groups and will think about how they can show visual surface area of a rectangular prism relates to the formula.  This is the time when they have a chance to use the computers to prove their connection.  The students who do not use the computers will use manipulative tools and/or document camera to show the connection between the surface area and its formula.  Each student will be participating during the group work.  The teacher will be participating by giving each group insight and hints if they are struggling. 

The fifth row shows a culminating activity for this lesson.  This activity addresses the final part of the standard by applying this knowledge in a real world problem.  In groups of three, the students will use any of the programs or technologies that we have explored to create their own real world problem using surface area of a rectangular prism.  They will have access to the computer, internet access, document camera, iPad, iPad applications, a calculator, and manipulative tools to create the best possible problem.  The students will have a choice of which technology to use.  The teacher will explain what they expect then the groups will begin creating their problem.  When they finish, the students will present their problems to the class.  We will decide as a class if the problem was creative and a real world problem through group discussion. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ani9c5BL9ARodDZ6YVpub0doWkZzb2M3NUxzV0pDRmc&usp=drive_web#gid=0    

Glogster

            As this semester has progressed I have learned and explored a lot about technology and how it should be integrated into the classroom.  In this post I will talk about Glogster and how it can benefit a mathematics classroom.  Glogster is a website that allows the user to produce graphic blogs.  Some of the details that can be added and/or changed by the user are text, images, sounds, videos, and special effects.  This website is somewhat similar to the website we used for our canvas.  It is great for introducing topics to students, having them explore mathematical topics in depth, or it is a great way of assessing a student’s knowledge on a unit.  This bit of technology can literally be used during any part of a unit. 

            I would create a Glog to introduce a unit that students normally find “boring” or “challenging” because it will help engage many students that would normally be turned off to math.  There are so many great engaging music videos about math that teachers have made and images that say a thousand words.  I could just imagine all of the possible ways that I could design this Glog.  Another possible way to use this website would be to use it as a formative assessment.  I would give students a chance to show what they have learned by creating a Glog about the information they have learned.  It will be a good way to do this because the only way that they can show that they have mastered the skills and concepts would be to create a descriptive Glog about the content.  Students who have not mastered the material can only create this Glog by going back and reviewing the information.  This is a great situation for the teacher because it will help assess where they are and can help them relearn information by reviewing what they have already done.  This technology can really benefit a subject such as mathematics because it changes up the class and the way work is normally done.  Students today absolutely love technology because they have grown up with it.  Using this type of technology would be easy for them to access and use.  

Smart Boards in the Classroom

Smart Boards are very useful and effective tools for aiding in learning.  This is especially true in the math class because of all of the features that they provide.  Some of the features are it allows users to generate and organize notes, incorporate videos and images, it lets users to record sound, access information online, and do interactive games.  It is so important to be able to create and save specific notes.  In classes without a smart board every student has to copy down the notes.  Very often, students will miss vital information because they are copying down notes from the board.  Now with Smart Boards they can pay attention and the teacher can save and print out class notes for all of the students.  This is a huge step for the evolution of the way we learn in the classroom.  Students love videos because they are so effective in grabbing their attention.  If I have a Smart Board in my class I will use videos to introduce certain mathematical topics when it is relevant.  All of these features are great.  However, the best feature has to be the interactive games that can be played on these boards.  I have seen all of the positive impacts that these games can have on students.  This tool really helps develop the way we learn. 

Smart Boards not come into to learning without some limitations.  The first negative aspect of a Smart Board is multi-person involvement.  Only one person can write on the board at a time which is something I think this company needs to change.  As a math teacher, I will want my students to go up to the board and do example problems.  It takes way too long to have one student go up at a time.  Another challenge that these boards present is time it will take to figure out how to best use these boards.  Any teacher can say I will write my notes on the Smart Board, but to really take advantage of all of the benefits we need to plan for this.  This takes a lot of planning and effort.  At the end of the day, Smart Boards are well worth dealing with the negative aspects of them.  They provide so many features and knowledge at the tip of our fingers.  After watching multiple teachers use them, I do not think I could be satisfied without having one in my classroom.         

IPads and Tablets in Teaching Math

IPads and tablets are very popular in today’s culture.  I have cousins who just learned how to talk but can fully operate an iPad.  This tells me that this is an essential part of today’s generation.  It is always important for us as teachers to incorporate popular culture into our classroom because this is what our students can relate to.  In the article, “iPads in the class make teachers think differently” the author discusses how to incorporate tablets into the classroom.  IPads and tablets are great because they have so many interactive educational applications and programs on them.  In this article the author states, “Students broke into small groups, each with an iPad synchronized to the game. They jumped, called out and celebrated as they raced to tilt the tablets to manipulate a fraction on the screen into the correct place on a number line”.  After reading this article the question I asked was, “Does this really help students remember the lesson being taught or will they just remember playing a game?”  After thinking about this I am almost positive that students will learn from these games because they focus on teaching the topics.  In addition to this, most students will know how to use an iPad already which is a huge first step.  I am a huge advocate for incorporating technology because I have grown up with this technology just as my students have. 

            One of the best features about the apps made for tablets is that they are not made for one specific topic.  A tablet is like having resourceful materials about every subject and every topic.  I know they are expensive, but they do so much.  On an iPad you can play educational games, read books, browse the internet, use a scientific calculator, make and analyze graphs, and take pictures/videos.  These are just some of the things you can do on a tablet.  If I was fortunate enough to have these in my classroom then I would definitely incorporate them into my teaching. 

    

Collaboration Canvas

The original canvas was titled “An introduction to a unit plan on World War II: The Pacific”.  This original unit showed how the atomic bombs use affected the outcome of the war.  To put a math spin on it I decided to use ratios and percentages to show damage and chances of surviving an atomic bomb.  I concentrated the math part of this collaborative lesson on the atomic bomb because it seemed to be the main focus of the original canvas.  I knew how I wanted to use the math for this unit; however I wanted to make it an interesting introduction to engage the students.  All of my supporting tools, such as the video, picture gallery, and additional resources were there to connect the history aspect of WWII with the mathematics behind it.  The pictures help show the radius of the blast and the damage done per second.  The video also shows the blast radius for bombs of different sizes.  I did not remove anything from the original canvas because it all meshed well with my side of the collaborative unit.

Link to unit: http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/play2.0/challenge.php?idChallenge=2584&mode=view#network6