Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Math Video
This video is a demonstration of factoring by grouping and would be posted on my teacher webpage as a resource for my students.
Technology in the Classroom Part 2
Technology will play a vital part in my classroom. There are just too many positive aspects of technology to leave it out of my classroom. Technology is a great way to interest students in a topic, whether that be by using scavenger hunt or a webquest, or by taking a virtual field trip or talking to an expert through a distance learning activity, technology is way more interesting than a chalkboard.
Technology will also allow me to differentiate my lesson plans much easier. I could have pre-differentiated lessons using podcasts or a wiki or any number of other things to allow students to work at their own pace and on different material during a lesson.
This class has definitely added to my repertoire of tech skills. I am now proficient in many skills including creating scavenger hunts and webquests, podcasts, curriculum pages, wikis, movies, and many others. These will all be very useful to me in the classroom. Perhaps the most important thing I will take away from this class, however, is the knowledge of how to improve my skills. Technology is changing so quickly that many of these skills will be obsolete in a few years. There are many free ways to keep up with the latest technology including attending FREE online sessions and searching for the latest trends in technology.
Technology will also allow me to differentiate my lesson plans much easier. I could have pre-differentiated lessons using podcasts or a wiki or any number of other things to allow students to work at their own pace and on different material during a lesson.
This class has definitely added to my repertoire of tech skills. I am now proficient in many skills including creating scavenger hunts and webquests, podcasts, curriculum pages, wikis, movies, and many others. These will all be very useful to me in the classroom. Perhaps the most important thing I will take away from this class, however, is the knowledge of how to improve my skills. Technology is changing so quickly that many of these skills will be obsolete in a few years. There are many free ways to keep up with the latest technology including attending FREE online sessions and searching for the latest trends in technology.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Podcasting
Podcasting is distributing audio (or video) clips to individuals that have subscribed to your feed. This can be through iTunes or many other web-based things.
In my classroom I could use podcasts when I will not be in the class. I could record the lesson the day before and my students could still hear me give a lesson. I could also have my students create podcasts as a review of material or as an assessment. Another use of podcasts could be differentiation for my classroom. I could record variations of a lesson for different groups of students.
Podcasts have many benefits in the classroom and would be a break from the ordinary for my students. I could even teach when I am not in the classroom.
Podcasts can be, like many things, time consuming. If you are willing to put the time in up front, however, podcasting will become second-nature.
Ethics
Computer ethics is defined as, " moral guidelines that govern the use of computers, networks, and information systems," in the book Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom by Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. These moral guidelines copyright laws, privacy laws, objectionable material, acceptable use policies, and many other items.
As a teacher it will be very important for me to observe ethics. When dealing with my students I will need to be aware of my district's policies and actively protect my students' privacy, especially when posting things online. I will also need to protect my students from inappropriate material, again, on the web. When dealing with my colleagues, I will need to make sure that I am not using their materials without permission.
Ethics are a must. Positives of observing ethics include safety for you and your students from inappropriate material and from laws. Ethics also promote an atmosphere of cooperation and trust between individuals.
The only negative to observing ethics could be that ethics can be tedious. There are many laws and policies that you must be familiar with. Many of them are common sense though.
As a teacher it will be very important for me to observe ethics. When dealing with my students I will need to be aware of my district's policies and actively protect my students' privacy, especially when posting things online. I will also need to protect my students from inappropriate material, again, on the web. When dealing with my colleagues, I will need to make sure that I am not using their materials without permission.
Ethics are a must. Positives of observing ethics include safety for you and your students from inappropriate material and from laws. Ethics also promote an atmosphere of cooperation and trust between individuals.
The only negative to observing ethics could be that ethics can be tedious. There are many laws and policies that you must be familiar with. Many of them are common sense though.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Virtual Field Trips
A virtual field trip is the idea of going on a field trip without ever leaving your classroom! When we think of a virtual tour we tend to think of a videogame-like atmosphere where we can walk around a 3-dimensional version of the place that we are "visiting". This is not always the case, however. Much of the time, especially with subjects like math, we are provided with a website that gives us insight into a certain topic with different ways to explore that topic.
In my classroom, virtual field trips can be used to explore topics more in-depth than we normally would. There are not very many physical locations that would benefit a math class to visit. Exploring a topic would be more beneficial.
It is not practical to use a virtual field trip on every topic but this can be used to deepen understanding and as a break in the normal routine. Virtual field trips allow students to add a visual component to what they are learning.
One negative of virtual field trips is that they take time and students may not always benefit from them. I know when I heard that we were going on a field trip in school all I thought was, "Day off!"
In my classroom, virtual field trips can be used to explore topics more in-depth than we normally would. There are not very many physical locations that would benefit a math class to visit. Exploring a topic would be more beneficial.
It is not practical to use a virtual field trip on every topic but this can be used to deepen understanding and as a break in the normal routine. Virtual field trips allow students to add a visual component to what they are learning.
One negative of virtual field trips is that they take time and students may not always benefit from them. I know when I heard that we were going on a field trip in school all I thought was, "Day off!"
Teacher Webpages
A teacher webpage is a webpage where a teacher can post class information, limited personal information, and any other information that would be beneficial to parents and students. In my classroom I will use my teacher webpage to provide my students with useful resources. I will try to provide them with extra resources to use for each unit that I teach. This way, if they do not understand what I teach in class, they will know where they can access extra or alternative resources. I will also use my webpage to post a weekly outline and assignments. This will allow students to always have access to what we are doing in class. My teacher webpage will also include a small amount of personal information, including how to contact me, so that my students can get to know who I am. I will also include the syllabus for each class that I am teaching and expectations for each class.
There are many positives to maintaining a teacher webpage. One positive is that students will have access to all of the class information they need at any given time. a student can never give the excuse of, "I didn't know we had an assignment." Students and parents also have access to many additional resources that will aid those who are struggling and those that are interested in exploring a topic further.
One of the negatives of maintaining a teacher webpage is that it can be time consuming, especially if you fall behind for a period. If you are dedicated to maintaining a teacher webpage it will be very important to set aside some each day or each week to update the page.
There are many positives to maintaining a teacher webpage. One positive is that students will have access to all of the class information they need at any given time. a student can never give the excuse of, "I didn't know we had an assignment." Students and parents also have access to many additional resources that will aid those who are struggling and those that are interested in exploring a topic further.
One of the negatives of maintaining a teacher webpage is that it can be time consuming, especially if you fall behind for a period. If you are dedicated to maintaining a teacher webpage it will be very important to set aside some each day or each week to update the page.
Webquests
According to Discovery Education, a webquest is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that students interact with comes from the internet." That definition can be expounded upon somewhat to include the idea that a webquest promotes a constructivist environment and allows students to explore a topic more than they normally would through a textbook.
In my high school math classroom, webquests could be used to make many dull topics more interesting. Most students find math boring and irrelevant but with a webquest and a little creativity, math can become exciting. For example, I have created a webquest that covers linear equations. In this exercise, a terrorist group has devised a plan to blow up the moon and the only way the students can save the moon is to deepen their understanding of linear equations so they can fire a rocket on a linear path to counter the terrorists' rocket.
One of the positives of webquests is that they are a break from the ordinary. Most of the time students enjoy something different from boring classroom lectures. Another positive aspect of webquests is that they involve some degree of freedom for the students. This allows them to use their creativity and allows them to feel as though they have control over the project. This also allows students to operate in their comfort zone. Young people live in a digital world and spend much of their time on the computer so this allows them to feel comfortable in what they are doing.
One of the negatives of using webquests in the classroom would be the amount of time. An in-depth webquest could take as much as several weeks to complete. Another negative aspect of using webquests could be the total dependence on the computer. If the internet connection is down or you do not have access to enough computers for each student or group of students, there may be a problem.
In my high school math classroom, webquests could be used to make many dull topics more interesting. Most students find math boring and irrelevant but with a webquest and a little creativity, math can become exciting. For example, I have created a webquest that covers linear equations. In this exercise, a terrorist group has devised a plan to blow up the moon and the only way the students can save the moon is to deepen their understanding of linear equations so they can fire a rocket on a linear path to counter the terrorists' rocket.
One of the positives of webquests is that they are a break from the ordinary. Most of the time students enjoy something different from boring classroom lectures. Another positive aspect of webquests is that they involve some degree of freedom for the students. This allows them to use their creativity and allows them to feel as though they have control over the project. This also allows students to operate in their comfort zone. Young people live in a digital world and spend much of their time on the computer so this allows them to feel comfortable in what they are doing.
One of the negatives of using webquests in the classroom would be the amount of time. An in-depth webquest could take as much as several weeks to complete. Another negative aspect of using webquests could be the total dependence on the computer. If the internet connection is down or you do not have access to enough computers for each student or group of students, there may be a problem.
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