The biggest thing I learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology is to make sure that you have a solid plan for implementation. Before you try a new strategy or tool, it is important that you have seriously considered the methods, learning, and outcomes that will come from using the technology. Without doing that, there is bound to be issues that will limit your intended goals of learning.
Integrating web-based technologies really helped me to evaluate the proper use of technology. I thought a lot about the theme of "change with a difference" when using technology. Even though some technology might be exciting and fun for the students, it is important to make sure that the technology use is effective in the learning process. Regardless of how interesting the technology might be, it is important that we keep our focus on the educational improvements they can bring to the classroom.
I would say that I met my own personal goals for learning about technology integration. I have begun implementing web 2.0 technologies in my classroom for next year. Before this course, I would have probably not formulated a plan like the TechQuest to actually bring them into my teaching. So with that, I believe I met what I set out to do for learning about integrating technology.
The next goal that I have is to begin to implement podcasts into my teaching. I am hoping that I can reach that goal by getting a wireless microphone so that I can record classroom lessons so that I can stream them in a daily podcast. For me, this will not only continue my goals of using technology, but also give my students a chance to review lessons or stay tuned in at any time, regardless of if they are in the classroom physically or not.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Project Evaluation
In evaluating my project's success, I think the biggest thing would be to see the test scores. I have the students average scores from last year in solving quadratics by factoring, so by comparing those, I believe it would be a good indicator of whether or not using the blog and wiki were successful. Another way to compare these scores would be to look at next year's quiz scores from earlier in the chapter. The earlier quiz will have solving quadratics by factoring and previously, the retention from quiz to test was very low. By comparing this quiz to the test questions in this topic would also show if the project was successful or not.
Looking back at this project now, I think the biggest change I would do would have to surround the blog. Instead of creating a classroom blog, I think I would have the students create their own personal blogs. From here, I would require them to post at least once a week about something they learned or questioned in class. Then, they would also have to respond to at least two other classmates postings. That way, when time came for us to go over solving quadratics by factoring, every student would have an opportunity to express at least one thought. From here, every student would also provide some feedback to other students so that they could get even more conversation going about the topic. The only other thing I might change would maybe pick a different blog site, as so I do not have to invite every member by e-mail. Aside from that, right now I would keep the wiki the same and have the contributions to that be the same as they stand now.
The biggest lesson that others might benefit from knowing is primarily about the set up and privacy of the blog and wiki. In order for these to be successful, it is important that the privacy settings are really put in place. Personally, I have them set so that anyone can view the blog or wiki, but only people who are members of them can post or edit. The set up to create the blog and wiki are fairly quick, but creating them effectively takes some time. The blog will take some time inviting all the students' email addresses and be even more difficult if students do not have computer access or email access at home. Paying close attention to putting up specific directions on what you expect out of the wiki, as well as locking certain pages from editing is really crucial. It is even more crucial to make sure that postings and edits are moderated and not posted without being reviewed first, as to prevent any issues. Other than that, as long as you stay on top of things by maintaining dialogue and postings with the students in the blog and continue to post work for them on the wiki on a regular basis, it should work very well.
Looking back at this project now, I think the biggest change I would do would have to surround the blog. Instead of creating a classroom blog, I think I would have the students create their own personal blogs. From here, I would require them to post at least once a week about something they learned or questioned in class. Then, they would also have to respond to at least two other classmates postings. That way, when time came for us to go over solving quadratics by factoring, every student would have an opportunity to express at least one thought. From here, every student would also provide some feedback to other students so that they could get even more conversation going about the topic. The only other thing I might change would maybe pick a different blog site, as so I do not have to invite every member by e-mail. Aside from that, right now I would keep the wiki the same and have the contributions to that be the same as they stand now.
The biggest lesson that others might benefit from knowing is primarily about the set up and privacy of the blog and wiki. In order for these to be successful, it is important that the privacy settings are really put in place. Personally, I have them set so that anyone can view the blog or wiki, but only people who are members of them can post or edit. The set up to create the blog and wiki are fairly quick, but creating them effectively takes some time. The blog will take some time inviting all the students' email addresses and be even more difficult if students do not have computer access or email access at home. Paying close attention to putting up specific directions on what you expect out of the wiki, as well as locking certain pages from editing is really crucial. It is even more crucial to make sure that postings and edits are moderated and not posted without being reviewed first, as to prevent any issues. Other than that, as long as you stay on top of things by maintaining dialogue and postings with the students in the blog and continue to post work for them on the wiki on a regular basis, it should work very well.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Internet Research for TechQuest Project
In researching for my TechQuest project, I found examples of teachers who have implemented projects similar to mine, articles on using Web 2.0 projects, and even a video that helps guide using some of these Web 2.0 tools.
1. Darren Kuropatwa created a wiki for his classes where students have to make serious contributions to solving problems. He lays out very clearly what the requirements for his students to edit are. It is a clean site that is very organized and has students collaborate effectively to understanding the math content.
2. Mr. Kuropatwa also creates blogs for his classes and one for his AP Calculus class which is a good representation of getting students information in a discussion forum. He posts reviews and answers to exams, making answers accessible to students from anywhere, as well as giving them an opportunity to comment and ask questions of one another if they did not understand how he solved the problem.
3. Yet another contribution I found from Mr. Kuropatwa is a YouTube video that he recorded while at a conference in Boston. It is a discussion between another teacher and him about the use of his blog. The teacher explains how Mr. Kuropatwa's use of technology was modeled so well that it was easy for him to implement the same ideas in his classroom. It is a great testament to the positive changes that wikis and blogs can not only have a positive effect on student learning, but other collaborative efforts of teachers as, well.
4. Another blog that was a good example of using Web 2.0 was one that incorporated an entire 8th grade at Sargent Park School. It was similar to Mr. Kuropatwa's in that it posted answers and reviews for exams, but they also posted problems that students actually had to comment, discuss, and solve. It was also a good example of using these technologies because this is a blog that connects an entire grade level in a school, not just a single classroom.
5. One article discussed a lot of research and theories about using wikis and blogs in the classroom. It talked a lot about using these Web 2.0 applications which allows students to build greater knowledge especially since in this day and age, the growth of technology and its use is expanding at a rapid rate. It gives a good background of why using these applications are so vital to the student learn process.
6. Another article gives a full description of how a wiki was used in a class similar to some of Mr. Kuropatwa's in creating a study guide for a final exam. The interesting this about this article is that it showed that when students actively participated in the wiki, they showed an average increase of about 5% or more on the final exam. I liked this resource because it showed a concrete example of how using wikis in a classroom can boost student understanding.
7. The final piece of research I looked at having to do with these Web 2.0 technologies was a thesis that utilized blogs and wikis in a math classroom. The technologies were used a great deal with using proofs and went to show that students who had difficulty with terminology or doing homework problems made great strides in their understanding of the content. It went to show that it not only enhanced student mathematical learning, but also their comprehension of the written content.
I used a variety of methods and search engines when look for this and other research for the TechQuest project. I started by using the MSU libraries E-resources and first dealt with ProQuest. I was able to find a couple of research articles there, but I primarily searched for "blogs", "wikis", or "teaching" combined with "teaching" or "education" or "math". It did not turn up a lot of resources for me and some of the articles had nothing to do with a math classroom. After that, I turned to Google Scholar and was able to find a few pieces that helped my cause. I ran into some trouble in that a lot of the resources I found from there needed an additional fee to see an entire article, thesis, or full portion of a book. I finally turned to Google itself and just searched for combinations of "web 2.0" and "teaching". I got a bunch of links, but none that were really relevant to the research I was trying to conduct. The biggest source of my search came from the help of Susan, who provided me a link to one of Mr. Kuropatwa's wikis. From there, I searched through his materials and found a blog to help my research, as well as searching him on YouTube to find a video of his work.
I think the biggest thing that hindered me in these searches is that I was too specific in the beginning. I was trying to use all the keywords I wanted at once and was getting very little resources back. It helped a lot more when I opened up my search fields and used less of the terms I wanted in my searches, but then it was more difficult sifting through the materials that were or were not useful. If I were to do it again, I would most likely use some other search engines that I learned about in this course. The Valenza article gave a lot of resources which I realize I could have used and would most likely look to use some of the sites to refine my searches. I would definitely search out a better database rather than just sticking to the MSU libraries and Google Scholar. I would maybe search more on YouTube or TeacherTube as well, in hopes of finding some video content explain the process or results.
1. Darren Kuropatwa created a wiki for his classes where students have to make serious contributions to solving problems. He lays out very clearly what the requirements for his students to edit are. It is a clean site that is very organized and has students collaborate effectively to understanding the math content.
2. Mr. Kuropatwa also creates blogs for his classes and one for his AP Calculus class which is a good representation of getting students information in a discussion forum. He posts reviews and answers to exams, making answers accessible to students from anywhere, as well as giving them an opportunity to comment and ask questions of one another if they did not understand how he solved the problem.
3. Yet another contribution I found from Mr. Kuropatwa is a YouTube video that he recorded while at a conference in Boston. It is a discussion between another teacher and him about the use of his blog. The teacher explains how Mr. Kuropatwa's use of technology was modeled so well that it was easy for him to implement the same ideas in his classroom. It is a great testament to the positive changes that wikis and blogs can not only have a positive effect on student learning, but other collaborative efforts of teachers as, well.
4. Another blog that was a good example of using Web 2.0 was one that incorporated an entire 8th grade at Sargent Park School. It was similar to Mr. Kuropatwa's in that it posted answers and reviews for exams, but they also posted problems that students actually had to comment, discuss, and solve. It was also a good example of using these technologies because this is a blog that connects an entire grade level in a school, not just a single classroom.
5. One article discussed a lot of research and theories about using wikis and blogs in the classroom. It talked a lot about using these Web 2.0 applications which allows students to build greater knowledge especially since in this day and age, the growth of technology and its use is expanding at a rapid rate. It gives a good background of why using these applications are so vital to the student learn process.
6. Another article gives a full description of how a wiki was used in a class similar to some of Mr. Kuropatwa's in creating a study guide for a final exam. The interesting this about this article is that it showed that when students actively participated in the wiki, they showed an average increase of about 5% or more on the final exam. I liked this resource because it showed a concrete example of how using wikis in a classroom can boost student understanding.
7. The final piece of research I looked at having to do with these Web 2.0 technologies was a thesis that utilized blogs and wikis in a math classroom. The technologies were used a great deal with using proofs and went to show that students who had difficulty with terminology or doing homework problems made great strides in their understanding of the content. It went to show that it not only enhanced student mathematical learning, but also their comprehension of the written content.
I used a variety of methods and search engines when look for this and other research for the TechQuest project. I started by using the MSU libraries E-resources and first dealt with ProQuest. I was able to find a couple of research articles there, but I primarily searched for "blogs", "wikis", or "teaching" combined with "teaching" or "education" or "math". It did not turn up a lot of resources for me and some of the articles had nothing to do with a math classroom. After that, I turned to Google Scholar and was able to find a few pieces that helped my cause. I ran into some trouble in that a lot of the resources I found from there needed an additional fee to see an entire article, thesis, or full portion of a book. I finally turned to Google itself and just searched for combinations of "web 2.0" and "teaching". I got a bunch of links, but none that were really relevant to the research I was trying to conduct. The biggest source of my search came from the help of Susan, who provided me a link to one of Mr. Kuropatwa's wikis. From there, I searched through his materials and found a blog to help my research, as well as searching him on YouTube to find a video of his work.
I think the biggest thing that hindered me in these searches is that I was too specific in the beginning. I was trying to use all the keywords I wanted at once and was getting very little resources back. It helped a lot more when I opened up my search fields and used less of the terms I wanted in my searches, but then it was more difficult sifting through the materials that were or were not useful. If I were to do it again, I would most likely use some other search engines that I learned about in this course. The Valenza article gave a lot of resources which I realize I could have used and would most likely look to use some of the sites to refine my searches. I would definitely search out a better database rather than just sticking to the MSU libraries and Google Scholar. I would maybe search more on YouTube or TeacherTube as well, in hopes of finding some video content explain the process or results.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Project Description
The educational need that I plan on addressing with my TechQuest is going to revolve heavily around factoring a quadratic equation. Students seem to have an extremely difficult time when factoring some of these problems, which only leads them into further difficulty when it comes time to solve quadratic equations using this concept. Dealing with quadratic equations is a mainstay in the current Michigan mathematics curriculum, spending a significant portion of time being studied in Algebra 1, as well as a much larger and even more significant amount of time in the strenuous Algebra 2 course. Students need some sort of way to receive better instruction on these concepts so that they can better apply factoring when dealing with some of these quadratic equations.
My means of addressing this with technology will involve two Web 2.0 technologies that I think will make a real difference. I believe that by incorporating a blog and a wiki into the classroom, which has specific ties to this topic, will ultimately make a genuine difference in students' ability to understand and retain information about factoring with quadratic equations. Students will have an opportunity to make blog posts which will describe their concerns and misconceptions about the topic. In doing this, other students will be able to share these same struggles, while other students can begin to interact with their classmates by providing helpful hints and information. Students will be able to create a dialogue, creating a social network that will spread their ideas and get a wealth of different means of understanding the topic in one large forum. Students will readily be able to access this blog and put their own thinking into words, as well as get their questions answered to better understand the areas of factoring with quadratic equations that still trouble them.
The wiki will be used as a means of students to solve particular quadratic equation factoring problems. Students will be able to solve problems on the wiki and create an annotated wording of how they solved specific problems. This will take their conceptual knowledge that they can discuss in the blog and put it into real practice. Students will have an opportunity to review each other's work, while still working through their misconceptions about the topic. Not only that, but since it is an evolving and editable resource, students can watch as problems grow more difficult or search out the ones that give them the most trouble. In addition to seeing the problem done correctly, they will also see wording that can fill in the gaps where they do not understand why certain steps are being taken. An even greater tool to this is that students will be forced to question their own knowledge, since some editing done on these problems might be incorrect. It will give them an opportunity to do more than just solve problems, but force them to really understand what and how things are being done with factoring.
In searching the Internet through Google Scholar and ProQuest, I was able to find a few pieces of research that seem to support the use of Web 2.0 technologies improving student understanding. One article discusses the need for a more social type of learning, since engaging students in using Web 2.0 type applications allows them to build large stocks of knowledge in the quickly changing 21st century. Another gives a description of using a wiki in a similar sense of creating a study guide for a final exam, which students actively participated in and showed an increase in achievement of about 5% for the overall final exam. Finally, there was a specific thesis that used blogs and wikis in a math classroom using proofs and although the article was limited, it showed that students who had difficulty with terminology or handling homework problems benefited a great deal from these resources.
My current plan for implementation will begin at the start of the next school year. I am hoping to create a classroom blog and wiki for my courses immediately so that students will be able to get misconceptions handled and work on practice problems from the very beginning. Then, when we come up to quadratic equations in approximately November, they will feel very comfortable at accessing the blog and wiki portions which contain these topics.
How this addresses the four common places of education is as follows:
Someone teaching - It allows myself as the teacher to work as a more facilitator point of view than lecturer. I will be able to fit more the "guide on the side" role in which I can monitor student learning. It also gives me an opportunity to see a multitude of student learning and misconceptions in one large place at one time.
Someone learning - The learners here will specifically be high school juniors taking Algebra 2 over the course of two years. This project gives them an opportunity to work with math in a way that might better suit their means of comprehension. They will be required to most a minimum number of posts, instilling a sense of responsibility and community, where they must contribute to their classroom setting. It also gives students an opportunity to show their understanding of technology and how they can incorporate it into their everyday learning.
Subject matter - This project will follow the Michigan High School Content Expectations (HSCE's) when dealing with these topics in the Algebra thread. More importantly, it will also address issues of Michigan technological requirements in having students spend a certain number of hours completing online learning activities. The actual material of factoring to solve a quadratic equation will also be dealt with, since that is the main emphasis of this particular portion of the project.
In some setting - The beauty of this project is that it is not confined to the classroom. Students can access these Web 2.0 applications from various computer labs, their own homes, or even their cell phones. They will have an open place to access this information, making it readily available when they might need it or when they might choose to post, comment, or edit. It begins to take the "traditional" sense that all learning is done in school and begins to shift that thinking away into a place that learning can be accomplished anywhere.
My means of addressing this with technology will involve two Web 2.0 technologies that I think will make a real difference. I believe that by incorporating a blog and a wiki into the classroom, which has specific ties to this topic, will ultimately make a genuine difference in students' ability to understand and retain information about factoring with quadratic equations. Students will have an opportunity to make blog posts which will describe their concerns and misconceptions about the topic. In doing this, other students will be able to share these same struggles, while other students can begin to interact with their classmates by providing helpful hints and information. Students will be able to create a dialogue, creating a social network that will spread their ideas and get a wealth of different means of understanding the topic in one large forum. Students will readily be able to access this blog and put their own thinking into words, as well as get their questions answered to better understand the areas of factoring with quadratic equations that still trouble them.
The wiki will be used as a means of students to solve particular quadratic equation factoring problems. Students will be able to solve problems on the wiki and create an annotated wording of how they solved specific problems. This will take their conceptual knowledge that they can discuss in the blog and put it into real practice. Students will have an opportunity to review each other's work, while still working through their misconceptions about the topic. Not only that, but since it is an evolving and editable resource, students can watch as problems grow more difficult or search out the ones that give them the most trouble. In addition to seeing the problem done correctly, they will also see wording that can fill in the gaps where they do not understand why certain steps are being taken. An even greater tool to this is that students will be forced to question their own knowledge, since some editing done on these problems might be incorrect. It will give them an opportunity to do more than just solve problems, but force them to really understand what and how things are being done with factoring.
In searching the Internet through Google Scholar and ProQuest, I was able to find a few pieces of research that seem to support the use of Web 2.0 technologies improving student understanding. One article discusses the need for a more social type of learning, since engaging students in using Web 2.0 type applications allows them to build large stocks of knowledge in the quickly changing 21st century. Another gives a description of using a wiki in a similar sense of creating a study guide for a final exam, which students actively participated in and showed an increase in achievement of about 5% for the overall final exam. Finally, there was a specific thesis that used blogs and wikis in a math classroom using proofs and although the article was limited, it showed that students who had difficulty with terminology or handling homework problems benefited a great deal from these resources.
My current plan for implementation will begin at the start of the next school year. I am hoping to create a classroom blog and wiki for my courses immediately so that students will be able to get misconceptions handled and work on practice problems from the very beginning. Then, when we come up to quadratic equations in approximately November, they will feel very comfortable at accessing the blog and wiki portions which contain these topics.
How this addresses the four common places of education is as follows:
Someone teaching - It allows myself as the teacher to work as a more facilitator point of view than lecturer. I will be able to fit more the "guide on the side" role in which I can monitor student learning. It also gives me an opportunity to see a multitude of student learning and misconceptions in one large place at one time.
Someone learning - The learners here will specifically be high school juniors taking Algebra 2 over the course of two years. This project gives them an opportunity to work with math in a way that might better suit their means of comprehension. They will be required to most a minimum number of posts, instilling a sense of responsibility and community, where they must contribute to their classroom setting. It also gives students an opportunity to show their understanding of technology and how they can incorporate it into their everyday learning.
Subject matter - This project will follow the Michigan High School Content Expectations (HSCE's) when dealing with these topics in the Algebra thread. More importantly, it will also address issues of Michigan technological requirements in having students spend a certain number of hours completing online learning activities. The actual material of factoring to solve a quadratic equation will also be dealt with, since that is the main emphasis of this particular portion of the project.
In some setting - The beauty of this project is that it is not confined to the classroom. Students can access these Web 2.0 applications from various computer labs, their own homes, or even their cell phones. They will have an open place to access this information, making it readily available when they might need it or when they might choose to post, comment, or edit. It begins to take the "traditional" sense that all learning is done in school and begins to shift that thinking away into a place that learning can be accomplished anywhere.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Problem of Practice Preview
The area that I would like to investigate more in my TechQuest would be the idea behind using factoring to solve quadratic equations. In my math setting, I have found that many of my students seem to struggle with factoring. This becomes a greater issue when it comes time to solve a quadratic equation because factoring is the quickest way to solve these types of problems, if possible. I want to find a way for students to use this idea so that they can better handle these quadratic equations and really get a better understanding of what it means to actually use this factoring to solve these problems.
I think this would make a meaningful difference because if students have an easier time solving these problems, it will give them an opportunity to focus more on the big ideas when working with quadratic equations. Not to mention, I think that when students can compare the similarities of solving these equations using other methods and understand the different non-linguistic ways by setting up a visual table representation to help them factor to find the solutions to these problems, as the Brabec, Fisher, and Pitler article states, they have a much greater opportunity to grasp the concepts of solving these equations. Another reason I would like to investigate this using some facet of technology is that I think it aligns with Brophy's ideas of getting an opportunity to learn. I believe that by utilizing some aspect of technology, this will get the students fully engaged in learning about solving quadratics by factoring and ultimately give them a better understanding of the topic at hand.
I think this would make a meaningful difference because if students have an easier time solving these problems, it will give them an opportunity to focus more on the big ideas when working with quadratic equations. Not to mention, I think that when students can compare the similarities of solving these equations using other methods and understand the different non-linguistic ways by setting up a visual table representation to help them factor to find the solutions to these problems, as the Brabec, Fisher, and Pitler article states, they have a much greater opportunity to grasp the concepts of solving these equations. Another reason I would like to investigate this using some facet of technology is that I think it aligns with Brophy's ideas of getting an opportunity to learn. I believe that by utilizing some aspect of technology, this will get the students fully engaged in learning about solving quadratics by factoring and ultimately give them a better understanding of the topic at hand.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Bringing It All Together
What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
The biggest thing that I believe I learned about using effective teaching strategies, is that you have to take into account your audience. Regardless of what teaching strategies I might try to use when integrating the technology, I have to think about what my students' knowledge of the technology is. Whether I am trying to bring a new web-based activity or a PowerPoint lesson into the classroom, it doesn't help my teaching at all without making sure that all my students can actually operate and use the technology effectively.
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
After creating a WebQuest, a blog, a wiki, and a self-sufficient PowerPoint lesson, it really gave me an idea of how powerful integrating web-based technologies can be. It gives students a chance to work in a medium that they are for the most part very comfortable with, plus gets them learning at the same time. It makes me realize that if we want to better educate our students, we need to bring more of this technology into our classrooms to better present the information, as well as get the students to become more involved in their own education.
How have you met your personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I would say that I have met the short term personal goals that I wanted to achieve for technology integration in this course. One goal I had established in CEP 810 was to get a better knowledge and working with PowerPoint, which I believe I have accomplished by integrating the StAIR project into my students final exam review. Another large goal that I had was to create a better, easier to work with web page, which I also believe was accomplished by a few assignments in this course. By creating a web page, as well as using that knowledge to create a WebQuest, I think I reached the goals about how I could integrate these ideas into my classroom.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for teaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
After completing this course, I really want to bring blogs and wikis into my teaching. I am hoping to have my students work off a classroom blog where they can comment and post their thoughts and questions on the material that we go over in class. Similarly, I am looking to bring the knowledge of using a wiki into my classroom, as well. I am hoping to create a class wiki where the students can edit the wiki and create a chapter review for each chapter as we go through them. From there, we will end up creating a full semester worth of material that they could ultimately use as an additional resource to study for final exams. I am also hoping to learn about more technologies that would also continue to get students more involved and excited about learning.
The biggest thing that I believe I learned about using effective teaching strategies, is that you have to take into account your audience. Regardless of what teaching strategies I might try to use when integrating the technology, I have to think about what my students' knowledge of the technology is. Whether I am trying to bring a new web-based activity or a PowerPoint lesson into the classroom, it doesn't help my teaching at all without making sure that all my students can actually operate and use the technology effectively.
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
After creating a WebQuest, a blog, a wiki, and a self-sufficient PowerPoint lesson, it really gave me an idea of how powerful integrating web-based technologies can be. It gives students a chance to work in a medium that they are for the most part very comfortable with, plus gets them learning at the same time. It makes me realize that if we want to better educate our students, we need to bring more of this technology into our classrooms to better present the information, as well as get the students to become more involved in their own education.
How have you met your personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I would say that I have met the short term personal goals that I wanted to achieve for technology integration in this course. One goal I had established in CEP 810 was to get a better knowledge and working with PowerPoint, which I believe I have accomplished by integrating the StAIR project into my students final exam review. Another large goal that I had was to create a better, easier to work with web page, which I also believe was accomplished by a few assignments in this course. By creating a web page, as well as using that knowledge to create a WebQuest, I think I reached the goals about how I could integrate these ideas into my classroom.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for teaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
After completing this course, I really want to bring blogs and wikis into my teaching. I am hoping to have my students work off a classroom blog where they can comment and post their thoughts and questions on the material that we go over in class. Similarly, I am looking to bring the knowledge of using a wiki into my classroom, as well. I am hoping to create a class wiki where the students can edit the wiki and create a chapter review for each chapter as we go through them. From there, we will end up creating a full semester worth of material that they could ultimately use as an additional resource to study for final exams. I am also hoping to learn about more technologies that would also continue to get students more involved and excited about learning.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Student Online Experiences
After looking through all the different types of technologies that could count as a student's online learning experience, I think I would gravitate towards using the wikis the most. I know it is one that we have already worked with in this class, but I have already started to think about some ways I would like to use them in my courses next year.
The biggest advantage to using a wiki would be to get the content out to the students in a better way. My vision doesn't limit this to one specific type of content area in my field of math, but uses the entire realm of mathematics. I see myself creating wikis for my courses, with each new page being devoted to one of the concepts of material we are learning. I would then open it up so that students could post questions, helpful hints, solved problems, and all types of things to almost create a chapter synopsis/review for everyone to view. Doing this every chapter will allow the students to not only get a better idea of the concepts, but essentially make a review for midterms and finals, as well.
There are 3 main pedagogical strategies that I can see being used with this. First, I would have to do some deductive teaching by showing the students how to access and properly edit the wiki. From there though, I think it would mostly be a lot of minimalism and constructivism. I would essentially let the students do the creating of their ideas and sharing answers with one another, staying very hands off (except for monitoring the safety portion). Students would then be digging into their own topics and ideas from their fellow classmates, looking to create some sort of knowledge that they might bring back into the classroom or even another forum.
For me, I think the hardest tool to incorporate would probably be the educational gaming. I think that many high school students would have trouble focusing in a "gamer" environment. Not only that, but I have not seen very many educational games that translate well to high school mathematics. The ones that do use math are typically for lower levels or are not very engaging to the average high school student. The games that are more exciting are often a stretch on their mathematical content.
The biggest advantage to using a wiki would be to get the content out to the students in a better way. My vision doesn't limit this to one specific type of content area in my field of math, but uses the entire realm of mathematics. I see myself creating wikis for my courses, with each new page being devoted to one of the concepts of material we are learning. I would then open it up so that students could post questions, helpful hints, solved problems, and all types of things to almost create a chapter synopsis/review for everyone to view. Doing this every chapter will allow the students to not only get a better idea of the concepts, but essentially make a review for midterms and finals, as well.
There are 3 main pedagogical strategies that I can see being used with this. First, I would have to do some deductive teaching by showing the students how to access and properly edit the wiki. From there though, I think it would mostly be a lot of minimalism and constructivism. I would essentially let the students do the creating of their ideas and sharing answers with one another, staying very hands off (except for monitoring the safety portion). Students would then be digging into their own topics and ideas from their fellow classmates, looking to create some sort of knowledge that they might bring back into the classroom or even another forum.
For me, I think the hardest tool to incorporate would probably be the educational gaming. I think that many high school students would have trouble focusing in a "gamer" environment. Not only that, but I have not seen very many educational games that translate well to high school mathematics. The ones that do use math are typically for lower levels or are not very engaging to the average high school student. The games that are more exciting are often a stretch on their mathematical content.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Exploring Google Docs
I evaluated the Google Documents application and really enjoyed it. I think it is a great tool for people to collaborate and share their ideas without having to e-mail it back and forth.
- The thing I like the most about this application is the ability to edit a word document in real time with a large group of people. I also liked how as the owner, you can limit different users to only being able to contribute certain things. As the owner, you can make sure they can edit or only view the document. The thing that I found frustrating was a minor point, but works very specifically to my content area. When trying to insert mathematical symbols or equations, it is a little more complicated and does not have as many options as the equation editor in Microsoft Word. Other than that, I found it to be a very useful application.
- Students would need to be familiar with a word processor in order to use this application. They would also need to have the ability to work with the Internet and the knowledge of how to work together with other students in a way that is conducive to learning.
- You can share the products of this application in a number of ways. You can invite other members to help contribute to the document. There is also an option to share the link of the page which allows others to see (or you can give them the option to edit). Finally, you can also e-mail the document to someone as an attachment.
- In using my own particular subject matter, which is math, I could see my students using this as a tool to answer their questions. They could create a document which would allow them to verbalize their mathematical thinking and get their questions about how to solve certain problems. Other students could then edit the document and they could make something that helps to address common misconceptions that many students might be having.
- As a teacher, there are some things you can do to help students collaborate using this application. First, you could start them off by being a model of how to use and share documents. Once the students are comfortable and able to edit these documents, the teacher can also provide information and feedback into their documents. A teacher could also do something similar to this course, in have students post to the document every so often to get an idea of how they can work with their fellow classmates.
- There are a few management issues that a teacher would have to take into account to use this application. They would have to make sure that the students either have an e-mail address or if nothing else, at least Internet access to use this application. They would also have to make sure they set it up in such a way that if they want the students to edit and share, that they have these options when invited. If the teacher only wants students to view certain documents, they must also have that set up.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Blog Reflection
The instructional strategies that I think would work best with blogs would be scaffolding and constructivism. The reasons for this is when using the blog you could set up some sort of task for the students that would help guide them without actually giving them the direct instruction. A big reason I think it would utilize constructivism is that the commenting and idea sharing would give students a great opportunity to create some knowledge. As a teacher, you could post a thought you want the students to explore, or post a problem you want them to talk about. From there, the students could comment on the post and create their own knowledge through conversations they post in comments.
I think the instructional strategy that would be very difficult to use with blogs would be didactic. I think it would be extremely hard to facilitate as a teacher to provide a general rule and then give students examples in a blog. Having students read a general rule and see an example in a blog is no different than writing it on a whiteboard in front of the classroom.
The idea that I have been considering to bring blogs into my classroom to help my subject matter is to utilize it as a way for students to get help with problems they do not understand. I would like to post a generic post about the lesson that we went over in class. From there, I would like to promote a conversation that the students respond to one another by commenting on the post. I would hope that the students could then answer their own questions by creating a forum of sharing their ideas.
I think that would actually answer the bonus question, trying to get students to understand things by creating a dialogue between the learners would help them to understand concepts better. Especially in math, I think it would benefit them a great deal to have a place where they could get instant access to how to work through problems in a verbal sense.
I think the instructional strategy that would be very difficult to use with blogs would be didactic. I think it would be extremely hard to facilitate as a teacher to provide a general rule and then give students examples in a blog. Having students read a general rule and see an example in a blog is no different than writing it on a whiteboard in front of the classroom.
The idea that I have been considering to bring blogs into my classroom to help my subject matter is to utilize it as a way for students to get help with problems they do not understand. I would like to post a generic post about the lesson that we went over in class. From there, I would like to promote a conversation that the students respond to one another by commenting on the post. I would hope that the students could then answer their own questions by creating a forum of sharing their ideas.
I think that would actually answer the bonus question, trying to get students to understand things by creating a dialogue between the learners would help them to understand concepts better. Especially in math, I think it would benefit them a great deal to have a place where they could get instant access to how to work through problems in a verbal sense.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Getting Wiki With It
Creating my own Wiki has given me so many ideas (both to use educationally and personally).
My url is http://dep53.wikispaces.com/.
I edited Wikipedia's page for my school district by updating some information about our ninth grade center.
My url is http://dep53.wikispaces.com/.
I edited Wikipedia's page for my school district by updating some information about our ninth grade center.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Computer-Based Instructional Objects
There are a few additional things that need to be taken into consideration when having students work independently on some computer-based instructional objects (CBIOs). The main thing is you have to taken into consideration the students' comfort level with the technology you are using. Many students are pretty tech-savvy, but how many really know how to navigate through a PowerPoint presentation when their options are limited in navigation? Many students can fly through web pages with ease, but how many really know how to USEFULLY search the internet for information. I think these are big things to take into consideration because we can never assume (because we all know what assuming does...) that our students know how to use the technology just because they are a 21st century learner. If you are using the internet, it is also a good idea to make sure that none of the links you provided students can be browsed through to get to any inappropriate material.
As for some WebQuests, I found this one involving math in video/board games, as well as thh entertainment industry that I thought would really grab students attention. Not to mention, it answers the age old question, "When are we ever going to need this?" I think it really makes the students realize how important their math skills really are in the world. That and it also gives them a chance to put their knowledge to work by playing a few math games at the end.
The URL is http://questgarden.com/102/36/1/100426171111/index.htm.
As for some WebQuests, I found this one involving math in video/board games, as well as thh entertainment industry that I thought would really grab students attention. Not to mention, it answers the age old question, "When are we ever going to need this?" I think it really makes the students realize how important their math skills really are in the world. That and it also gives them a chance to put their knowledge to work by playing a few math games at the end.
The URL is http://questgarden.com/102/36/1/100426171111/index.htm.
Another WebQuest I liked was this particular one because it has a good idea behind getting students prepared for the ACT. With more and more of teaching being data driven and a lot of that data is based off ACT scores, I think this WebQuest does a lot to help students prepare without overloading them on a single topic. It allows students to focus on a single idea, then has the rest of the students "teach" each other the topics which they did not research.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Differences between traditional web pages and blogs
Traditional web pages and blogs vary in a lot of ways, but there is one main thing that separates the two. Traditional web pages are a place where you go to GET information or ideas. You access these pages in hopes of reading about something you want to know about. There are web pages that allow you to comment and voice your opinion on the situation, but that's not the intent of the site. With blogs, these are places where you go to SHARE information or ideas. You as the content master are the one putting the information out into the world. An idea that you would like to share or even something you just wanted to let the world know is put out into a forum where anyone can follow to interact with. You become the moderator, allowing what you do or do not want to come into this community of idea sharing with your fellow bloggers. Instead of the web page dictating who can or cannot contribute, or even what can or cannot be said, you are in control of this power. Essentially, information is no longer dictated to you by Internet postings, but you dictate information to the Internet.
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