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.
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
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, 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.
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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