Interactivity #5

I interviewed a middle school math teacher, in the Montclair School District, about the impact of national technology standards in the school. She has seen the standards before, and was familiar with both, The National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). The school, as well as the whole district have begun to implement the NET-S for students. The standards at the school, are used "mostly in technology classes (required each semester for each student), but also used in all subject area classes as appropriate." 

The teacher aligns many of her lessons according to the standards. Recently, she gave the students a scavenger hunt for the TI-89 calculator, so that they would explore all the features the calculator has to offer. Also, the school just got brand new Macbooks for them to use, which she uses in her lessons for applications such as the Geometer’s Sketchpad. She went on to tell me, that the students really engage and participate more, whenever technology is used.

The district has a technology mission plan which states, “If we are successful integrating technology, all students will use technology to gather information, solve problems, share their expertise, and develop the life skills needed to function in the 21st  century.” They have planned out  3 year goals, which show great motivation and they are as follows: (MONTCLAIR PUBLIC SCHOOLS GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR TECHNOLOGY 2010-2013)

 Goal 1

Students and staff will have seamless access to information technology in their schools.

 Goal 2

Students will develop the technology and information literacy life skills needed to succeed in the growing technological world.

 Goal 3

Staff will utilize technology to enhance the educational goals of the district.

 Goal 4

Parents and community members will understand the effectiveness of technology in education.

The school website has a section set aside for technology as well. The importance of this technology infusion is clearly stated, and how students will benefit from it. The school understands that technology is the way of life, and is doing everything to prepare their students for the future.

I was not surprised at the teacher’s familiarity with the standards, because I have seen the way she incorporates technology into her lessons.  The teacher sees the importance of technology in education and tries to infuse it in her lessons as much as possible to make them more interesting. 

As a future educator, I see the importance of NET-S and NET-T. If the district I work in, is not implementing the standards, I would try to voice my opinion on the advantages of using technology in the classroom. Not only does it make lessons fun and interesting, but also enriches every lesson and gives students a deeper understanding. 

Spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqNRFBNdTiUGdFpRLUMwbUNxUVhYTUdVbWF3U3R6aWc

Montclair Public Schools

District Technology Plan :

http://www.montclair.k12.nj.us/WebPageFiles/24/techplan10-13.pdf

SchoolTube

SchoolTube is a media sharing website for students and educators. It is free, safe and endorsed by premier education associations. Teachers and students can upload videos and share them with the rest of the world. Any student videos must be first approved by a registered teacher. These videos can showcase academics, sports or any club events. Teachers can share media right from their classroom and learn from other teachers how to integrate technology into the lessons. Parents can keep up with their child's school and also show off their child's talents and accomplishments.

Mathematics is often one of the subjects that students do not find very interesting. Therefore, teachers must try their best to engage their students. I came across a lot of fun and interesting videos done by teachers on SchoolTube. One that especially stood out to me was a rap song done by a teacher called, "Super Base", which teaches students about exponents and bases. It was a remake of Nicki Minaj's song "Super Bass" and the teacher got all her students involved in the video. It is very fun and would definitely catch any student's interest.

Link to SchoolTube video:
http://bit.ly/se1kWl

Math Anxiety + Technology = Success

Math often causes anxiety in students. They fear the subject and become frustrated or lack confidence. This has become such a big issue that researchers have created an anxiety scale for math. Students may feel nervous, helpless, hopeless or panic.  This fear usually comes from unpleasant experiences with mathematics.  Poor teaching causes limited learning, which results in math anxiety.

The anxiety can be overcome with a positive attitude, asking questions and practicing regularly. Though a more effective way could be incorporating technology into the math classrooms. When students are able to relate to what they are learning it becomes easier to understand. In addition, technology is  great for visualization and hands on activities because it will help the students grasp the concept better. 

In the article Math Class Takes a Surprisingly Fun Twist, we can see the perfect example of how technology can lessen anxiety and actually make math fun. The classroom is described as: "The walls have magnetic paint and are coated with a material that effectively turns most of the entire room into a giant whiteboard. The tables, too, are whiteboards, and there's an iPad for every table. Two giant TV screens also grace the walls, among other features" (tech times). The students are encouraged to write on the walls, walk around, work in groups and be creative. The goal of this environment is to help students feel comfortable and not fear math. 

The teachers in that classroom work with a technical instructor, who steps in whenever students say they do not see how math is relevant to their lives. The technical instructor shows them exactly how it is, using a fun technical approach. The teachers have seen great improvement in their students and the change of attitude toward math. Some students even go as far as saying math is now their favorite subject. 

Everyone is exposed to technology in today’s society, therefore using it in the classroom is the perfect solution to reducing math anxiety. The anxiety may be compared to stage fright since they both are a disabling condition, causing humiliation, resentment, and even panic. But when technology is incorporated into the lessons, young children see math as fun, they will enjoy it, and, the joy of mathematics could remain with them throughout the rest of their lives.




http://www.tstctechtimes.com/math-class-takes-a-surprisingly-fun-twist-1.2786566#.T3YRcRyLXXE

An iPad for Every Student

In the ideal classroom, all students would be provided with the best technology possible. But, often that is not the case. Therefore, when we hear about schools, who are lucky enough to have those resources, we want to know if it in fact brings success. In September, in Zeeland, Michigan, every high schooler in the district received an apple iPad. It is used for classwork, testing and communication. After just two weeks into the program, administrators called the iPad program a game changer.

The use of technology has made education a part of the students' world, rather than being separate. In literature class, students follow a narrator who reads, The Scarlet Ibis. They are able to highlight in the ebook and students participate more directly. When studying for quizzes they use a flash card app, and students can coach each other. Since everything is now on the iPad, students can not use the excuse anymore that they have lost their paper.

When students or teachers are absent, instructional time does not need to be lost, because teachers can upload their video lessons for all students to view. They can then download assignments over wi-fi. The only downside is, that without an actual keyboard, it is hard for students to type long essays. Also, printing is limited.

The district set aside $1.3 million for the program, which comes from the $20 million bond issue voters approved last year for school improvements. In the winter, middle schoolers were supposed to receive iPads and next fall grades 3-5 will. Kindergartners through second graders will be able to use a cart of the iPads, also next fall.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-09-20/schools-education-ipad-students/50480836/1

Interactivity #4: The Pedagogical Uses of Technology

The lesson I chose was on classifying triangles, according to their sides and angles. When I saw this lesson, I knew using an online activity sheet was not doing it justice. Right away, I got the idea to use Geometer's Sketchpad, which would benefit the students’ learning greatly. They would be able to create different triangles, measure their sides and angles, and then describe them according to the properties.

The goals of the lesson aligned with the strategies, and technology, but the lesson needed more excitement. The students simply worked on a worksheet and then discussed their foundings, after which the teacher demonstrated the different triangles in the online activity sheet. The students do not gain anything from a lesson like that. They would walk away, not knowing why or what they have just learned. Incorporating the Geometer’s Sketchpad, gives the students a more hands on activity, where they will learn by discovering on their own. 

I believe this particular technology is very beneficial to the students. They will learn how to construct certain triangles by using circles. For example, a circle holds the key to building a triangle that stays isosceles no matter how you drag it. Constructing an equilateral triangle is similar to constructing an isosceles triangle, but two circles are used instead of one. In addition, they can draw any triangle by simply connecting three segments and adjusting the measures. Students are also able to change the color and appearance of the objects that make up the triangles such as, points, segments, and polygon, and label them.

Spreadsheet

Fun Websites To Use In The Classroom

Recently, I came across a website that I felt was worth sharing. It contains hundreds of cool websites, that teachers can use in the classroom to make the lessons more interesting and that support the 21st century teaching strategies. These websites will get students to think, write and publish. They range from building a website for your classroom, creating comic strips, using pinterest to organize and share things they like, and there's even a website called fakebook, where students and teachers can create imaginary facebook pages to stay connected.

Mathway is one of the webpages provided. It allows the user to solve equations step by step, with explanations. This is a great website for students to learn exactly what they have to do to solve the problem, especially those who are struggling can benefit greatly from this tool.

Class Dojo is a cool new way to improve behavior and engagement in the classroom. The teacher can give instant feedback to students using his or her iphone. An avatar is created for each child, and the teacher can record and take away points throughout the day. It provides instant visual notifications to the students such as, "Well done Josh! +1 for homework!" Class Dojo also provides behavior tracking analytics for parents and administrators.


Blabberize is another cool website that is a flash based tool to make pictures talk. Sometimes students simply get tired of listening to the teacher. So this is a great way to differentiate the lesson. You can pick a funny picture and a funny voice, type in what you want it to stay and just watch as students pay attention. They will enjoy the lesson and learn. 


These are just some of the fun websites that teachers can use. With the availability of tools now, teachers can make all their lessons fun and engaging. 


http://www.21stcenturyschoolteacher.com/cool-websites.html

Connecting Tradition and Technology

 
"Connecting Tradition and Technology"

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