Interactivity #3- Generating a State of the Art Inventory

I was nervous about working on a group project for an online class, but in the end it turned out to be a great and successful experience. One of my group members, Justyna, took initiative and created the spreadsheet early on, so that we could all input our technologies by Monday night. This way, we had enough time to look over them and write our blog. We also decided to color code the different categories so the spreadsheet is nicely organized. We communicated through email, which worked out fine for us. When inputting our technologies, we had to look over the ones that other members put in so we would not repeat them. 

This interactivity has made me aware of how many technologies there are to use in a math class. Of course there are the obvious ones like calculators and computers, but we found some great ones that I never heard of before. For example, dream box learning, is a fun easy way to learn math through animations and examples. SchoolTube and TeacherTube are also great websites where students and teachers can share educational videos. Even a digital camera can be used in math as as a visual representation for finding the measures of shapes, their sides, angles, etc.

The spreadsheet can be a great reference tool for me, to use for my classes now and later in my teaching career. Since there are so many technologies, I do not always have to depend on one. Often student may get bored, but by trying different technologies, I can make each lesson unique and by using some of the websites I can give them additional resources to use at home. 

Mathalicious

Mathalicious is an awesome website that helps teachers teach standard base math through real world applications. The site provides lessons for teachers, as well as student handouts and multimedia presentations. According to the website, "61% of middle school students say they'd rather take out the garbage than do their math homework." They just don't understand it or do not know why they need it. With the lessons mathalicious offers, students learn to use math to explore the world around us. The lessons engage the students and help them understand how the world works.

These are some of the questions the students explore:

1. How long would you have to run to burn off a McDonald’s Extra Value Meal? (Equations and Expressions)
2. Do people with small feet overpay for shoes & should Nike charge by weight? (Unit Rates)
3. In the Olympics, do taller sprinters have an unfair advantage? (Ratios and Proportions)
4. Does “bankrupt” come up more often than it should & is the show rigged? (Percents and Probabilities)


These lessons help teachers promote problem solving and critical thinking skills. Students answer open ended questions that they are actually interested in and want to think about. And because they are standard based lessons, they will still be prepared for the standarized tests ate the end of the year. I know that I would rather do any one of these lessons than listen to a teacher talk for 45 minutes about unit rates. 

Push For Digital Transition

President Obama has set a goal for each child to have an e-textbook in hand by the year 2017. The government spends $7 billion a year on text books and often they are out of date. Therefore they are pushing for tablet computers, which may cost more up front, but students will gain more for the money. They want to push publishers, computer tablet makers and internet service providers to work together and lower costs, so that they can sell their products to the 50 million school kids.

The "web connected instructional materials help students learn more efficiently and give teachers real-time    information on how well kids understand material" (Toppo). It is essential to push for this transition, because the future industry depends on technology. Students would be able to research, check their work and receive instant feedback. Even outside of school students would be provided with an interactive and engaging environment.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-01-31/schools-e-textbooks/52907492/1

Interactivity #2- The History of Technologies in Schools

                           Knowing is not a destination, but a process.

source:

http://problemsolvingk-12.wikispaces.com/

Ti website- great tool for educators

Teachers who truly care about their students, often go out of their way to help their students succeed, spending their own hard earned money. Therefore, when there are free programs available, teachers should take advantage of that. It is important to be aware of what is available and use it in the classroom. The ti website, is one great example.  It allows teachers to choose which Ti product they are using, and then use different math apps. Also, the website provides different activities, ranging from algebra to statistics with notes for the teacher and student activity sheets. It lays out exactly what should be done before the activity, during the activity, and after the activity.

The website also provides special offers for educators such as the use of the new Ti-Nspire technology for free. They can try it online, download the software and use it for 90 days, or borrow it for 30 days.

The Ti website is also great with providing funding, research and support opportunities. According to the website "Research is the foundation for making Ti solutions an essential component of student achievement. Ti provides educators, schools and districts with a wealth of research and funding resources." Educators can find many resources for funding and research such as, showing how Ti educational technology is an essential component of greater student achievement. There are also multiple support programs available to meet the demands of educational policy.


The Ti website is just one of the many great tools available to teachers for free. As long as they become aware of this, they can take full advantage of these tools and make their lessons more exciting and interesting. In addition, the research and funding opportunities are great if the teachers would like some new supplies for their classrooms. 


http://education.ti.com/calculators/products/US/home/

Interactivity #1: Technology as Autobiography

Technology has greatly impacted the way I learn. I can not even imagine doing a research paper or any kind of project without the internet. Going to the library and searching through books is too time consuming when I can simply search key words on google and find whatever I am looking for. Computers and laptops allow me to get my work done more efficiently than by hand and be more creative with my assignments. In addition, whenever I am stuck on a problem, I can always search for it online and usually find the solution. 

My phone is also essential to acquiring new information. I constantly get updates from facebook to keep up with my friends. My emails are sent straight to my phone so when a teacher sends me a message I can be notified right away. Furthermore, I have news and weather apps to know what is going on. The internet on my phone allows me to stay updated at all times and even work on my school assignments wherever I may be. The iphone is truly the most useful object I have ever purchased. 

The television is also a great resource of new information. For example, the discovery channel, food network, news channels, just to name a few, provide a great deal of information. Just by watching these channels I can learn how to cook or find out what is going on around me. If I would wait to read the newspaper, I feel like I would constantly be one step behind everybody else. 

In today’s society people depend on technology. Even though some may not own their own computer or smartphone, it does not mean they do not know how to use it. As we have seen in “Olivia’s Story,” she is very computer savvy even though she does not own one. She uses it in her building or at the apple store and can be very resourceful and creative with her myspace page. She even understands coding that is required to change layouts on her page or pictures. Therefore, a teacher can never assume a student does not know how to use a computer just because they do not own one. Olivia might be even better at working with computers than some of the other students in her class. It is important for the teacher to incorporate technology in the classroom because it is an important part of students’ everyday lives and can make the information more relatable.

In the second video, “Learning to Change, Changing to Learn,” the young people bring up some important points. For example, on the computer you can make anything ordinary become extraordinary and if you make a mistake you can always delete it and start over. The internet gives you access to everything, so then you can decide what to use or what not to use. Reading and writing has also taken over technology, especially with products such as kindle or the iPad. These young people can make websites, take pictures on their phones to use for projects, research on the internet, and be creative with their work.

As a teacher, I need to be aware of how technology is influencing my students and how I can use it in the classroom. The smartboard is a great tool for learning if I would be lucky to have one in my classroom. Especially in a math class, it can be much easier for students to visualize the concepts or play games that will enhance their knowledge. Calculators are also a necessity when dealing with problems that will take too much class time. Since many students now have phones with a camera, I could assign a project to go out and take pictures of math in the real world. Finally the computer is a great tool to enhance students’ knowledge with math websites or for projects. Not all may own a computer but most students have access to one and it is hard to find someone that is not computer literate in today’s schools.