Assessing Meaningful Learning With Technology Last post...

                Clickers sound amazing for teachers. For math teachers clickers sound very exciting. The insight that this technology gives a teacher is very important. In the audio the speaker stated that a class size of about 15 would be a big class to use this in, but it doesn’t limit itself to only a few students. You can use this technology to understand the mental track of the students that participate. The use of clickers will also help the more shy students participate in each question. As a future teacher I understand how important it is to get every student involved in a class activity, this will help students be more active. When the teacher reviews the results of the activity they can judge what area they need to focus on. This kind of assessment can be done often and helps the teacher maintain a well organized and functioning classroom. I really like the idea of using clickers to guild your lessons and think that all teachers could benefit from using this technology.

                This class has gone far beyond what I anticipated.  When we first started with investigating what is a safe website I knew that I was in for a surprise. The technology like blogs, wikis, and podcasting, are not only interesting but very useful in the classroom. When I first heard of these technologies I had never thought of using them in a classroom. I thought that only business would be able to utilize Blogs and Podcast. In this class I have learned that I need to look beyond intended use and learn how to adapt social technology to classroom technology. I know this sounds strange coming from a guy who claimed to be tech smart at the first of the class, I think now that maybe I was only business tech smart not classroom tech. I plane on using as much technology in my classroom as the district will let me. I think that the marriage of technology and learning will never end so the best thing that a teacher can do is stay on top of the newest tech and use as much as possible.

Technology Application Standards

1. §126.22. Computer Science I (One Credit).
            (c) Knowledge and skills.
                        (1) Foundations. The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of hardware components, software programs, and their connections. The student is expected to:
                                    (A) demonstrate knowledge and appropriate use of operating systems, software applications, and communication and networking components;



2. §111.35. Precalculus (One-Half to One Credit).
            (b)  Introduction.
                        (2)  As students do mathematics, they continually use problem-solving, language and communication, connections within and outside mathematics, and reasoning (justification and proof). Students also use multiple representations, technology, applications and modeling, and numerical fluency in problem-solving contexts.

            As a student in High school I never had the opportunity to use technology other than a calculator. As a teacher I would like to use programs like Mathematica in my classroom. Students need to experience this type of program before they enter college. Programs like Mathematica not only help a student calculate, they also have a programming feel to them. So by doing a problem by hand, then "programming" the problem into Mathematica, it will help you remember the steps in solving the problem.  Once the student has completed the problem they could then print it out so that they have a study reference. Teaching by use of technology may seem difficult but with programs like Mathematica the student could work on problems at home and get credit for their math class and computer class. I believe that any time a teacher can bridge two subjects the student benefits.

3. Reflection
            I do not think that one Tek is more important as long as each student has the same opportunities to learn. Then there isn't a more important Tek. If the question was are Teks important then I would say yes they are. I think that all teachers would agree that his or her class is not the most important. They would simply suggest that their subject receive the same attention and study as any other class. As a math student and future teacher I would like to think that math is a very important class, but I can't deny that an English class is just as important for the growth of a student. The growth of a student should matter for all educators, and I believe that if they didn't feel this way they wouldn't stay in the profession. I know that Technology is new in the field of education and each teacher must adapt their class to include technology. I find it strange that technology hasn't been implemented into more Teks.

Visualizing with Technologies

The first thing I want to say is the video at the first of this lesson blew my mind. Visualizing with technologies is such a huge step in the right direction. Not only can a student work a problem from basic facts of problem solving but with the technology that we have the student can really visually understand it as well. Visualizing a math problem is very important. It’s a known fact that without visualization you cannot gain a true understanding of math. For example a student is told that they need to find the smallest surface area for a given volume. Without visualization the student wouldn’t know how to begin and even if they were given hints could they really understand the problem without visually seeing it in their mind or on a computer or scratch paper?

As for the impact on the learning process, visualizing with technologies could do nothing but improve the classroom. In a math class visualization is so important that it's a necessity. With graphs and geometry class the student needs to see the shapes and how the lines move. With all the technology out there the student cannot only see how an equation is plotted but they can see the line move in real time witch will give the student an idea on how math relates to everything in live. With math everything comes alive. Ok that last statement might seem like a little much for non math majors but to me, it really does.

Podcasting

            I've always known the term podcasting, but for some reason I thought only big companies could do it. When watching TV or listening to the radio the host will say "check out our new podcast," so I guess I thought it was something only broadcasting companies did. So needless to say my eyes were opened up after this lesson. Podcasting seems to be a very exciting tool that teachers could defiantly use in their class. I know most teachers could see the down side to this but think of the student that has to miss a class before a test. In a normal classroom the student would have to call his or her friends to get the missed work. With the use of podcasting the teacher could post the class notes on their blog then upload a podcast so that the students could read the notes and follow along and really get a chance to learn the material.

            I don’t think that podcasting is not any different than the other web 2.0 technology that we have discussed before. In fact I think they all work hand in hand. For example, a teacher is in the middle of a really important chapter and wants to make sure the students "get it". The teacher could post her notes on her blog, have a classroom discussion on her wiki and at night the students could listen to the podcast over the main ideas of the section. When it's time to take a chapter review the students could use all the blog postings and all the wiki postings and podcast and really have a lot of ammo for studying. If I must classify how it is different I must say the fact that a pod cast is done in your voice or video that you shot. It brings 1-1 back into web 2.0. It almost gives you the face to face feel.

            I do own an IPod and use it for music only. I haven't really explored the possibilities of my IPod because my wife loves music and I guess even though we both have one they are both set up for her. That way if hers goes dead she can just grab mine. I have noticed where is says podcast on the menu but never investigated it. I don’t think I could use my IPod I class, unless I found some really good math podcast. I'm sure there are some but that would be the only way I could use an IPod in my class. I think there is way more advantages than disadvantages to online communication tools. With online communication tools, each topic can be put in a category and recalled upon. For studying or any other reason the student may look or listen to the material as many times as the student may need.

Web 2.0

         Web 2.0 technology is an amazing way of sharing and reflecting back and forth with your students. Wiki's, to me, seem to be the best way to get information flowing from one student to another. As a mathematics teacher I would like to set up a Google site with formulas and homework. This would give the student somewhere to find information that they might have missed in class. I would also like to link my site to a wiki so they could discuss the problems on their homework, and or any other subject for that matter. I believe that web 2.0 is changing the way students learn in a good way, and hope to utilize it in the best way. I believe this would be very informative to the teacher because they could track their students understanding of the subject matter and not rely on the question, "any questions?" Because we all know how fun it is to tell your classmates that you don’t get it. 

Copyrights and Fair Use Policy

         Netiquette is the only topic this week that I knew something about. Just like in everyday situations, school and work your etiquette will display your intelligence, beauty and worldly humor. This can also be done online. My dad once told me, just because you don’t see eye to eye with someone, doesn't mean you can't be civil. I thought that I had enough common since to know when a copy right was going to be broken. After taking the quiz, I realized how much I really didn’t know about the copy right rules and laws. Using 10% of a song or only having so many days to use video for educational purposes, sounds harsh to me. But just like the article said, it's not about money, it's about control. Cyberbullying is a big deal, being a shy child growing up I know how bad it feels to be bullied. Kids have more technology at their disposal than anyone my age did. I can see how this may lead to a never ending torture. If you're bullied at school you can come home to escape the pressure. But if your being cyber bullied, it doesn’t stop when you're at home it happens everywhere.

          There is nothing more enjoyable then being in a room or conversation with positive people. When two people disagree about something they should be able to talk it out without trying to hurt each other. This may sound crazy but I've seen a conversation on Facebook turn into a really nasty event. So I believe Netiquette is very important to use and share with your students, maybe it will help them be a better learner and helper to their peers. Cyber bullying is sad,  kids who get  enjoyment while picking on others need help. Using programs in schools to stop cyber bullying would be amazing and letting the students know that they matter is what we need to do as teachers. I do understand why we need copyright laws what I don’t understand is why it's ok to show a clip from an Encyclopedia CD but not the evening news. Yes I know that there is a time frame where they both are acceptable, but I don’t see a reason for limiting the use of news from any media source. The use of music in presentations , the copying of a picture from a website and the copying of a program from one computer to another without the proper rights, sound like copyright violations even if you don’t know the law. 

MAPping Activity

Before:

            I've never really thought about the way I search the web for information. I would normally just type in what I was looking for and hope I got some results. I stay on my trusted web sites because I know the information there will be valid. It's not hard to hop on Wikipedia and add some information that isn't true. I spend a lot of time on the internet and run into false information all the time. But I thought I could usually spot it right away. On April fools I do not turn my computer on because I know that all my favorite sites will have false information listed for fun. Since I have quite a bit of computer background I usually look at the links and judge whether it’s a good site or a bad one before I even click on it. I know the old trial and error method very well. I have to reinstall windows fairly often for customers when they don’t pay attention to what they are clicking.

After:

            Since doing the MAPping activity I think that I may need to re-evaluate the searching process. I used Google search for most everything. The information in the activity opened my eyes to the fact that many search engines do not list the full address. This contradicts my theory of checking the address because there plainly just not all there. Sites like .edu, .ac , .sch, .k12 are most defiantly the ones to look for. After doing the activity, I found that most of those sites are credible. When you're on a site look for the author, if he or she is a Dr. or PHD you can research there name. From that you can see what university there at, and that should let you know if they have credibility. Victorian Robots was the site I viewed, and it is obviously a joke. When searching for Victorian Robots it's not plainly stated that these sites are for fun. If a student was looking up information for a research paper they might even believe the information presented here. The pictures provided on the website look to be somewhat real. Until you click on the links, you may never know that the information is truly false.

Conclusion:

            In conclusion, this was a really informative activity and will help me in farther searches. It's not that the information on the internet is not true. It’s the fact that anyone can put stuff on the internet. When researching a paper students are so driven to get a good grade they might not always check the site there on. This will lead to confusion and false information. After doing this activity I hope I can help my students make better choices when doing papers for me. Given that more books can be found online, and Wikipedia are just so easy to search, I hope that I can convince them to dig a little deeper. I myself will be digging a little deeper next time I have a research paper. Looking at the full web address, checking the author and checking the information found with other information will be my new method of web searching.   

My first Blog

          My name is Brek Doyle. I am currently in my Third semester at TAMU-C and plan to graduate in the spring of 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a certification in secondary education. I love working on computers and playing video games. I want to be a teacher because there are many students that do not receive the education they disserve. When I was in High School our Mathematics teacher wasn’t qualified to do their job.  When I reached college level I was really far behind. I know it may be a dream, but I would like to make sure none of my students have to go through the embarrassment that I did when I didn’t know the simplest formulas. Don't get me wrong, I did amazing in High School. I didn’t have any problems on the State Test either. Even with the odds stacked against me I do believe that I could someday, change this broken system plaguing low income schools like the one I came from.

           Technology is the classroom is something that I believe firmly in. Math can utilize technology in so many ways. There are so many programs out there that teachers could use. I do believe that students should do math by hand, but with the aid of technology like the Promethean board and tablets, students can stay interested in the material while in the class room. Students these days are much smarter than they are given credit for, and allowing them to use technology will only allow them to express themselves even more. In an ideal world where every student would have the internet, you could set up a live conference with all of your students and do homework help, or a class project on proofs. At home students could use the web and play fun math games there are many web sites devoted to this kind of technology and some are even free. There are so many way to implement this in every subject. I feel the biggest road lock is the fear some teachers have in change.

           In this class I would really like to learn and explore the many ways to use technology in my classroom. I want to see the students enjoy math. I want my class to be very open to discussion but in a controlled way. I want my class to ask questions and not feel like their being put in the spot light. I want to give each student the attention that they need to learn. I'm hoping that this class shows me how to utilize the technology available to reach my goals. With tools like Blogs, Forums and WebQuest I hope to maximize the learning experience for my students. I know there will be more tech as the class moves forward, but with every lesson I see new opportunity.  I would like to use technology to show the importance of math and the real world applications of math. I'm hoping that this class will make me aware of, and use the web2.0 tools out there. I want this class to help me be the cool teacher.