Week 15 Assessing Meaningful Learning

In this weeks topic of assessing meaningful learning I was researched rubrics, which I have seen and used before when helping the teachers that I work with grade.  This can be very helpful even in math, especially in assigned projects.  Next, I explored clickers.  I had never heard about clickers until I was in one of my course and one of the other students was explaining about them. They seem to give a fun perspective on learning, treating it more like a game show rather than a review. Inspiration is a learning tool with visual learning , concept maps, graphical organizers, teachers are able to create presentations, but something that is more for the kids, is  my favorite though, was the Kidspiration, mostly because it has a Math tools manipulative.  This is where the students can build problem solving and reasoning skills.  They can use this to understand math concepts visually that they could not seem to understand just by the teacher explaining it.  It gives them a different perspective and practice on a particular skill that they may need a bit of extra time on in order to grasp.

Being a math teacher I would love to be able to implement all of the technology that we have learned.  I know for a fact that there will be somethings that I will carry on with me, like podcasting, willing that we have mp3's available where I am going to teach.  As well as Wikispaces, and be able to open that up to questions for homework.  I know it is more difficult to have a lot of technology in Math, but it is possible.  I have gained quite a bit of knowledge within this class that I will take with me in my journey and will try my best to keep tabs on the new Web 2.0 tools that come out so that I can try to implement them with my classes.  Technology has become a huge part of our lives and we as teachers need to keep up with the times. 

Technology Application Standards Week #13

1.)Technology Application Standards
§126.12. Technology Applications (Computer Literacy), Grades 6-8.

(c) Knowledge and skills

(8) Solving problems. The student uses research skills and electronic communication, with appropriate supervision, to create new knowledge. The student is expected to:

(E) integrate acquired technology applications skills, strategies, and use of the word processor, database, spreadsheet, telecommunications, draw, paint, and utility programs into the foundation and enrichment curricula

2.) Technology Standards in an 8th grade Math Class

§111.24. Mathematics, Grade 8.

(b) Knowledge and skills.

(14) Underlying processes and mathematical tools. The student applies Grade 8 mathematics to solve problems connected to everyday experiences, investigations in other disciplines, and activities in and outside of school. The student is expected to:

(D) select tools such as real objects, manipulatives, paper/pencil, and technology or techniques such as mental math, estimation, and number sense to solve problems.

This is an everyday TEK and a very easy one to utilize.  There are many ways that you can approach this one.  For instance you can assign within a six weeks period for the students to make a trip with their parents/guardians to the grocery store two different times. Using pen and paper writing down the prices and recording the mean, range, mode and median of the values of the groceries and determining with a calculator which would be the most valuable determinate to use.  They can also use a estimation to figure out just about what the total bill will be.  Students may also calculate real life adventures like miles per hours and per gallons on trips.  Math is used everyday without us really knowing it.

Reflection:

I am not sure that I can just choose one TEK that I would think was better than the other.  Each TEK seems to build upon the other.  You need to have an understanding of each concept individually in order to progress in math.  For instance, take geometry...the measurement is a big deal.  You have to be able to measure in order to be a successful construction worker.  It takes  a great deal of skill to build a house to the correct specs.  If you were to build a baseball diamond you would use the pythagorean theory to have the correct measurements dealing with a triangle.  There are so many day to day things that math plays a part in that we do not even realize.  Teaching our kids just the basics and building on those is very important to their journey throughout their entire lives even if they do not go on to college.  That is why I can not just pick one TEK out of the bunch.  They are a complete set of building blocks and if you were to take just one out your tower would be incomplete.

Visualizing Technology Week #12

Visualing technology for kids is great.  It helps them to understand concepts that teachers may not have been able to get across to them, and to be able to see different aspects of the of the concept also.  Using computer technology has been a great asset to the way we a instructors can teach, due to the fact that we are very capable of reiterating a concept that we may not be able to explain on their level and we could bring up a Discovery Education Streaming Video on the subject.  Being an aide we use Discovery and another tool called Brain Pop quite a bit to show the kids and keep them engaged in learning.  This also helps them to understand what we as instructors are discussing.  I believe anything can get the concept across to the kids is a giant help. 

It amazed me how a 6th grader Thomas Suarez developed apps.  One thing that he said really caught my attention, the students know more about technology than the teachers, and he is very much correct about that.  The students have more time to play on the applications and they were born into the technological age we are still developing a knowledge for this, one day when our grandchildren are able it will still be this way, but not as bad as today, because they will be more up to date.  The way our world is going, the old fashion things like bound books are going to be obsolete and we will just have computers or ipads, kindles.  These things the children will be able to use in the blink of an eye and it will be a very good thing and I believe that it is a very good impact on the learning process.

Assignment Week #9 Podcasting

Podcasting is very interesting, especially how you can make a video and you can use it in your classroom.  I like the fact that you can download a podcast and watch it at anytime.  If you have a student that is homebound or even with the bounds of In-School-Suspension or has missed a lot of school due to illness, it will be easier for them to catch up with the instructor applying the lesson to a podcast and having the instruction there for them to watch and be able to learn with instruction.  This is also good, if it is important that you are in the middle of teaching a lesson and you have an meeting scheduled you can teach and have it downloaded for the sub to show.  This not only makes it easier on the kids, not allowing them to miss a lesson and also the instructor because you will not fall behind on your lesson plans.
Podcasting is different than a Wiki although you can tie a Wiki into your Podcast, especially if the teacher is out.  The instruction can come from the Podcast and then students can be directed to go to the Wiki for any questions answered to the assignment to for help with their assignments. 

I have an Ipod, and a Iphone.  I do use them to my advantage.  I use them in my discoveries with my classwork, by looking things up on the internet and downloading videos for future references.  I would also use these future tools in my future classrooms.  The only disadvantages that I do see about the communication tools of being online are those that can not access it because of not having the internet at home because of being at a Title I school. 

Web 2.0 Tools Assignment #7

I really think that it is pretty cool how we have all this technology out there beyond email and calling each other on the phone.  Wiki, Voice thread, and Social bookmarking can all benefit teachers in so many different ways. 

Wiki pages are really neat if you have a class set up that needs help possibly with homework.  That's is a good way to use it.  The teacher can set up the students with the class and I am not sure if you can embed an instruction onto it or not, with a voice thread but it could be worth a try.  It is a definite benefit.  Either other students can help each other out or the teacher can challenge the students with questions to make them think about their homework or answer any homework questions that stump them.

  Also the social bookmarking is something that I am going to start using now as I am preparing for my residency.  I have a few websites that i have on my computer that my own children use that are just bookmarked, but now that I have learned about this social bookmarking I am going to use it to my advantage.  This way where ever they are they can just log on and they can get the page they need and go.  These will benefit any teacher or upcoming teacher as well if they know and learn more about these sites.

The only downside that I see as of now is that I currently work at a Title I school and will have to work there for a few years so we will not have the advantages that other schools will, but there will come a time that everyone will have internet, although using these within the school is a postive and is a can do.

CopyRight and Fair Use Policy

I know that this is suppose to be in two paragraphs...I just couldn't see how to do that...SORRY! :)

This has really given me a different perspective on what we can use and what we can not use in our classrooms. After reading the article that The Educators' Lean and Mean No FAT Guide to Fair Use by Hall Davidson, taking the Copyrighted quiz and going through the Copyright and Fair Use Guide for Teachers by the Technology & Learning.com. I realized that I was very unknowledgeable in this situation. Like the "entertainment" part. My kids have come home from school and I have ask what they did and they have said that they have watched a movie. I know that they did not watch it for educational purposes, due to the fact that the movie that they had just watched that day was not educational.

Cyberbulling, that is something we are not going to get away from. There are bullies in schools, as well as bullies on the internet. We have to be aware of what the students are doing on the internet. Children think things are funny, in which they do not really realize that it is harming another student. Some parents, (and I stress the word some, because I see parents that have just had kids because they have gotten stuck with them, and then there are others out there that pray for them every day and can not have them and would do anything for children) don't teach their children any better and they feel it is getting attention and making me feel better to make someone hurt. It is the same way with regular bullying until it gets too far. It is so very sad that it happens.

Netiquette is very important, if you feel that you have written something that may have come across wrong add some sorty of smiley, or words in order to add that up beat tone. Make sure that people know your tone even in an email or text.

There are so many rules to have to remember with all of this. They want us to intergrate so much technology into the classroom, it is really hard to keep up with the times. I think it is important that in our professional development we are taught all of these things on a regular basis to keep fresh in our classrooms and keep up with the kids. We as teachers need to stay knowledgeable as well, otherwise they will be ahead of us and we may end up losing their attention. We already have a hard enough time keeping them focused as it is.....

What Have You Learned? Assignment #4

We are talking about search engines and search techniques this weeks, and it is interesting to know that if you just experience things and take time to look into them you can learn how to maneuver around with them and manipulate your way through.  This is how I figured out how to use a search engine.  I started using a computer in the year of 1988.  I don't remember the first time that I got on the Internet but I do know that my children will never know not having the Internet.  Learning how to conduct a search while taking computer classes does help a lot.  I love to be able to do a search on the Internet.  I think it is pretty neat that you can type in a word and all of these different things pop up.  Like look at the activity we just did.  Really?  A Tree Octopus.  OK, a Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus to be exact.  Who thinks of these things?  People would really believe them though.  Especially, since most people know octopus's can not live outside of the water.

I never really thought about the things that we looked at before.  We looked at finding the author, publisher,  the reason and I never really thought about those things before unless I was really looking for a article for a research paper.  This has made me ever so more knowledgeable about looking to see if the website is legit or not.  I am definitely going to be looking into the websites for more creditability instead of just counting them as creditable.  I want to be able to use as much technology as is available to me within the schools that I teach in, I know that I am not always going to have access, depending on what the budget of the school is.  I am still about the good ole pen and paper method, since I am going to be a math teacher.  That makes a difference also since learning pen and paper style has always helped me.  I am definitely going to keep an eye out for the legitimate sites.

Keeping all these things in mind, I will keep in mind to check and double check the legitimacy of the websites that I look at for educational purposes as well as personal use, unless I know for sure that they are legit.  It is very easy to become lazy and not look and just assume that what is stated on the site is true but we all know that sites like Wikipedia can be edited by anyone to be changed.  It is very simple to do and you can put anything that you want to on that site whether it is a lie or not.  You have to be very careful in what you put into your teaching strategy's, because your students need to trust you and learn from you.

(Zapato, 2007)