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.