Digital Scavenger Hunt

This was a fun activity.  Four of us went outside and found 10 geometric shapes around campus.  It was fun to see how each of us saw the same shape in different things around us.  When we returned to the class, we downloaded the pictures and created a slide show with the shapes. 

I could actually replace an activity I currently use in my class with this type of a project.  Current, my students create poster or book for the different shapes of a quadrilateral.  They have to find a real world example and list all of the properties of that shape.  I can see where a digital scavenger hunt would be a fun way for my students to create the same thing.  I would make the real world connection if they had to find the shapes in the world around them.  This is an idea that I am looking at doing.

Wordle

I love Wordle!!!!  That is such a cool resource.  It makes me want to teach something language based instead of math.  Now the challenge is to figure out how to incorporate it into mathematics.  My wheels are spinning.  I will definitely use this for my own children and definitely work on getting it into the classroom!!

IBA Evaluation

I found the creation of the IBA frustrating due to not being able to grasp the connection between the constructivist theory and mathematics.  I was taught in a tradition setting.  I am wrestling in my own teaching practices with the discovery based learning.  When I find things that work and use them, I find that the students really enjoy the activities.  Discovery learning definitely connects the students to the learning.  I see they enjoy the activities and learn from them.  They remember the hands on learning much better than the teacher led material.

With this being said, I can see time being an issue.  Planning the inquiry based learning activities takes time and a lot of it.  I like what Misty said about challenge yourself to do this with one unit.  Take one step at a time.  This would make planning for these type of activities much more manageable. 

So all in all, it was the planning that was frustrating....not the technology.  Once the site was complete, I saw where this type of teaching could be applied with in the classroom.  It can be individualized for the students with additional problems for the lower students and additional enrichment for high students. 

Website Evaluation

So.....evaluating the website was more difficult than I thought it would be.  I evaluated IXL Math.  This is a site that offers math practice problems (20 per day without an account) from Kindergarten math through Geometry.  If the user chooses, they can purchase a membership for around $10 a month or $80 a year.  From what I could tell the site looks good for practice problems.  I always hesitate when the site is trying to sell something.  I did not sign up for the free 30 day trail.  If I recommended this site to a parent, I would only do that after I had explored the 30-day trail.  I found that a bit frustrating.

When I was looking for the author, it was hard to determine this as well.  The problem is that IXL Math is a company.  The site list the leaders of the company.  I googled them and they came up on different websites.  I still didn't know if these sites would be acceptable to use for verification.  Then they list there different teams.....development team, sales team, etc.  The website listed were to the different teams (or departments) not to an individual.  Again, I was not sure if this made it an accurate source.  So I called the number listed on the site.  The company directory did answer making me feel like it was a little bit more authentic.

I also had a hard time determining who the publishing body was.  I assume since the URL ends with .com that the publishing body is an individual entity manly the company.  The entire site went back to Quia Web and Quia Books.  So I believe that this is the publishing body.  I would love to have a better grasp of that concept.

The other concern was finding dates on the site.  It was in the bio that I found the date that the company originated in 1998.  Here is where I found the IXL Math was created in 2007.  BUT the copyright was for 2013.  So I am unsure if that is good too.  I could tell however that the math on the site was factual and could be used by students to reinforce standards.

So, I am not sure how well this review went.  I am mixed about whether or not I did enough research on this site.  I am not too sure how to dig deeper when it is a company based site.  I hope to walk through the process on a non math based site before I come to class to see if it is simpler.

Course Expectations

What do I expect to gain from this course this semester?

I am really hoping to gain knowledge of technology tools available to me in the classroom.  I hope that I have leave with a strong understanding of these tools so that I can implement them into the daily culture of my class.  Whether it be a tool that makes gathering information about my students faster and neater or a tool that allows my students to collaborate on a topic, I would like to feel confident that I can use these tools.  I have always felt "in the dark" or a "step behind" my students when it comes to technology.  Hopefully after this, I can have an intellegent conversation with students about what we are using.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog.  This is for the course TPTE 486.  I am hoping to learn how to incorporate technology into the classroom. I hope this class gives me the tools to use.