Macul 2015... Wow!

 The morning began with parking challenges...

a gate quickly closed right in front of my car 

with many cars behind me.  Yikes!  Fortunately

 the challenge quickly turned to opportunities as 

I entered my first MACUL presentation.  Great 

company, of course, is a bonus!

"Getting Started with Google" was presented by Jessica P'Simer a Tech Specialist from Honey Creek Community School.  Many new tips were shared to complement the google knowledge acquired in EDUC 504.  Turn in was a great tip for how students can submit work.  The "unsubmit" option was a great tip for jumpy students anxious to hit the "submit" button before editing.    I often feel pressured by the real-time sharing in google docs that doesn't allow me to have any personal thoughts... This presentation was beneficial as an assessment of my own google knowledge base.  The questions asked by the audience showed the overall google use varied in classrooms.

The adventure continued as I walked into the presentation, "Do You PBL?" presented by Carrie Brunner, Lori Ferrington, and Danielle Roeser, from Romeo Community Schools.  https://todaysmeet.com/DoYouPBL

STEM, science, and social studies examples.  I was hoping for IB (International Baccalaureate) connection and found many suggestions that connect IB to non-IB classrooms with PBL.  The bridge has been found!

Backwards design was suggested in order to incorporate the PBL in a unit.  Start small, one per quarter or per unit and have many checkpoints within to keep students on task.  Organize students - small or large groups, 3 suggested.  Materials:  1:1 Chromebooks had a large impact on being able to transition to PBL.  

I really enjoyed the "Egg Drop" project used in the STEM class.  Students applied the 6 steps of the design process to a real-life problem.   Packaging improvement was the focus of the design with a  materials list limitation, "No Parachutes!

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My final presentation was "Lightning Talks."  Multiple presenters were given five minutes to share their passion.  An interesting way to add STEM to a math classroom was by sharing ideas each day.  Several great websites were suggested:   wired, instructables.com, compoundchem.com, espn sport science,  and non-web use the water-bottle-filling water fountains as real-time tracking data.  Integrate STEM in the classroom.  *I want to do this!*

@campbellartsoup reminded me that the desire to teach roots to a passion and the importance of sharing the passion should always outweigh the routines and checklists.  Passion in one can spill over to others; let it flow!

The session ended with beautiful poetry expressing the inability to assess a student's capabilities by the results of standardized tests and letter grades.  The complexity of life and human beings cannot be quantified by a test.  See the opportunities beyond the test results.  Aspiration, inspiration, belief... We can all be successful.

Step Up to M-Step

My "Technology Teach-In Assignment" has brought new challenges to my field placement.  I have left a room filled with computers to a classroom with none.  Baby steps...  I began with a graphing calculation lesson to share the capabilities of the magnificent mini tools.  The lesson was a great supplement to the time-consuming graphing the previous homework entailed.  The students' interest in technology was visible, but the infrequency of use and distance between the classroom and the computer lab was still a barrier.

Transformations was added to the curriculum through Common Core State Standards without text to support.  Another opportunity to implement tech usage!  I found great videos to connect elementary level transformations to secondary level transformations.  Again, baby steps in the direction of a tech teach-in.  While the students laughed and wiggled in their seats to the beat of the "Transformation Style" song, the vision arrived...

Baby steps for M-Step!  M-Step has replaced the MEAP test.  The preparation for the computerized test has shown a great need for teaching the tech tools offered and needed for the test.

Math has been assigned to a specific class to prepare the students with the tools to use when taking the test.  Doceri provides the perfect tech tool for modeling usage for the students while walking around the computer lab to help specific individuals.

The time constraints in preparation for the test can be lessened by the mobility and flexibility of Doceri.  It is an interactive whiteboard with the ability to include hand-drawn graphics and remote desktop control.  M-Step, we're ready!!!  

Tech in My Placement

The tech available in my placement is very well-supplied.  When I walked into the classroom for the first time I noticed 18 iMacs, multiple whiteboards (some even nested in layers), graphing calculators, modern overhead projector with various dongles,and a VHS-DVD combo.  The tech teaching opportunities appeared endless. This observation occurred during a teacher's meeting before the official school year began.  

When the first day of class arrived, the usage of these devices was much less than I expected.  The whiteboards were filled and slid up and down as a constant path of direct communication to the students.  The rest of the devices remained in sleep mode.  

My excitement of observing a well-supplied tech classroom changed course.  When I asked my mentor teacher, the response was directed toward IT support.  Without the necessary support, focusing curriculum that depends on the technology can be very difficult to use when the response to tech problems can take days to weeks to correct.  

I decided to reevaluate the situation from a new perspective.  Instead of creating curriculum that depended on tech, I looked for the positive side of technology applications that support non-tech based curriculum, but would not prohibit progress without.  For example, www.desmos.com was used in geometry and Algebra II as a fantastic graphing website.  It can be incorporated in the lesson to increase the visualization beyond the mini screen of a graphing calculator and human error of a sketch.  If problems arise, two backup options were already in place.  Planning with tech as a complement to the lesson with backup prepared will allow more tech usage to be considered in my future classroom without fear of problems being unresolved on a timely basis.

Bonus points if you know what a "dongle" is?

Padlet - The Online Bulletin Board

On September 25, 2014 a group in my EDUC 504 class presented Padlet to the class. Padlet was presented as an online bulletin board. It encompassed questions to be asked by the teacher and replied to by multiple students.  As the first group, they set the benchmark very high. The class was in the evening following a full day of student-teaching, so most of the audience was tired. The interaction of presenters with the recipients (me!) kept the energy high and the application very easy to understand. The presenting group consisted of mixed content-base, and included math!!!

The thorough explanation of Padlet taught me how to create an account. I was then able to import a combination of images, pdf files, and a quiz to show various aspects of classroom necessities. I was able to link a lesson, homework reminder, warm-up drill, and exit game. The use of the tech tool was instantly added to my tool box. The presentation made me realize how simple it would be to incorporate new age technology into my future classroom in a very organized way without the requirement of having a completely flipped classroom. Padlet could be used in my future high school mathematics classroom as a way to encourage students to collaborate and discuss math applications beyond the classroom. The ability for students to contribute collectively can help motivate the students to contribute pieces of the puzzle. If you are interested in learning more, check out my padlet http://padlet.com/eight/geometry

Review of The Space Between the Numbers Blog

In hot pursuit to find some tech information directed toward math I began with "The Space Between the Numbers."  While I was in search of number talk, the blog post that caught my attention was grading.  The intent to reduce the "pressure of failure" fit my teaching philosophy.  A 5-point scale was suggested as a way to give students the understanding of where they are and how far they have to go to master the mathematical skill.  The fear that accompanies taking the pressure of the students always seems to be that lack of effort and laziness that can result.  A time-constraint was introduced to take the immediate "now pressure" off, without reducing the responsibility of being accountable for following through with necessary assessments within a reasonable timeframe.  

As and advocate for the students, the ability to identify their location on the learning curve with the plan to reach the peak at various rates seems to allow the classroom to be a much more positive learning environment.  Enter the classroom on day 1 seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that represents mastering the concepts of the course.  Throughout the class repeatedly make the student's mark on the growth curve visible with the ability to always see the possibility of accomplishing the goal.  My goal is to educate students and present math in a fun, positive environment.  If reducing one of the pressures of being a teenager helps my goal be accomplished together with the students reaching their mastery of concepts everyone wins!

    

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"Be the Inspiration, Not the Information," David Theune

Last Thursday we had a guest speaker for Ed Tech, David Theune, English/Language Arts Teacher from Spring Lake High School. The evening class follows a day in the classroom as student teachers. You can imagine the natural yawns, fatigue, and distractions. Mr. Theune's positive energy sparked my interest immediately. While introducing the class to himself through his students it was immediately obvious that he could be viewed as an educational innovator. His community inclusion not only reached outside the classroom for the benefit of the students, but incorporated local non-profits, to supply them with writers and researchers who share the same community. He referenced his teaching style with a profound statement, "Be the inspiration, not the information."

The positive support of technology in the classroom from experience also helped persuade me to reconsider my negative stance. Adding a purpose put value in the students' writing. This impacted the quality of writing. It was rewarding for all.

With high school math as my focus, I was looking forward to Mr. Theune's easy connection to mathematics. No such luck!!! It has become a response that I am hearing more and more frequently, "Oh, I'm not math." With this in mind, I looked for ways I could connect his experienced modifications to a secondary math classroom.  

The value of students sharing previous readings on youtube could easily be translated to math. Presenting problems in front of the class at the whiteboard has been known as a common fear for math students. The chances of failing in front of your peers can be crushing. How about a different approach with sharing completed problems that can be well prepared without the intensity of cold-calling? Present your knowledge to another class through youtube and ask that they do the same. Judgement has been reduced by sharing the anxiety and quality of work has been improved through exposure. As Mr. Theune said, "Find an audience!"

Mr. Theune finished with several important references for addressing bullying. No matter what the level and intensity of it, the situation needs to recognized, addressed and eliminated. I am thankful for the well-researched book list he shared and look forward to reading his own.

Review of Connections Across the Disciplines - German Tech

During summer semester, we worked in groups to create lesson plans that could incorporate technology with our specialized content.  My group created an algebra lesson and I found the variety of the tech inclusion ideas as well as math from the angle of a biologist very interesting.  Now I will dig even deeper into the tech connection creativity through a German lesson produced by classmates.  Branden, Kelsey and Lisa created a cultural German lesson with use of Skype.  The students would speak only German to native speakers.  This was a fantastic way to have individualized guest speakers in a dialogue setting.  The visual tool would allow hand gestures and motions as well as facial expressions to compliment the verbalization.  Would textbooks or translation dictionaries be accessible?

The lesson designated the time allowed for each component to keep the students engaged in the activity.  Necessary tools were identified, such as the iPads and headphones with microphones, to even further define the location.  Branden, Kelsey and Lisa took the time to anticipate problems and created additional questions and identified the chat option for potential communication difficulties.

A reflection is included at the end of the lesson to recognize successes and encourage suggestions.  The assigned homework summarized knowledge learned of the German school system.  This would be very helpful to include near the purpose or objective to allow the students to acknowledge the importance of documentation during the Skype dialogue.  A bonus could be recording the dialogues to allow the students to identify details they may have missed during the conversation.  This may have been left off due to the fact it would reduce the focus of working on hearing comprehension.

Nicely done!  This lesson plan has great potential to be utilized.