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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