When I think back to my high school years and writing research papers, I remember the huge set of encyclopedias that my parent’s had in their basement and the hours spent in the library trying to find books related to a specific person or concept. Locating professional journals through the card catalog, and then trying to hunt them down in the library was a task in and of itself. When those research papers were completed, one really felt that they truly “researched” and documented a topic. The idea of researching now, has a whole new look about it. Whether the research is done in the comfort of one’s own home, at school, in the car, or waiting in line at the grocery store, there is continuously information available at one’s fingertips. The internet provides information on almost everything imaginable. Wikipedia and YouTube are just two resources for such information. I understand that both of these sources can contain misleading information, and are not necessarily always reliable sources of information. However, I do believe that the beneficial information that they can provide, outweighs the misleading information, so I do use both Wikipedia and YouTube at times in my own classroom. When trying to locate a quick formula, or how to video, Wikipedia and YouTube are usually the first to come up during an internet search. However, when researching a topic for a paper, I believe that credible, professional resources need to be used. I have educated my students on the pros and cons of the sources like Wikipedia and YouTube. I think that they realize when it is acceptable to use them as a source of information.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Week 7 - Building and Refining your PLN
Feedly
Upon searching for blog posts related to mathematics education, I was able to find quite a few interesting blog sites to follow. I decided to add the following to my Feedly account:
http://math4teaching.com/ : I chose to follow this blog because it contained a lot of great math resources for classroom. These resources included math videos, Geogebra lessons, math games, printable worksheets, and math problems of various levels to be investigated.
http://realteachingmeansreallearning.blogspot.ca/ : This blog incorporates numerous open-ended upper level math projects and lessons that would be great for the math classes that I teach.
http://blog.hoodamath.com/ : The Hooda Math Blog discusses how to use math games to help students from 1st grade to high school, learn math curriculum related to the Common Core State Standards.
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/ : Dan Meyer’s blog contains a lot of useful information on how to incorporate technology into education. He has been blogging since 2006, and has numerous blogs that relate real-world math examples.
Twitter
When searching through Twitter to find math related educational accounts, I was amazed with how many resources were available. I have not used Twitter at all prior to this class, because I was under the misunderstanding that Twitter was simply used for people to follow celebrities, or brag/whine about things that they are doing on a minute to minute basis. On Twitter, I quickly found many accounts that support mathematics education, and would be very useful in my classroom. I starting following a lot of new people/organizations, the following is a list of some of the accounts that I thought looked like the best resources for math, education, or technology use in the classroom:
https://twitter.com/GoogleForEdu - Google for Education - Supports technology use in an educational setting.
https://twitter.com/khanacademy - Khan Academy - Contains supplemental resources that include video presentations of math topics.
https://twitter.com/themathforum - Math Forum - This site has numerous math activities to help engage students.
https://twitter.com/mathletics_usa - MathleticsUSA - An organization that discusses math topics and how to engage students.
https://twitter.com/danielle6849 - Danielle Hartman - An educator who wishes to help instructors Integrate technology into the classroom.
Reflection
So far this semester, I really have not had a lot of time to try to use these resources in my own classroom. However, I would like to begin to incorporate some of the wonderful lessons and strategies that I have recently found on Twitter and blog posts into my curriculum. I plan on sharing these resources with my colleagues at our upcoming PLC meeting. In order to help improve my information gathering skills, I would simply like to have the time to devote to explore what is available on the the Twitter and blogger accounts that I have found. I also think that I will need to come up with a way to organize the information that I find.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Week 4 - SAMR Model
I teach Algebra II, Geometry, and Analysis/Trigonometry to high school students in the Math/Science/Technology program. My district has provided the students and teachers with various forms of technology that can be used within our classrooms, and I am continuously looking for the most effective ways to integrate it into my curriculum.
Substitution: I currently use “Kutasoftware” for my math classes. The website provides very useful worksheets that can be printed and used to help students get extra practice working out various math problems. The website breaks its lessons down by math class, and then by specific curriculum topics within the class.
Augmentation: In my classes I have used a testing program called “Examview,” which is a great test generator for various math textbooks. Teachers can create their own tests and the students can take tests on the computer. I also use an online program called “InQsit” for testing my students. The teacher creates the test for the students, provides a link to the test, and then students take the test online. One other resource that I use in my classroom for practice tests is the online assessment program for the actual textbook that is used for the Analysis/Trigonometry class that I teach. Students are all given a username and password for their textbook, and they have access to the practice tests after every lesson and at the end of every chapter. These programs are all great to use in the classroom because the students can get immediate feedback on their assessments.
Modification: In all of my math classes, we are able to incorporate the use of the graphing calculators in order to enhance lessons. Calculators are available to all students within my class, but some students do not have access to this resource when they go home. Therefore, we have started to use online graphing calculators in the classroom, along with an online program called “Geogebra.” These programs allow students to dig a lot deeper into various math problems.
Redefinition: I would like to begin using shared Google documents for notetaking within my classroom. I think that this could be very beneficial to use with my students as a review before an assessments, or as a unit summary.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Week 2
"People are scared of change.” This was the topic of our priest’s homily today. As I sat in church listening to him speak, I began reflecting on the topic of this week’s readings, videos, blog entry, and my school year. I quickly came to the conclusion that this message is absolutely true in many aspects of our lives.
A few years ago, I was given a new set of graphing calculators to use in my classroom. I was really excited to use the new technology with my students, so I decided to spend a day exploring the devices with my students. I was quickly surprised with the reaction of my students. The freshmen students were very comfortable trying out the new calculator. They helped out one another, myself included, and explored everything that the new device had to offer. When I gave the calculators out to my sophomore classes, I was greeted by a little more opposition. Students wanted to know the benefits of using the new technology, and were somewhat more hesitant to try to explore the calculators on their own. By the end of the class period, I was able to convince the majority of the students that the graphing calculators were actually much better than the ones we were previously using in the classroom. The last class that I had to introduce the graphing calculators to was my juniors. I would have never guessed that the students would have reacted in much of the same way as my mother did when we bought her a Kindle Fire for her birthday. The students felt that the new calculators were unnecessary and difficult to use. The majority of the students were almost fearful of the new devices. They did not want to explore on their own, and needed to be guided through the entire lesson. By the end of the hour, many students still felt that they preferred their old graphing calculators. Toward the end of the school year, most students were using the new technology, but there were still some students who refused to let go of the old devices.
Looking back at this graphing calculator experience, I can now say that I may have personally experienced the crossover from the Millennial Generation to the Generation Edge of students. Within one day, I was able to compare one aspect of technology to three different age levels, and see three vastly different ways of thinking. Marc Prensky categorizes people as “Digital Natives," referring to those born into the digital age of technology, and “Digital Immigrants,” those who have experienced the digital change over the past years. My freshmen students were acting with many of the characteristics of both the Generation Edgers and Digital Natives. Whereas, the sophomores and juniors definitely displayed characteristics of the Digital Immigrants.
As a mother of three Generation Edge children, I am fascinated watching them use technology on a daily basis. In our home we have been blessed with a plethora of technology. My own children know how to use an iPhone, iTouch, iPad, laptop, Kindle Fire, digital handheld games, and other gaming systems. Much of what they know about these devices has been taught to them by trial and error. They do not require any manuals for learning how to use any of these technologies, nor do they become frightened with the idea of using something new. However, they do become excited and embrace the idea of experiencing the latest and greatest technologies that are available to them without hesitation. Knowing that these generational differences are occurring before our eyes is important. Marc Prensky thinks that the biggest problem facing education is the teachers of older generations. I can only speak from my own personal experiences, but I know that it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest technologies because ultimately our students need to be engaged in order to learn. This is no different than ever before. However, the methods of engagement are changing. I believe that ultimately teachers want what is best for their students, and they will use whatever means necessary in order to achieve this goal.
A few years ago, I was given a new set of graphing calculators to use in my classroom. I was really excited to use the new technology with my students, so I decided to spend a day exploring the devices with my students. I was quickly surprised with the reaction of my students. The freshmen students were very comfortable trying out the new calculator. They helped out one another, myself included, and explored everything that the new device had to offer. When I gave the calculators out to my sophomore classes, I was greeted by a little more opposition. Students wanted to know the benefits of using the new technology, and were somewhat more hesitant to try to explore the calculators on their own. By the end of the class period, I was able to convince the majority of the students that the graphing calculators were actually much better than the ones we were previously using in the classroom. The last class that I had to introduce the graphing calculators to was my juniors. I would have never guessed that the students would have reacted in much of the same way as my mother did when we bought her a Kindle Fire for her birthday. The students felt that the new calculators were unnecessary and difficult to use. The majority of the students were almost fearful of the new devices. They did not want to explore on their own, and needed to be guided through the entire lesson. By the end of the hour, many students still felt that they preferred their old graphing calculators. Toward the end of the school year, most students were using the new technology, but there were still some students who refused to let go of the old devices.
Looking back at this graphing calculator experience, I can now say that I may have personally experienced the crossover from the Millennial Generation to the Generation Edge of students. Within one day, I was able to compare one aspect of technology to three different age levels, and see three vastly different ways of thinking. Marc Prensky categorizes people as “Digital Natives," referring to those born into the digital age of technology, and “Digital Immigrants,” those who have experienced the digital change over the past years. My freshmen students were acting with many of the characteristics of both the Generation Edgers and Digital Natives. Whereas, the sophomores and juniors definitely displayed characteristics of the Digital Immigrants.
As a mother of three Generation Edge children, I am fascinated watching them use technology on a daily basis. In our home we have been blessed with a plethora of technology. My own children know how to use an iPhone, iTouch, iPad, laptop, Kindle Fire, digital handheld games, and other gaming systems. Much of what they know about these devices has been taught to them by trial and error. They do not require any manuals for learning how to use any of these technologies, nor do they become frightened with the idea of using something new. However, they do become excited and embrace the idea of experiencing the latest and greatest technologies that are available to them without hesitation. Knowing that these generational differences are occurring before our eyes is important. Marc Prensky thinks that the biggest problem facing education is the teachers of older generations. I can only speak from my own personal experiences, but I know that it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest technologies because ultimately our students need to be engaged in order to learn. This is no different than ever before. However, the methods of engagement are changing. I believe that ultimately teachers want what is best for their students, and they will use whatever means necessary in order to achieve this goal.
Change is scary, but also inevitable. We need to learn from the past, embrace the new, and look forward to the future. If we can help pass this message on to our colleagues and youth, we could all benefit from what is to come and realize that we are not in this alone. Note, I will print this blog first to edit, before it is uploaded. Some habits are just too hard to break!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Introduction
My name is Alicia Taite. I teach mathematics at the Romeo Engineering and Technology Center in Romeo, MI. I have been teaching for 13 years, and I am currently working towards my final credits for my Master's Degree in Mathematics Education at Wayne State University. My husband and I have been married for 10 1/2 years and we have 3 wonderful children, Tyler (9 1/2), Gabriella (8), and Nora (5). We also have a dog named Cooper, who is a Labrador mix. My husband is a Dearborn Police officer. We have very busy schedules, but love spending time together whenever we can. We enjoy the outdoors, watching movies, participating in sports, watching sports, and just hanging out together.
My school district recently purchased Google Chromebooks for the high school and middle school students. I decided to take this online class to help me learn some new ways to integrate technology into my own classroom. I have previously taken another online class through WSU, and I found much of the information very useful, so I am excited (but also nervous) about this class. I have used Gmail, and Google Drive before, but I have never blogged, used Twitter, or Facebook.
My school district recently purchased Google Chromebooks for the high school and middle school students. I decided to take this online class to help me learn some new ways to integrate technology into my own classroom. I have previously taken another online class through WSU, and I found much of the information very useful, so I am excited (but also nervous) about this class. I have used Gmail, and Google Drive before, but I have never blogged, used Twitter, or Facebook.
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