TT #10

Classroom Blogs!

For this tech task I explored Ms. Cassidy’s Classroom Blog. It is easy to follow and really well formatted. I enjoy how the links to the students’ blogs are called their “learning”.  I went through and found some math postings from Sage’s Learning, looks like they’re having fun creating videos. 

 

I really like this idea of having a class blog, especially in math. Students can take a picture of the problem they are working on, and get help from other students, all outside of the class. Pretty cool.

TT #12

The Future!

 

 

I think the future of education is bright! Change is underway; I like the trends towards inquiry based learning, essential questions, 1:1 initiatives, and opened ended assessment. This drive towards a deeper understanding of the concepts and a more hands on approach has become evident in my past two years studying education. The K-12 Horizon Report touched on a lot of things that have been brought to the forefront in this class. Things that stood out to me in the report were: 

• The shift to deep learning approaches - “There is a new emphasis in the classroom on more challenge based, active learning”

• Integrating Personalized Learning

• BYOD & Cloud Computing

• Wearable Technology – “tracks sleep, movement, location, social media, etc.”

-   How weird would it be to have all students walking around the halls with Google’s glasses on!

 

TT #11

Show and Tell!

Desmos is a cool graphing calculator app I was introduced to at a PD last year. It is tons of fun to play around in and very easy to use - no head ache inducing tutorial necessary. You could use it at all levels of graphing. Simply playing around and creating a picture using as many equations you can think of is a fun spin on the usual graphing tasks, and a review!

https://www.desmos.com/calculator 

TT #9

Using Online Video in the Classroom

I think using video in the classroom is a great teaching tool. I think information should be presented in as many different ways as possible in order to reach as many students as possible and video is a great way to add some visual to a lesson.  Also, students still seem to associate video with taking a break from the lecture, when really they can still be learning while watching. Here is a video I found that I would show Pre-Calc and Calc students to address the “what use is this” and “when will we ever use this?” questions in a different way from “well you’ll need it in university if you want to be an engineer..” etc. I think math can be fun and beautiful in it’s own way, and this video shines a little bit of light on this aspect of the subject.

After Bryce’s presentation and examples of work his student’s had created, I am excited to have students make videos to show their learning. I think it opens up so much room for creativity, especially in a math classroom where it is usually test after test. I am on the fence for having the students post their videos on YouTube. I would defiantly like them to post them on a class site or blog so classmates can use them as resources. It would be cool if they shared them outside the classroom too, I could see a student gaining a lot of confidence from another student around the world learning and benefiting from their work. I also see the dangers of this however. It would be ideal if there were a world wide sharing platform for educational purposes.  

TT #8

Podcasts!

When driving I love listening to Stuff You Should Know. And on a recent trip to B.C. I was introduced to the Serial Podcast. This took us from Whistler to Vancouver and then all the way on the long drive home. The podcast goes back and explores an old murder case to determine if a man that has been imprisoned for 15 years is really guilty or not. Our entire car was captivated. We were discussing forensics and the science behind it with the two doctors in the car (my brother and his wife). Some really in depth questions came up and suddenly we were madly Googling to prove each other wrong and trying to recall organic chem 2. Though this is not necessarily and education podcast, when presented with this tech task, it immediately came to mind because it was so engaging. It got me thinking of making or having students make podcasts that slowly drop more and more information while you try to figure out the puzzle. This could easily be done with a math unit – combining all the concepts and dropping more and more information each episode. It could defiantly be used in any science class as well. And could be used as is in a forensic science class. 

As for the Stuff you should know podcast, you could search and find an episode pertaining specifically to what your class is learning. But I also like the thought of playing it to wind up a class, or when a break is needed from the usual. I think having a wide base of knowledge on many different subjects is a very cool thing to have. 

TT #7

Infographics!

These are neat tools! I’ve seen them around before but didn't know they had a name. Infographics are simply a graphic visual representation of information, data or knowledge, with the intent to present complex information quickly ad clearly. I really like how they place all the most relevant information on one page with as many visuals as possible. It’s so much more pleasing and less intimidating than an informational text, such as a textbook. Even in subject areas I enjoy, a textbook seems like a chore and can put you to sleep. Infographics are an all in one spot to look to to master a concept. I think these can be extremely useful in the classroom. They bring together text and visuals to represent the concept to the student. Already they have more differentiation than a textbook. In a math classroom I can see them being up on the wall that students can quickly look to when stuck on a problem. 

Here's an infograh I made on Completing the Square using http://piktochart.com/ 

 

TT #4

Kim Cofino – Always Learning

http://kimcofino.com/blog/ 

She is an international technology and learning coach and has been teaching around the world since 2000. She developed and implemented integrated technology programs, as well as infused the curriculum with multimedia tools at various International Schools. Currently she is about to head from Japan back to Bangkok.

Her blog is her place to reflect on her teaching and learning as a technology and learning coach in international schools. A great reflection on her organizations and life experiences on her travels around the world.

I found this blog on a list of 50 best education blogs while looking for a math oriented one. I decided to follow this one however because it was so adventurous. Not just the traveling parts but her development and implementation of technology at the schools she has been at. She seems very motivated, striving to continually better her practice and face change head on.

In this blog there is a ton to derive about the international school experience as well as lots to learn from her endeavors with the implementation of technology.