Blog #5 - Wrapping It Up

This class has been a positive experience.  I will be honest and say that I was dreading it at first.  However, even though I work in a school that is highly technology based, I learned a great deal about technology available to me - especially FREE technology such as PBWorks and GoogleDrive.  Prior to the class I knew about GoogleDocs, but I did not know about GoogleSites - which I am seriously considering using with my students because even though we use system to communicate, grade, post assignments, etc., the website I created through our class fostered some ideas on how using my own website could get rid of some of the complexity and "bulkiness" of the system that we use.  Also, it would be easy to update and communicate with parents using my own site.  That said, this is something I think I will add and implement to my "instruction" next year.  

My favorite assignment was the one where I created an iMovie.   This project was first of all fun, but second of all, I thought of some really fun and cool ways I would make creative and interesting digital stories about my class and even maybe some of the content. 

Above, I have included a picture of the post on Facebook I created about my iMovie.  

Overall, this class was a positive experience, although there was some content which I felt I already knew or did not need a whole class to cover, I did benefit from this class.

Blog #4 - Wiki Walk Through

This website, http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/, is perhaps my favorite of all that I have encountered in this class.  Information is presented in a clear way, it is succinct and it is practical.    This is a site I could spend 10 minutes reviewing and leave with many new ideas for how to address various issues in my instruction.  One of my weaknesses as a teacher is communication of my classroom expectations.  I say it once, and I expect my students to know it, regardless.  This is often ineffective, especially considering the amount students are absent, and that they take 8 classes at a time with 8 very different teachers. One idea I got from this website has the idea of an FAQ written by my students for my students regarding my expectations and procedures.

The picture above shows the text from the Wiki Walk Through that gave me this idea.

A second idea I gained from looking through this website was having a "What do you think will be on the test" wiki.  This would encourage collaboration, which is something I very much expect of my students.  Having them collaborate on a wiki will challenge how and what they explain, as well as encourage them to consider my class, and its content, outside of our scheduled classroom time.

Overall, I rate this site well and will certainly use it in the future.

Blog #3 - A Critique of the Univeristy of Houston Digital Story Website

Overall, I think the idea behind this website is really great.  Having people share information through a digital format that is personal and provocative is great.  However, I was somewhat disappointed with the examples of digital stories as they relate to my subject area.  The "provocative" questions are those that are asked so often that I had zero interest in watching/listening to a 3 minute or even 7 minute video while someone narrated their answer to the question.  For example, the digital story titled "A Day Without Math" failed to engage, and again due to the simple nature at which the topic was approached the "seven elements" of creating a worthwhile digital story did not appear in this particular example.  One of the seven elements that was missing was that the content was not "emotional".  In other words the issue, while imperative, was not presented in such a way that evoked a reaction or a shift in thinking for viewers.  Additionally, the "soundtrack" chosen did not support the story being told, but instead, was distracting.  It seems that such a story needs to be told from the perspective of someone who has been made to become a believer, not a math teacher. 

This is just one example of my dissatisfaction with several of the digital stories posted on the U. of Houston website.  That said, I feel that the overall message and information shared on the website valuable.  I am trying to consider what types of digital stories I can tell as a math teacher, but also a person.  As I write this I am considering topics such as a digital story about how to study for math, or something about how best to LEARN math and why practice is the key to understanding the subject.  That said, I feel that perhaps such a topic is not very provocative as required by the "seven elements". 

Blog #2 - Reflection on Chapter 1 O'Bannon on IWB's

In my classroom I use interactive whiteboards everyday. The chapter in the section which I really agree with was the idea that interactive whiteboards are a good tool for assisting with classroom management.  With math we solve a LOT of problems.  Which means there is quite a bit of time required for the teachers/students to write problems - often times meaning you back is to the class.  Obviously this is not ideal in terms of classroom management.  I have pre-made notes that I bring into the class and use to manage class flow, the problems which are discussed, etc.  In other words, all my content is pre-loaded before I walk into the class.  Therefore, I am not wasting time trying to remember what I wanted to say, what question/problem to write, etc.  Everything is already there for me.  In addition, because my students have iPads, I upload my pre-made notes for them to review individually.  Therefore, students are able to go at their own pace, especially those that do not lot much explanation.

Along those same lines of classroom management, as I stated, the IWB helps me manage the flow of my class - with everything pre-loaded, I know exactly what I will cover, and where I am going.  

Blog about a teacher blog

Blog I am blogging about:  http://budtheteacher.com/blog/

Current Banner of the Blog

(Blog Post Header I am blogging about.)

The author of the blog I read wrote about post centered around textbook publishers that are creating interactive textbooks for handheld devices such as iPads.  This post is especially relevant to me because all my students access their textbooks through a Pearson eText for schools app.  That said, one of my complaints about this "technology" is that it is basically an e-reader.  The author of this blog discusses how various vendors are working to produce products that are interactive.    He mentions that while the graphics and overall presentation of the material is nice - there is a HUGE problem in the management of the data that students will input - as in as the blogger writes "No way to actively manage and/or sync data from our databases to theirs.  Duplicate accounts.  Terrible data management.  Shockingly disappointing attention to issues of privacy or student ownership of the work they do."  In other words, while the product may be nice looking, it is perhaps just another impractical tool that is technologically behind in its capability because the producers have ignored such vital details.

On the one hand I am glad that such products are being engineered due to the fact that an interactive textbook resource could take my classes to the next level.  However, if data management is so poor that it compromises student identity as well as it forces me to hand enter all 160 students into things like quizzes, classwork assignments, etc., and then enter student grades individually into an online gradebook separate from that eText then I do not see this as a tool, but rather "good idea" created by people who never set foot in the classroom, and do not see how their product is 100% impractical.

Website Evaluation

While I believe I am overall proficient at evaluating a website for quality, and usefulness, this activity was helpful in that it reminded me of formal ways to evaluate websites.  For example, I had not thought of arriving at a dead link ("404") message as a problem with the website and/or an indicator that the site itself was not well maintained.  I come across such messages often, so it is helpful to know this is something to consider.

As far as the learning objective related to this activity which is stated as "the ability to evaluate websites for use in your future classroom", this activity was relevant.  In addition to considering if a site and the information shared through it is well maintained, this activity brought my attention to the idea of whether or not the content is accessible for all my students, including those that may need screen readers and/or those who do not have high speed internet outside of our school.  Additionally, this exercise is one which will help me better guide students on how to identify websites that are useful versus those that are not for their own academic pursuits.

486 Course Expectations

Currently I work in a school with a LOT of technology at our disposal.  My students work from iPads from course sites similar to UTK's Blackboard where I upload assignments and relevant course information.  We employ a variety of apps to organize our work, make it more meaningful, as well as attempt to use our technology as a meaningful educational resource.  However, I feel I have much to learn in terms of integrating technology more smoothly within all my classes.  While I do feel comfortable "diving in" with most technology, my level of familiarity with creating blogs, wikis, websites, is relatively low.  These are things we have learned so far, which is very exciting to me.  That said, my expectation for the course is to gain basic and practical knowledge of the various resources I can use in my classrooms outside of what I am already doing.