Thursday, August 2, 2012

Tool #11 Reflection

1. I have many favorite tools! If I had to pick only one it would have to be Edmodo as it completely transformed my classroom this past year and will continue to do so in the future! I love Prezi and Animoto  for presenting. I look forward to creating another Blogger to use for my students as well.
I am hoping to let my students create math tutorial videos to upload to a class blogger this year. Last year I created many tutorials we used edmodo to view, but I want to let the students to be the creators this time around!

2. This past year I was very set on integrating more technology into my classroom. I believe I was pretty successful doing so, however, it was not enough! I am looking forward to incorporating new tools into my classroom and letting my students explore and dig their own tunnels to find the treasure of math comprehension rather than just sticking to one highway!

3. There was nothing that was unexpected. As I mentioned I was lucky enough to have been a part of the T3 grant so I have actually heard of alot of the things before. However, as always there are new things poppinfg up everyday and I am excited to change the way I teach!! : )

Tool #10 Digital Citizenship

There are many things that are important for our students to understand about digital citizenship. Three that I think are especially important:

1. Nothing is a secret on the internet. What you post can and likely will spread to many people. Don't write anything you wouldn't mind sharing with anyone you meet or don't meet!

2. Understand how to differentiate between reliable and not necessarily reliable sources on the internet. Anyone can post anything they want on the internet thus seeing is not believing. Teaching digital literacy is crucial!

3. Understand why and what SBISD acceptable use guidelines are.


I found the brainpop videos to be useful for helping my students learn about digital citizenship. I would not have much time to set aside for talking about this so a brainpop video would be very helpful!

I also think it would be good for me to set the brainpop videos up as an edmodo activity to be completed at home with the parents. The students and parents can then take the quiz together and email me the results!

Tool #9 Incorporating Technology

I have found that many of our students see technology as a chance to play rather than learn. This can have its advantages and disadvantages in a classroom.  I have many times technology thrown into a classroom just to have it in the lesson rather than it be an integral part of a lesson. With education currently trying to transform it is crucial to not just throw technology into a lesson but rather plan it to align with your objective and TEK you are teaching as to ensure it benefits the students.

It goes along with this that students must be held accountable when using technology in a classroom. Since many students at my school only see technology as entertainment they may not realize the benefit or the purpose of the activity they have completed that day without taking the time to do some kind of reflection. This also helps students stay on task. As mentioned in the blog many times while students are working on a station using technology the teacher is pulling a small group or doing one on one work with other students. Since the students are not being directly monitored there must be some form of accountability check to ensure they stay on task and focused during the time they have to use the technology.

I really enjoy using MangaHigh in my classroom. The 'games' on this website are actually very fun yet truly utilize skills the students are learning in my class. I had several students ask to come play MangaHigh after school or during lunch this past year!

I also enjoy some of the resources on Manipula Math. One in particular I liked was on ratios of area and side lengths. The applet available here are pretty specific, thus would be helpful ways to let students see a concept they are struggling with from another point of view.

Many of the apps listed as free  in our database actually had a fee, so I did not get to look at many of them. I liked the Freddy Fraction game for students having difficulty with conversions, however there were times when multiple answers were correct and one was counted incorrect.

The MathSnacks App is noce to have as well. I have used MathSnacks in my classroom before and it is great to have the app rather than having kids go to the website to search!

I look forward to using the Ipad as a way for students to record themselves showing how they worked through problems and then sharing it with others!!





Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Tool # 8 The Devices

I have been lucky enough to have been selected to be a part of T3 for the past years. Thanks to this grant I have had 8 MacBooks in my classrooms as well as other pieces of technology. I do not feel that I have learned anything from this tool that I did not already know about the technology. The only new thing I saw on the videos was how to find the searchable database for apps and other SBISD approved things.

Having had this technology in my room these past few years I have found having a routine which regularly includes the technology helps greatly. My technology has a designated area in my classroom in which it is used. My students know it is not allowed to leave this area without permission. I also have this area set up as to my students are facing the wall, thus the computer screen is displayed where I can see it at all times. This helps keep students on task!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Tool #7 Online Digital Projects

My partner and I had discussed the concept of "big projects" before leaving school for the summer. We have looked into using Mathalicious as a base of where to get some ideas from, and form competitions between our classes. We planned on doing this by using either Edmodo or a Google Doc to compare classroom ideas. One o the lessons I had looked into creating a big project out of is on unit rate, rates, and proportions! Iphone dmensions helps students understand ratios and proportions without resort to cross multiplication shortcuts just to find an answer.

Tool #6 Web Tools for Discussion

I used Edmodo this past school year in my classroom. Originally I had planned on using it in a flipped class kind of atmosphere, however I quickly saw many students were not successful with this method, thus it became more of a supplement instruction. The videos were still assigned as homework twice a week, but they also received direct instruction in class. I also used it regularly as a work station students would respond to either videos, quizzes or higher level questions since I had 8 Mac Books in my room this past year.
Please visit my edmodo page here!

I would love to try to use Skype this upcoming year to visit with other math classrooms. I have had a personal Skype account for several years but am excited to use a school account to do questions of the week with other classrooms!


Friday, July 27, 2012

Tool #5 Web 2.0


Make your own slide show at Animoto.

Candies R' Us Comix



I loved using the comix!!! I read on Kyle's blog that she thinks it could be used by students to show how they solved a problem. Rosa also mentioned using it to prompt students writing. I think both of these are great ideas. I created the following comix for a project I do on volume and surface area every year. I think the kids will really enjoy it as an opener to what they will be doing!!

I also made a short animoto with pictures of the pythagorean theorem. Students could use animodo to take their own images of math related things and put them into an animoto to present.

Tool #4 google apps

I have had my students collaborate with me via google apps both years I have taught. The students were required to write reflections on a project and send me the paper  through google apps. My first year teaching since I was unfamiliar with it I did not know how to troubleshoot some of the issues my students had which was frustrating, but since I played with it more the next year it was much easier to navigate them throu issues.

 I used google docs to collaborate with other math teachers when doing curriculum redesign last year as well, thus have shared and been shared on several files.

 I had never used google forms before today. I hope to try to use this with my team when creating assessment so that it is a group effort rather than 1 of us making the assessment and then showing the other later. I could also use google docs to have ongoing conversations with my students about current math topics, as well as a forum for students to ask each other questions!!

Tool #3 Online Video and Images

I found that out of schooltube and teachertube school tube videos seemed to be more informative of how to simply solve a problem, while on teacher tube there were more options as to videos to use as hooks in a lesson. One video I saw that could be used to hook students on integers is embedded below.

I also founsd this video that would be more useful as a reteach station or a chance to see another teachers perspective on sequences. I would probably upload this video to the students edmodo account.



I love that I now know how to filter google search for images that may be reused! I never realized that option was there and am excited to use it!

I have been using dropbox with my partner to collaborate and share things for the past year. It is amazing!!! I love being able to just save school stuff in a spot where both of us can reach it at any time rather than emailing files back and forth!



Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Tool #2 PLN's

One blog I commented on was math teacher mambo. http://mathteachermambo.blogspot.com/ This teacher was considering using a flipped classroom method next year for her calculus class and was asking for ideas and comments on the model. I shared with her my experience of partial flipped classroom. It was interesting to post on a strangers blog and know that what I said would be out there forever for anyone to see. It definitely made me think that when developing your pln you need to be careful that you are proffessional about it! One of the blogs I found that I am looking forward to following is http://ispeakmath.wordpress.com/ . Although she teaches far away, I feel her blog has many great ideas. However they involve buying things that may end up being expensive so we will have to see. I also set up a google reader. I am excited about being able to subscribe to all different things that interest me but only having to look in one place to find it all. I will be playing with this new toy soon! Tata for now fellow bloggers!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Tool #1 Observation : )

It's blog time! Setting up the blog was super easy if you watched the video! It took you step by step!! I have never had a blog before and am interested to see how the whole documenting my thoughts thing goes!! We shall see!

The one thing that I got a little stuck on was how to upload my voki.... but I didn't bother watching the video for that. I probably have learned a lesson from this. Watch the video. Will do.

Go enjoy my Voki. He is awesome!!