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!