Videos used in a Math Classroom

         In high school my teachers loved popping in a NUMBERS episode when they were sick.  Sometimes it actually worked well with the unit we were in, other times you can tell that they didn't want to teach that day.  My statistics class was always watching episodes from NUMBERS.  In this class it was appropriate.  Many of the episodes shown had statistics built into the problem they needed solving. Other times when we were shown a video it was some sort of cartoon, that was very childish.  Sometimes these were needed but most of the time it made us feel as if we weren’t smart enough to get the concept the teacher was trying to make. 

         My question is more so about the significance of a video in a math classroom.  Most of the times when math videos or tv programs were shown they had no real significance to the unit we were learning, or to the class in general.  I believe videos can be used and should be used.  When I took History of Mathematics here at MSU, we had to present a topic and teach the class about it.  Most of the groups brought a video to show.  The videos they showed made the class more engaging and I learned about different topics I had never learned before.  When videos are used in an effective way they can actually help students learn the material being taught.  When students see videos that have no relevance to the class, some of the progress you have made will be lost. 

Power Point Presentations

Power Point has been part of my learning for many years.  Many of my teachers and professors have used Power Point presentations to teach a lesson.  This semester in one of my math classes, the professor used power point presentations the whole semester.  My thoughts are that sometimes the teacher needs to used a variety of teaching methods. 
When a teacher uses variety in their teaching strategies, students are more than likely going to learn the material better.  I remember my sophomore history class in high school.  My teacher used so many different strategies that no matter how her students learned they would get it.  We were learning about the age of the factories.  One day in class my teacher had us work in a factory for the day.  We traced pennies for 30 minutes out of the typical 45 minute class period.  We weren’t given breaks or anything.  The lights were turned off.  The teacher wanted us to get the feel of how the work force life was back then.  The conditions were horrible.  That is why rules were made about work force regulations.  Why do I remember that lesson in particular?  It is because it was something that got students thinking and doing something.  She used different methods.  She made sure that students understood the points she was trying to get across.
What I liked most was that there was more than just power point presentations.  Students need variety of teaching techniques in order to really learn the material.  If lessons become static, students may start day dreaming in classrooms.  They can just become unmotivated in a classroom that doesn’t change.  As teachers, we are the ones that will motivate or unmotivated our students in our classrooms. 

Thoughts on Viddler

I was really intrigued by a form of technology called Viddler.  Viddler is a website where you can upload your own videos for others to watch.  I found this to be pretty important.  This would be a very useful tool for teachers to use.  A teacher can record a lesson during one of their class periods during the day or after school sometime and upload it to their viddler later on that day.  This would be helpful for any student who is absent from their class for that day or for any student who needs a refresher during the unit. 
I remember when I was in high school and I would get really sick.  I would be out of school for three or four days.  I remember coming back into the classroom and having lots of make up work to do and I wouldn't have any way of knowing how to do it.  I would have a lot of trouble with the rest of the unit.  I would get mediocre grades on the assessments.  Once a new unit would start my grades would go back to normal.  If I was able to utilize videos of the lessons my teachers had I would keep my grades at their normal levels.  I would be able to stay in tune with the class while I am sick in bed.  I would be able to do the homework while I'm sick so that I wouldn't have as much make up work to do when I came back.
While doing my research on this new technology, I found that you would have to pay for a subscription.  You could customize your viddler as well.  One feature that I really liked about this website was that whoever looks at your "lessons" can actually comment on it and post it in the video.  This is a great way for students to give feedback to their teacher on their teaching methods.  If students do not understand part of the lesson, the teacher will know since the students will comment on the uploaded video.

Khan Academy

I have used Khan Academy on several different occasions for some guided help in some of my math courses.  While in class you may get the concept being taught, but when you get home and start the homework you become utterly confused.  This has happened to me on more than one occasion.  When this happens I usually consult my textbook to see if reading over the material would jog up some memory.  When this doesn’t work I typically see if I can find a lesson online covering the same material.  Khan Academy is one of the first websites that come up in the search. 

            I remember when I was in College Geometry that I was having trouble understanding some of the theorems.  I would go to Khan Academy and watch the lesson they had on the topic I was struggling with.  Khan Academy helped me learn geometry even better.  The narrator talks in a voice that is understandable and clear.  He also goes step by step with a few examples and then starts eliminating steps.  It is a great way to tutor yourself in the subject area that is your downfall.

            When I was tutoring a fourth grade student who was having difficulty in math, I recommended to her mother to look as Khan Academy when I left for my trip to Ireland.  We wouldn’t be able to meet for two weeks so I figured something was better than nothing.  Khan Academy helped her while I was away so that we wouldn’t have to back track and relearn the material.    

Technology and Literacy

During our Reading and Literacy course many of us used some sort of technology during our facilitations.  During my facilitation we used the overhead projector as well as my laptop.  With these two machines we were able to show the class vital information for the facilitation.  Reading and literacy go hand in hand with technology.

            In the early childhood spectrum we have all the Leap Frog products.  When a child is first learning to read, Leap Frog tends to be a parents first choice.  I know this from my nieces and nephews.  My siblings chose Leap Frog products to help their children learn the alphabet.  They are still young so they haven’t started using the reading devices.  Leap Frog products help children sound out a word they are unfamiliar with or even read the word they are stuck on.  These devices know which word the child is pointing to on the page.  I find that remarkable.  Being able to decode a text is made a little easier by some of these products.

            As I have sat in some of my math classes I have seen various devices that help students who are visually impaired to read the board.  If these students weren’t able to use these different devices then they may fall behind in the course.  These devices make learning for them that much easier.  Technology can make reading and understanding of a text just a little easier for any student who is having trouble with the material. 

Technology and Assessment

One of the classes we have to take within the teacher education program at MSU is all about assessment.  We learned what makes a good assessment and what doesn’t.  There are many different types of assessments.  With in my subject area we typically have scantron, open ended responses, as well as short answers. 

            When going over the materials, the scantron test came up.  In high school I took my fair share of scantron tests, either nationwide or just in a particular class.  I learned something new about the scantron.  This is more influential for teachers than students.  With a scantron test the teacher can find out what the range of scores are as well as what was the most popular answer for the students.  This is very helpful to the teacher.  The teacher can see what the students are struggling with.  The teacher can then look at their own teaching practices and review the lesson with the students.  The one issue that may come about is the amount of time between the test and the time the teacher has the results.  In order to help their students they need to go over the misunderstood material as soon as possible. 

            Another piece of technology that helps with calculating and recording grades would be Excel.  My brother is a math teacher in Clifton and he has used an excel spreadsheet as his grade book.  You can calculate weighted grades.  This is a very helpful tool since you can know the progress of each of your students as well as being able to see which students may need a little extra help. 

Final Project

Increasing Student Understanding of Ordering Rational Numbers

The lesson plan that I decided to work with is one that I adapted to help a student with a Traumatic Brain injury.  This lesson was on the topic of ordering rational numbers.  The objective of this lesson was to have students learn the definitions of rational numbers, terminating decimals, and repeating decimals.  They are to express fractions as terminating or repeating decimals, and they are to order the rational numbers.  The assessment to be done on this lesson was to give each child a mixed number name tag and have them put themselves in order.  This lesson plan is in the very beginning of the unit.  It is defining the terms the students will use through out the unit and how to characterize them.  The teacher will put examples on the board of the different types of numbers; rational numbers, terminating decimals, and repeating decimals.  The teacher is to lecture during the class.  These are some of the adaptation what will be done to this lesson in regards to technology integration.   

The standards I chose to pick for the access group dealt with defining the terms the students would need to get through the lesson, as well as using technology in a productive way.  In order for the students to participate in the activities later on during the lesson they need to get the basics down, which means knowing the definitions of the terms.  I decided that I would use a smart board in order to get the definitions across to the students.  With the use of a smart board, I can highlight specific words and make the lecture more interactive for the students.  The students would take notes on what they hear during the lecture.  A group discussion at the beginning of the lesson would get the students thinking about the terms rational and irrational.  This will help in their understanding later on. 

The second group I labeled analyze.  This group uses the information from the access group and builds upon it.  I will be posing questions to the students about whether or not a number is rational or irrational.  The students will have to think about the number I posed and figure out if it is a terminating or repeating decimal.  In order to do this, students need to know how to convert a fraction into a decimal or a decimal into a fraction.  By establishing this, the students can put these numbers into categories.  Graphic organizers will help students do this.  The use of a pie chart can also help students visualize what a fraction looks like in comparison to a whole.  To help the students with this even further I would like to have a jeopardy game.  This game would pose questions in regards to ordering rational numbers as well as converting fractions into decimals and vice versa.  During this game the students will need to think out loud with their teammates and figure out the answer to the question together. 

This brings me to the third group; collaborate.  This section is all about the students working together to figure out the answers.  Through out the class the students will be broken up into groups for the game later on.  During this game they will have to collaborate with one another before they can answer the question they picked for jeopardy.  While the students are doing group work before the game, I will be walking around seeing how the students are doing on the task.  If they need any help, I will give them a starting point or an idea to mull over and talk about.  This requires both student and teacher participation.  The teacher needs to make sure that the students understand the material, while the students are working together.  If the students are having a hard time, they too can initiate a conversation with the teacher for help.  While in these groups, the students need to articulate their understanding of rational numbers.  They have to have a strong argument to why they feel that they have the correct answer.  The students need to be able to argue their points in detail.  They can use their prior knowledge in the lesson to bring forth examples of ordered rational numbers.  They can also convert each of the numbers given into a fraction or a decimal, the opposite form that is given.  The visual presentation that is being used is the class assessment.  They will have to form a visual representation of a number line.     

Interactivity 5

I interviewed a middle school math teacher from the Clifton school district in Clifton, New Jersey.  He teaches Algebra to eighth graders.  I conducted an email interview for accessibility.  I know this teacher personally and I know how busy he is with the curriculum as well as tutoring students.  Sending an email made it easier for him to respond and it also recorded the responses in an email.  When I brought up the NETS to this teacher he had no idea what I was talking about.  He had never heard of them.  He actually stated that his school district hasn’t implemented them, nor does he believe the state of New Jersey has either.  I highly doubt NJ is not implementing these standards.  I asked the teacher what he thought of these standards.  He said, “I think with proper funding and access to technology tools, these could be helpful to our students.  I do, however, think these are very vague standards and may not properly address the growing need for people going into the workforce to be more than just technologically proficient.  These are great ideas and can be implemented, but I think students would need proper access to computers and tablets.  At this point in time, I don't think a computer lab or a handful of computers in each classroom is going to do the trick.  Unfortunately, budget cuts and politics get in the way sometimes.”

            This teacher stated that they have a different set of standards that incorporate technology across the curriculum.  I have talked to this teacher before and the standards he has to incorporate are the Common Core Standards.  Surprisingly I was not thrown off by any of the responses this teacher gave.  He articulated that to really implement these standards, the district would need to provide more technology for the students and staff to use.  He also stated that the staff would need to receive education on the new technologies they would have to implement into the classroom.  With budget cuts, school districts are going to have a hard time to write technology into the budget.  I would tend to agree with this teacher.  The budget is where technology is going to be cut, until these standards are put into action. 

            As a future teacher I would bring up the NETS-S or the NETS-T during any conversation that involves the integrating of technology into the classroom.  If these are the standards that teachers are going to have to live by in regards to technology, teachers have to learn about them.  I would agree with this teacher about them being a little vague.  They are going to be a great tool for us to regulate the use of technology in the classroom, but they are a bit vague on what the different standards actually mean.  Obviously, when speaking to another educator, we would have to discuss the different standards and what they mean and how to incorporate them into our classrooms.    

Link to Google Doc https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Alcm0RZRU5kbdGJKRS1HWkFCS0o2aVZqYWRPdFBEYUE#gid=0      

Interactivity 4

Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Alcm0RZRU5kbdGJKRS1HWkFCS0o2aVZqYWRPdFBEYUE&usp=sharing

This lesson plan was all about gas economy and how much you are actually spending on a car when you initially buy it.  This lesson plan is relevant to high school students who will be looking into purchasing their first car.  They are only making a small paycheck due to age or availability and so they need to make sure their paycheck doesn't get wasted on just gas for their car.  This lesson opens their eyes to actually researching a car before buying it.  If the student already has a car they can, by the end of the lesson, figure out how much they are spending on gas as well as what the optimal mileage for their car would be.  This is why I chose this lesson plan.  It brings mathematics that are standard curriculum to an everyday scenario that my students would be facing.  They will be figuring out averages as well as finding a function that best fits the data they have collected.  With this information they can figure out the speed range in which their car gets the best gas mileage.
I may be overlooking something but I feel that the standards were in line with the strategies and the technology used.  I added a few things but they were minor.  This lesson was all about collecting data and being able to graph it, find the function that best fits the data, and then interpret it and answer questions using the function derived by the data.
These technologies made the lesson go by smoother and made the content easier to understand.  The teacher would be teaching the content step by step with visual representation to go along with it.  Having both of these representations help all students to grasp the information and retain it for later use.   

Interactivity 3

Looking at these different technologies one could use in the classroom I saw many that we use on a daily basis, while some of them were out there.  I had never heard of some of them.  When I was doing my research on different technologies a teacher could use in a math class I found that many could be used in and out of the class.  I found that teachers could use Viddler as a way to post the days lesson on the internet so that students could re-watch the lesson while doing the homework.   Also if any students miss class that day due to illness they will have the days lesson to look at when they get better. The students can also make comment about the lesson.  This gives the teacher feedback on what went well and what didn’t.  Other technologies that were in our inventory were everyday typical technologies; calculator, smartboard, geometer's sketchpad, etc.  These forms of technology is the norm for math classrooms.  Students rely on calculators now a days to do simply operations.  Geometer's Sketchpad makes geometry class a little bit more interactive.    Smartboard's are a great tool for teachers and students.  Students are able to interact with the lesson the teacher is giving. 

On a side note, the group activity went pretty well.  At first I was not able to access the google doc because of sharing issues, but eventually I was able to see and edit it.  Seeing where each of the group members got their information and different technologies was interesting.  I didn’t mind having a group project for an online course.  It went smoother than most group projects I have been in. 

Interactivity 2