Scavenger Hunt!

Today, we worked on our Scavenger Hunt project. Having a Mathematics background, I thought the activity was fun and stimulating, and I had to pull out old knowledge that I haven't used in years to complete the task. We had to take digital pictures of objects which represent some kind of Geometric model. From cones to trees, we had fun exploring a little bit of campus and getting away from our desks. When we had collected the necessary images, we then made a presentation showing how they represented the given concepts!

All in all, I would definitely consider having a similar activity in my classroom!

Pixlr Effects!

Today, we played with Pixlr, a fun, free online photo-editing program! I took one of the photos of a paraglider I found and modified yesterday and made it look like an old school photo! You can see it to the left! While it would take me sometime to find a way in which to use this website in my Mathematics classroom, I think it would be a great opportunity to reach some of my more artsy students! All in all, the program was pretty fun to work with, and I hope to find some way to incorporate it into my class!

Picasa FTL?

Picasa was less useful than I had hoped. It seemed to merely be a means of creating a slideshow by downloading a few photos and simply organizing them like a PowerPoint. I did like the game that was incorporated into the website however, where you had to guess where a picture was taken. I WOULD like to incorporate something like this into my classroom, possibly finding specific Mathematical places of importance and testing their Geography as a cross-curricular activity.

Glog Motivation!!!

Today, we were introduced to Glog, another Web 2.0 service which allows a teacher or student to make an only poster. I found the program easy to use and more useful than a standard poster project. As a whole, the Glog was better set to provide information through the means of a project than a standard poster. However, I did find that the lack of a purely "hands-on" approach was slightly less satisfying, not having a physical representation of your work. I would definitely consider using this in my classroom however!

Resume

I have always hated writing Resumes. Everyone seems to have a "Method" to creating the perfect resume, but I have met people who won't even read one if it hasn't been updated to his or her own standards. Some say a resume should be on one page, others don't care. Anyways, I thought this activity allowed me to brush up on my resume writing skills, which I will desperately need when trying to find a teaching position next year.

IBA like a BOSS

I love IBAs! They are a great way to mix up the class flow, as well as introduce or facilitate new concepts in the classroom. More often than not, the Mathematics classroom often becomes stagnant, often relying on repetition to master concepts and definitions. Well planned IBAs are great for breaking up the monotony of the classroom while still effectively teaching students the material. I plan on using this method in my own classroom as well!

Web 2.0 Project Continued!

Our project on Google Forms seems to be set up and ready! Morgan and I have laid out our plan for our presentation, as well as a few activities involving Google Forms. While the Web Tool itself is relatively simple to use, we feel that we will be able to teach our fellow interns how to use the tool effectively in a classroom environment. That said, we are super excited to present our findings to the class! :)

Webquests...

This was the first class where I had to work with Webquests. As a whole, I was not a big fan, but could see how the model could be used effectively in the classroom. These web based projects can be very beneficial to a students learning when Teachers use some of the better laid out Webquests, but I noticed that for every good Webquest, there seemed to be 5 poorly laid out ones. As a project, I think that Webquests would be an awesome way to have students research; however, I do not believe I will use these sites to introduce or teach material, as many of them seem to be sub-par.

Wiki's in the classroom!

I enjoy wiki's. I understand that some people have a grudge against wiki's like Wikipedia, as anyone can change anything on the site. However, I believe that, for the most part, they are fairly reliable sources of information. In the classroom, I believe they are an excellent way for any group to make a site, whether the sight were some easy way to contact one another or as the project itself. Wiki's have been and will be a major source for open information sharing, and I believe that our students need to be knowledgeable in this area.

OME (One Minute Essay)

I am enjoying the class as a whole. A lot of what I have seen in the class, I have seen in other areas of my education, but I enjoy learning how to apply some of this technology to a classroom environment. I really enjoy the relaxed feel of the class as a whole, and have to say that this is my favorite class this summer! Keep up the good work Ginny! :)

Google Forms

The tool which Morgan and I were chosen to give a presentation over was Google Forms. This Web 2.0 tool, while extremely easy to use, allows anyone to create a form for information, an online test, a survey, etc. in just a few minutes! From text to multiple choice, these forms allow any user to gather information from anyone! This information is stored in a simple spreadsheet for the creator to manipulate and evaluate as a whole! I am quite excited to learn how to use this tool and give my classmates a quick presentation over the use and effectiveness of the tool.

Evaluating Websites

While I do believe that evaluating the reliability of a website is necessary for a teacher, this form of evaluation seems almost like overkill. The form seemed to take EVERY aspect of the website into consideration: Sources, Original content, Flow of the website, Publishing dates, etc. While all of these are necessary to determine a websites reliability, this process seems to take reliability to the next level. Even the official NASA website that I used did not meet all of the criteria.

However, I do believe that this method is very effective, although time-consuming. After using this method a few times, I believe the educator would become very conscious of website reliability, and would be able to determine whether a website is reliable or simply an appealing hoax.

Expectations for the Course

Much as we have already begun, I wish to learn more about medians which I can implement in the classroom to maximize my future learning environment. Whether it be social media or cool computer activities, I wish to learn as much about how other teachers have used technology in their classrooms to help their students learn more effectively!

Life in TPTE 486 Classroom! Day 2

Today, Ginny had us make two Web 2.0 tools which we could eventually use in our classroom. Before this, however, each of us presented our "About Me" pages to the class, allowing each of us to introduce ourselves to our classmates!

After each of us introduced ourselves, the first tool we created was a Wiki. Here, we discussed how a wiki is useful for a large group of people who need to work on a certain task. This allows every user to have access to the information at hand, as well as giving each person to ability to modify or change each bit of information as well. We then created a page "About Me" for ourselves, then linked it to a central page, creating a class wide Wiki!

We then talked about blogs and how they allow people to talk and discuss specific topics which they have an interest in. This allows for a web of users to be able to talk about everyday activities and news which they specifically have, and share it with the rest of the world! Each of us were then asked to create a blog for this class, to discuss what we have learned and interesting topics which we stumbled upon! And this is the first of those classroom posts!

I'll see you on Monday! :^)

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! This is for my TPTE 486 class and, truthfully, is my first post ever for a blog!

Just so you can get to know me a little bit, I am a future Mathematics Teacher who will be interning at Hardin Valley High School in the coming year! I love Mathematics, being outdoors, running, and, in general, am an adrenaline junkie! I am a scuba diver, a ridge line hiker, and am also trying to get into skydiving!

I will be trying to update this blog at least once every class period, and am looking forward to learning more about technology in the classroom!