Reflection Day 3

Today I spent time trying to find a tool to use for recording lessons.  I looked at Todd Nesloney's website and several of his recommended tech tools.  I like Sophia and 30 hands.  I have used Jing in the past and it was really useful but it needs to be downloaded.  I am really excited to be adding Todd as a resource.

I think that the hardest part of recording a lesson is finding the courage to push the record button.  Once I started talking it was just like being in the room.  I tried to use educreations but I couldn't seem to get it to do what I wanted it to.  I want to be able to use printed documents and other manipulatives when I am recording.  I tried to upload a picture of a document into educreations but the test did not scroll with the document.  I ended up doing a video on how to use the Excel template and how to enter the information into it.  I used the built in smart board recorder and it worked well for that task.  I think that the combination of this tool with a document camera would be perfect for what I am trying to do

My lesson targets the evaluation level of Bloom's Taxonomy.  They will spend a lot of the prep time at the application level but inevitably they will have made mistakes in their equations.  The real learning occurs when they try to manipulate their equations and ultimately get their graph to look like the one they drew.

Reflection Day 2

During PLN time I found a couple of great ideas for upper level math.  I even shared one with a colleague that I found in a New York Times article.  It compares buying a house to renting the same house.  It is a great comparison graphically because you can see how renting becomes an exponential function (more expensive).  I also found some interesting items for geometry and calculus but I did not see many for Algebra 1.  I feel that this primarily due to the nature of Algebra 1. The content is abstract and at a basic level.

I learned a lot actually from the webinar but I think that not getting caught up on the videos was what stands out the most.  I know I have a tendency to be my own worst critic and a bit of a perfectionist.  All of which makes the idea of recording myself teaching sound unappealing. I have mixed emotions about him not watching his own videos but I think ultimately he is right.

I am doing a lesson on the investigation of the effects of changing the slope and the y-intercept of an equation.  Students will be using an Excel Spreadsheet that graphs linear functions with domain restrictions.

Crushing Barriers

Most of my colleagues agree that time is a problem but I think it is all in how we look at it.  If we think of using technology as a tool for instruction in a flipped classroom then my time as a teacher will be allocated differently.  If I have my students learning the new content at home then I can monitor, reteach, and assess their understanding in class.  It is as if my time becomes flipped as well.  I spend time after school recording/teaching a lesson when I am normally tutoring and vice verse.

When it comes to my students having their laptops with them when they need it, I can use remind 101 to send out alerts and have alternative assignments ready.  But if I am thinking about the flipped classroom then I suppose this no longer becomes a barrier since they will need the technology outside of the classroom.

I still think that finding relevant and enriching applications will be a problem.  I think that this is a barrier that will become less of one as I move forward.  I will continue to use my PLN and workshops like CAMT to discover new apps.  I am looking for ward to attending CAMT for the first time and I have already selected several technology sessions.

However I am still struggling with how to make it easier on the students to be able to write and/or show their work. I have found that we have access to equipment that will allow students to write with a stylus or their finger but  I feel as though it would have limitations.  Another option I am faced with is blending the two.  For the infused lesson I am working on this week students will do the work on paper and then type the equations into a spreadsheet. Students will still be able to use the application to investigate the changes to slope and the y intercept but they will turn in a digital portion and a hard copy of their work.

First Day Reflection

I have heard of flipping classrooms but I have not heard of the time restraints for the videos.  It makes sense that the length of the video would be based on the age and attention span of the students.  I just struggle with how a 10 minute video can replace a lecture that may take 30 minutes or more.  But perhaps the most interesting and useful thing I learned about was Google docs.  I am really excited to have a place to store and share documents in such a way that is easily accessible.

Barriers to Infusing Technology

I find incorporating technology into my class can be very difficult.  One of the biggest obstacles I face is the lack of relevant materials.  It is difficult to find applications that have the ability to enhance the learning.  Many are below grade level content and/or are lower on the blooms chart, as in practice.  My second barrier is time.  Time to build the lesson, time to setup student accounts, time to instruct them on how to use the technology, and often time wasted because the technology is not working like it should.  Another barrier that I struggle with is students inability to type equations or show their work.  In the past students get frustrated and request paper and pencil.  Finally I have found that my students do not have their technology with them.  Even if I remind them for a week, they will forget to bring it or it will be broken.