MovieMaker

Movie Maker is a great technological tool to get teachers and students excited about learning. Teachers can use it to introduce or reinforce material. This would be a great tool to use it a teacher is out; students can watch the video and learn the standard for the day. Students can use it to showcase their knowledge about content material. By creating a movie with their own pictures and sounds it will seem as though students are just playing instead of learning. The example on probability that I created uses pictures that I have taken of my son and his friends. Probability is a concept that can be difficult for students to grasp. Hopefully, by seeing real world examples, students will be able to master the standard and apply it in their lives.

Example:
Probability All Around Us

Reflection
The example provided was created to help eighth grade math students understand the concept of the counting principle and simple probability. This tool can be used for a variety of ways to enrich the curriculum or reinforce concepts. For example, students can go around the school taking pictures that represent slope and then create a movie to display their findings. Using nontraditional ways of teaching allows the students to have a deeper understanding of the concepts. I faced several challenges while creating this movie. The first, and most important, was not having the program on my laptop. My laptop was issued by the county and they have put so many restrictions on our use. Last January, my computer got a virus and needed to be re-imaged. When the tech support specialist did this, he forgot to re-install numerous programs present one included. It took almost two weeks for them to come to the school to install it on my laptop. Another challenge I encountered was that my images for my project could only be retrieved on my laptop. I tried working on my project on another computer and when the file pulled up large red x’s would appear in place of the picture. I eventually figured it out, but in the meantime became very aggravated.
Before this project, I knew nothing about this program. I feel as though I have a good basic understanding of the program, but by looking at some of the other examples from classmates I realize that I still have much to learn. I am looking forward to implementing this technological tool in my classroom. My students are required to do a project with each unit. The project for the last unit was a Choice Board. Students were able to choose three squares in a tic-tac-toe pattern. One of the choices was to create a PowerPoint presentation using their own voice. Next year, it will change to a movie.
I printed off the tutorial guides to refer to if needed, but I am the type of person that needs to figure it out on my own. If I look at a guide, I will always need it as a crutch. I realize that it probably took me longer to create than most, but I am comfortable knowing that I can create another movie without help. Learning be doing not only applies to the children in my class but also to anyone wanting to further their understanding of various concepts. This project reinforced what I already know about myself: I am an extremely hard worker who can figure out almost anything.

Digital Storytelling Article

The purpose of this article is to explain ways that still and moving images can be integrated into the mathematics curriculum to help students gain a deeper understanding of the concepts. Still image examples for linear functions, Pythagorean Theorem and the coordinate grid are presented as well as quadratic functions for moving images. By using movies in the math class, students are given the opportunity for a fourth representation of algebraic concepts, visual. Benefits for using this in the classroom are endless: student engagement is increased, real world problems come to life and connections to other disciplines are encouraged.

Emerging Technology that Supports eLearning (Blog Post 10)

I tend to disagree with the book on the concept of eLearning not being that much different than face to face learning. It depends on the audience: the younger one is the less effective on line learning can be. Students in elementary to secondary level need to learn from a “live” teacher. They need to be molded by those teachers and be given the educational foundation in order to be able to be successful in an online classroom environment. Egbert (2009) suggests four guidelines for effective eLearning experiences (pg216):
*Build community—students need to realize that there are other students that are in the same learning environment—they all need to work together.
*Consider the hidden curriculum—students need to realize that with any learning situation there are topics that are not discussed—students need to come with prior knowledge
*Organize ahead of time—teachers can not fly by the seat of their pants in an eLearning environment—assignments need to be posted ahead of time—most students take online classes because they can work a their one pace.
*Give clear instructions—teacher need to be explicit in their instructions, think about possible questions and answer them ahead of time—they should leave n stone unturned
If teachers follow these guidelines, students will be successful in their eLearning courses.

Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of classroom practice. Columbus, OH: Pearson.

TI-Interactive (Blog Post 9)

This program is extremely helpful when graphing linear functions. Students will have their own graphing calculator and I will be logged in to the program which will be projected on the smart board. This program allows the students to see the actual calculator and the keystrokes. It also displays three functions at one time. Students are able to see the graph of the function, the table of values, and the list of linear equations. By seeing all three functions simultaneously, students are able to gain a better understanding of the concept. Eighth grade students are not familiar with the calculators, so this allows them stay focused on the objective--graphing the function not finding the buttons. Class time will be maximized and students will be engaged throughout the lesson.

Emerging Technology that Supports Creativity and Production (Blog Post 8)

I found this chapter on creativity very interesting. I just finished my Gifted Endorsement program, so I was familiar with much of what I read. I think it is very important for teachers to develop creative tasks even though they do take much more preparation. Egbert (2009) suggests five characteristics for creative tasks:
1. Focus on content—students must have some prior knowledge of the content
2. Emphasize divergent thinking—students need to be made comfortable in thinking outside of the box and in many different directions
3. Incorporate creative strategies-- It is okay to arrive a problem in numerous ways
4. Engage students—this is essential
5. Employ informational rather than controlling feedback—do not compare students to each other rather explain how others would interpret their work

Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of classroom practice. Columbus, OH: Pearson.

Digital Cameras and Linear Equations (Blog Post 7)

Eighth grade math students will take a picture using a digital camera, open it in Photoshop to crop and focus on a section of the photo. They will print it and then create a coordinate grid on the picture. They will record the order pairs, calculate the slopes, and write equations of lines connecting the two points. They will use a graphing calculator to check their work. They will then upload the pictures in PowerPoint and list their equations. Students will wrap it up writing a reflection of the activity.

Emerging Technology that Supports Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (Blog Post 6)

Being a math teacher, problem solving is extremely important. Although, it is sometimes difficult to teach. I can model techniques for them such as working backwards, creating a chart, guess and check, or drawing a picture. But it is left up to them to decide what the best method is for individual problems. The chapter did a great job explaining what problem solving is and the importance of it in the classroom, but the discussion on the topic on inquiry learning was vague. It is an extremely powerful strategy. If students can figure out on their own the concept at hand, they will have ownership and a better understanding of the concept. Inquiry is difficult to do with many of the math concepts that I teach. However, just the other day, through guided questions, students were able to deduce the rule for taking the square root of a variable raised to a power. Because of this method, they have mastered this concept.