Online Grad School November 30, 2008

One of the parents of a student works for U of I in distance learning.  I ran into her at a school function and was telling her about my experiences at CTER.  She was so excited to hear my enthusiasm and asked to quote me.  Of course I agreed.  I want more people to understand the benefits of online learning.  Rita mentioned in her blog that the conversations online in Elluminate generate much discussion and thought.  I agree that I am constantly challenged my discussions on Tuesday night.  In terms of being a teacher in this technology advanced world, online education teaches me skills that are so valuable.  I remember learning about Blackboard through my district.  And I tried to implement it into my classroom.  But it wasn’t until I became a student and used moodle to learn of assignments, submit my work and discuss topics with classmates that I began to understand the breadth of how I could use Blackboard in my own classroom.  As Rita mentioned, in our current class we’ve gotten the opportunity to lead a class discussion.  This opportunity has reinforced new skills we’ve learned and let us put into practice all of this new technology.  And leading a discussion online is very different than in a classroom.  That opportunity could not have been created in a physical classroom setting.

There are so many instances in the past year and a half where I’ve watched a video on Youtube for class then shared it with my co-workers.  The blogs, websites, videos etc. are all forms of media that draw my attention.  I am much more invested than when I highlight an article or textbook.  And it’s much easier to share information on the computer by posting a blog or sending an email.  By going to school online, and accessing materials for class online, the topics at hand are available 24-7 as opposed to attending class once a week for a few hours.  The discussions are on going, ever changing and constantly challenging the concept of education today.

I’ve learned about some fun technology that I will be using in my classroom.  I conducted my first webquest, and created my first instructional video.   A challenge that came with the instructional video was how to submit it.  Had I attended a physical classroom, we probably would have saved it to a CD or used our own computers to present the videos in class.  But the challenge of online class has been to get the technology to work for me as a student.  I think you learn more when you struggle with the technology.  And I can relate better to my students because I’ve experienced some of the same struggles that they experience when trying to get the computer to perform the task you want.

I would say another benefit of online learning was getting me over my fear of the internet.  I was afraid of posting personal information online for anyone to see.  Now I think it’s a wonderful resource for communication and learning.  If I create something that I think is a good lesson, I am more than happy to post and share it for others to benefit from as well.

I still have one more class to take.  But I think that online grad school has been a very positive experience.  And I can say that I think I learned more online than I would have in a physical classroom.

My first webquest November 7, 2008

I assigned my first webquest this week.  The kids were confused at first.   They are not used to learning math, without me standing in front of the class directing them.  But, I have to say I’m very pleased with their final products.  Working in teams helped students organize the material.  And it helped me to not have to answer as many questions as if students were working individually.  They were also given the opportunity to discuss similarities and differences between their findings.

Of course, there are many things I will change for next year.  One, require one report per team.  Right now each group member is printing out their work and stapling it to their teammmate’s work.  Second, I would require pictures by putting it on the rubric.  Most students have included pictures anyways, but I think it should be mandatory.  I am also going to add more vocabulary to the list for students to look up.  I wanted to have them figure out what vocab. they needed to know, but I think if they have more direction the research will go more smoothly.

This has definitely been a good teaching experience.  I could see myself using a webquest once a semester to have a new project that gives students a change of pace and a new way of learning.

I want the old technology back! October 27, 2008

Ok, the title of this post is a little misleading.  On the day to day basis I am totally excited about the technology that I get to work with.  I know I am blessed to have a school issued tablet and Smartboard in every classroom.  And I know that these tools make lesson planning easier.  They help me to be more creative and I think this enhances the learning experience for students.  Kids are much more excited to write on the Smartboard than a whiteboard.  They are also in awe when I use my computer in Ink mode.  And to be honest I am in awe of the technology as well.  The fact that I can hand write a math equation on my computer and have it show up on the screen for all of the students to see is pretty cool.

But…..I’ve had to miss some school recently and I am questioning what my students are learning in the classroom without me.  When I have a substitute, they do not have access to my computer, my files, or any technology for that matter.  I find myself wishing there was still an overhead projector in my classroom.  The overhead would be a way for me to be able to give information to the sub to post for all of my students to see.  I understand that asking the sub to write notes on the whiteboard in the front of the classroom is a little burdensome, especially if I have a sub who doesn’t understand the subject material.

Maybe the question shouldn’t be, how can I get some of the old technology back, but how can I use the new technologies in the classroom.  Is it possible to give the sub a loaner laptop so that they could project information I give them in front of the class?  Would the substitute know how to use this technology?  Maybe that doesn’t matter as long as the students know how…They tend to be pretty helpful, especially if it lets them be the center of attention!

One thing I have learned since I began teaching was that the kids will survive without me.  My first 2-3 years of teaching I would be sick with a really bad cold, with a terrible cough or no voice and still come to school.  I was under the impression that all of their learning would go out the window if I was gone for a day or two.  Then I realized that I was a much more effective teacher if I was healthy.  So I began taking sick days as need be.  In the grand scheme of things I think the students and sub can manage without great technology for a day.  The question is, what happens when a day turns into a few days, or a week, or longer?  I think the educational environment is compromised.  Shouldn’t technology be able to help?

Instructional Video October 27, 2008

I created an instructional video that teaches students how to rotate a point 90 degrees clockwise on a coordinate plane.

RotationVideo

Enjoy!

A Fairytale Wedding October 20, 2008

I made this video using PhotoStory3. The hardest part of using PhotoStory was putting all of the songs together. Other than that it was pretty easy and fun to use.

http://fruinmathematics.googlepages.com/afairytalewedding

Here’s a link to the video. Enjoy!

Tech Day October 15, 2008

Yesterday we had an institute day.  We had our choice of technology related sessions to go to.  I chose to attend a session on how to use OneNote.  I decided it would be a good tool to use to organize my files, emails and attachments and to keep track of lists.  After our technology sessions we met back with our departments.  Each of us shared which tech session we went to, what we learned, and whether or not it would be applicable to our curriculum.  The teachers who went to the Smartboard sessions said they felt like they either learned a lot or remembered tools they had previously been taught.  They had felt that they could use everything they learned to enhance the curriculum.  The rest of the teachers went to topics such as Office 2007, Tablet Use, PhotoStory, MovieMaker etc.  For the teachers who went to Office and Tablet sessions they felt that they were more confident in being able to use their computer and more features than they were comfortable with before.  However, they did not feel like the things they learned were directly related to the curriculum.  For teachers who went to PhotoStory and MovieMaker they thought these were cool programs, but had a hard time figuring out how to use them in the math classroom.  I think it’s easy to say “Geometry teachers can make a project about shapes.”  But trying to fit such a project into the curriculum is a huge challenge.  Also creating a project that is meaningful to the curriculum is a challenge.  Geometry is about shapes, but how do you use PhotoStory to describe similarities, differences and properties of different shapes?

I like the idea of tech day.  It gets teachers thinking about how they can use technology.  Some teachers complained about not getting to spend time working on curriculum.  But I think if a teacher can become more familiar with their computer and more comfortable with technology, they will be more likely to try new technology related lessons in the future.

It seems like our school now needs to find technology related sessions that will help all teachers improve their curriculum.  I think I will have to suggest sessions on Webquests and Instructional Videos!

A New Culture for Teaching September 18, 2008

Stone Wiske’s article, “A New Culture for Teaching for the 21st Century” explains in a practical way how change needs to be brought about to education today’s students. Change doesn’t happen over night. But it is exciting to look over the past 10-15 years and look at changes that have taken place, and to understand why those changes were successful. Wiske describes how the NCTM has written standards and encouraged teachers to use graphing calculators to have students go into deeper analysis with the math they are studying. This is not a change that took place over night, but one that has positively impacted students in mathematics.

I think the department I work in models how teachers should work together to create change. Not everyone would list technology as a top priority in teaching. But teachers encourage each other. There is discussion within the department on a daily basis about which lessons were successful and which ones were not. Then teachers collaborate on how to make lessons better.

The best way to implement technology into the curriculum is to collaborate and learn from colleagues. The teachers who do not share their work with others, or don’t receive help from others are going to be left behind. There is no way one teacher could know everything there is to know about technology practices in schools. But collaborating teachers can maximize their ability to create meaningful lessons.

I think a next step in continuing the growth of technology in schools is for teachers to collaborate with teachers outside of their school. Professional development is good to learn new technologies. But you can only learn as much as a presenter knows. With the internet as accessible as it is, teachers can now share ideas with other teachers across the country.

Lasting and effective change does not take place in a day, month or year. Education should be constantly changing since our world is constantly changing. As educators we need to be willing to change our lessons, our interactions with students and our way of thinking to be an example to our students.

The future of learning through the eyes of a CTER student August 29, 2008

I had a certain view of education before I became a student in the CTER program.  I was definitely excited about technology and its role in the classroom, or I never would have applied for the program.  But my professors and classmates have opened my eyes to the possibilities.

I love being in online courses.  For me as a learner its nice to stay home while going to class.  I actually had postponed grad school because I didn’t want to sit in class for 4 hours once a week like many of the cohorts getting their masters in Curriculum and Instruction or their type 75 do.  Thankfully I found this program, something to advance my career that I am truly interested in.

That being said, I can’t imagine high schools going completely online.  I love interaction with my students.  The other day we were playing a game in Geometry and my students were laughing and having a good time.  I told them to make a note of the day that they actually had fun in math class.  That wouldn’t happen if all of the students were sitting in front of a computer.

I think students will use the ease of internet access to pursue passions they are interested in.  They could take an online course in a specific field of study that is not available at their high school.  They could collaborate on group assignments through wiki’s as the CTER students often do.  I think the kids who are high school students now are going to have some great ideas for how to use technology in the classroom in 5-10 years when they graduate college.  They are the kids who have grown up on facebook and social networking sights and the internet is a place where they spend a majority of their time.