Presentation Reflections

I feel that the presentations today were very good. I was glad that the blogging group went into more detail about blogs. I know the very basics of blogging but that is it. I feel that as a teacher I will use blogs very often to post information that the class might need, such as if a student misses a day they will know what they need to do in order to catch up. The group was organized and knew their information well. Manipulations are new to me so I learned a lot today from that group. They taught me many things and I now feel more comfortable using manipulations in my classroom. Both teams provided a lot of good resources and I feel that I will be able to use some of them in my own classroom when integrating technology in the lessons.

Technology Sharing Presentation Plan

Scenarios and Simulations

I. Introduction
-We will introduce the members of our group and also our topics. We will also give a brief outline of what our presentation will be about.

II. Scenarios
-We will introduce Scenarios and give some basic information about them. We will be using the following resources for this part of our presentation:
1.)http://www.gbn.com/AboutScenariosDisplayServlet.srv
2.)http://www.oecd.org/document/42/0,2340,en_2649_35845581_36507370_1_1_1_1,00.html
3.)http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

III. Simulations
-We will introduce Simulations and give some basic information about them. We will also give websites that have lesson plans and activities dealing with simulations. The class will be able to try out these activities during our presentation. We will be using the following resources for this part of our presentation:
1.)http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/simul/index.html
2.)http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm/ip.html
3.)http://www.techtrekers.com/sim.htm

IV. Conclusion
-Recap our presentation and give time for people to ask questions.

Our Map!

Here is a map of where we live. Enjoy!!!



We can calculate the distance from one place to another. You can also teach the pythagorean theorem using right triangles formed by different places on the maps. Google maps are also good for teaching coordinate systems. As a teacher you could give a coordinate and have the students locate it on the maps!

Ann's Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan #1

Target Audience: High School Geometry Class (10th-12th grade)

Big Idea: Using Geometer’s Sketchpad to construct different quadrilaterals and also use it to discuss the similarities and the differences between them.

Goal: For students to learn how to construct the different types of “special quadrilaterals.” Also, have them make conjectures about each quadrilateral and their diagonals.

Standards:
- G.3.1 Describe, classify, and understand relationships among the quadrilaterals square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, and kite.
- G.8.3 Make conjectures about geometric ideas. Distinguish between information that supports a conjecture and the proof of a conjecture.

Resources:
- http://www.indianastandards.org/index.asp
- http://mathforum.org/sketchpad/sketchpad.html


Lesson Plan #2

Target Audience: High School Algebra II Class (10th-12th grade)

Big Idea: How to model exponential decay and exponential growth and also, using a graphing calculator to show either growth or decay.

Goal: For students to understand what exponential growth and decay means. How to model exponential decay and growth with real world problems. To teach the students the proper way to graph these models on a graphing calculator.

Standards:
- A2.7.1 Graph exponential functions

- A2.7.8 Solve word problems involving applications of exponential functions to growth and decay.

Resources:
- http://www.indianastandards.org/index.asp
- http://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/methods/quantlit/expGandD.html


Lesson Plan #3

Target Audience: High School Algebra II Class(10th-12th grade)

Big Idea: Using a graphing calculator to graph inequalities and also to solve systems of quadratic inequalities.

Goal: For the students to understand how to graph inequalities using a graphing calculator and also what they will look like, what area to shade for example. The students will also learn how to solve systems of inequalities and they will understand the meaning of the graphs.

Standards:
-A2.2.3 Use systems of linear equations and inequalities to solve word problems.

-A2.2.1 Graph absolute value equations and inequalities.

Resources:
- http://www.indianastandards.org/index.asp
-

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan 1:
Target Audience:
Students ranging from 7th to 8th grade.
Overall Goal of the Lesson:
The overall goal of the lesson is to have students learn more about computation, percents, and representing them as decimal numbers. Fluency in computation is essential. They use percentages to calculate simple and compound interest. They also use mental arithmetic to compute with fractions, decimals, powers, and percentages.
Student Learning Objectives
Solve problems with percent of increase or decrease.
Rewrite fractions, decimals, and percents.
Assessment:
The students can be asked how do they prefer to spend their time? They will be given five options to pick from. Once you are done recording the survey, you can record the data by making a circle graph, with each part being a percent of the data. The sum of the percents must equal 100% because the circle graph represents all of the data. Some studentsd may already have some understanding of percents. Have them discuss what they already know about percents.
Indiana Content Standards Addressed:
7.2.2 Calculate the percentage increase and decrease of the quantity.
8.1.1 Read, write, compare, and solve problems using decimals in scientific notation.
8.2.4 Use mental arithmetic to compute with common fractions, decimals, powers, and percents.

Lesson Plan 2:
Target Audience:
Algebra 1 students that range from 7th to 8th grade students.
Overall Goal of the Lesson:
The goal of this lesson is to apply percent problems to real world situations such as finding the sale price of a pair of jeans.
Student Learning Objectives:
Solving percent application problems.
Assessment:
A worksheet will be given to the class in order to see if they understood and met the learning objectives. This worksheet will consist of questions that consist of successive discounts, which are used by retailers to make their discounts seem bigger. Will have students work a few more examples of applying one discount after another to show that the net discount rate is always smaller than the sum of the separate discount rates.
Indiana Content Standards:
8.2.1 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers (integers, fractions, and termininating decimals) in multi-step problems.
8.7.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships, telling relevant from irrelevant information, identifying missing information, sequencing and prioritizing, and observing patterns.

Lesson Plan 3
Target Audience:
Students in Algebra 1 ranging from 7th to 8th grade.
Overall Goal of Lesson:
Students will be expected to know what all different type of angles are and their properties. If we have two angles on a line, and one angle measurement is given, students should know how to solve for the other unknown angle.
Student Learning Objectives:
Solve equations to find angle measurements.
Assessment:
Students will be introduced to this by going back to the methods in which they used to solve equations to find the value of a variable. They will use this when they have to find the measurement of a certain angle on a given straight angle.
Indiana Content Standards:
8.4.1 Identify and describe basic properties of geometric shapes: altitudes, diagonals, angle and perpendicular bisectors, central angles, radii, diameters, and chords.

Lesson Plan 1:

Target Audience:

Students ranging from tenth grade to twelfth grade.

Overall Goal of the Lesson:

The overall goal of this lesson is to have students learn more about geometry and the properties of triangles, quadrilaterals, circles, and polygons.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Understand deductive reasoning
• Understand Euclid’s proof of the Pythagorean theorem
• Demonstrate mathematical proofs of selected theorems
• Learn more about Greek achievements in mathematics

Assessment:

The students will be assigned to research different proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem as well as a Greek mathematician using various resources from the internet. The students will watch a video about different theorems and use those theorems to complete an activity. This activity could be having the students measuring their own heights and the heights of their shadows and then record their results. From this lesson, students should be able to clearly demonstrate the ability to measure indirectly, and show a complete understanding of deductive reasoning in mathematical proofs.

Indiana Content Standards Addressed:

• G.5.1 Prove and use the Pythagorean Theorem.

• G.5.2 State and apply the relationships that exist when the altitude is drawn to the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

• G.8.1 Use a variety of problem-solving strategies, such as drawing a diagram, making a chart, guess-and-check, solving a simpler problem, writing an equation, and working backwards.
• G.8.2 Decide whether a solution is reasonable in the context of the original situation.

Lesson Plan 2:

Target Audience:

Geometry high school students ranging from ninth grade to twelfth grade.

Overall Goal of the Lesson:

The overall goal of the lesson is to make sure the students have a clear understanding of how perspective drawing differs from three dimensional sketching, how to do both types of drawing, and what is meant by a vanishing point.

Student Learning Objectives:

• Understand perspective drawing
• Understand three dimensional sketching
• Demonstrate both types of drawings
• Understanding of a vanishing point

Assessment:

A worksheet will be given in order to demonstrate that the students have met the learning objectives. This worksheet will have the students do two different types of sketches: those that ‘look’ three dimensional and those that are drawn into perspective. Students will be able to finish most of this worksheet during class; however, what is not completed will be assigned for homework.

Indiana Content Standards:

• G.8.7 Construct logical arguments, judge their validity, and give counterexamples to disprove statements.
• G.8.2 Decide whether a solution is reasonable in the context of the original situation.
• G.8.9 Perform basic constructions, describing and justifying the procedures used. Distinguish between constructing and drawing geometric figures.

Lesson Plan 3:

Target Audience:

Students in Algebra I.

Overall Goal:

Students will find the slope and y-intercept of a line given its graph and write the equation of a line in slope-intercept form. Students will also demonstrate understanding of how the slope and y-intercept of a line are related to its equation.

Student Learning Objectives:

• How to find the slope of a line
• How to find the y-intercept of a line
• Demonstrate how both a related to its equation

Assessment:

The students will be introduced to the concept by studying the slope of the line and its intersection point with the vertical axis in the xy plane. In order to demonstrate that the students have met the learning objects an activity will be given a worksheet that they could work on individually or in a group. Finally, a discussion will be held in order for the students to present their findings from the worksheet and put together the information they learned from this lesson.

Indiana Content Standards:

• A1.4.2 Find the slope, x-intercept, and y-intercept of a line given its graph, its equation, or two points on the line.

A1.4.3 Write the equation of a line in slope-intercept form. Understand how the slope and y-intercept of the graph are related to the equation

Amy, Reflection 6

http://www.adobe.com/education/products/captivate.html?tab:k12=1
This website provides information about the computer program Adobe Captivate 2 for Education. This computer program provides both students and teachers the abilitly to create an engaging learning environment. Within this website there are different testimonials that users have written about their experience with this product. This program would be good to use in the classroom because students would be able to use the many different features and tools incorporated with it. I would use this program to create a positive and stimulating learning environment through different quizzes, scenarios, and simulation tools that are available.
~~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulations
This website provides interesting information on the use of simulations. Not only does it provide a detailed definition and history, but it also provides different ways simulations can be applied to things like education and medical concepts. I would use this website in my classroom to correctly inform students on how simulations are and could be used to further their education.
~~

http://phet.colorado.edu/web-pages/simulations-base.html

This website provides great information on different simulations that are available to use. It also gives other really good website that could be used while learning about simulations. It would be a very useful tool to use in the classroom because the students would be able to relate their math related activity to a fun and interesting simulation. It would help the students to be more focused and intrigued with learning mathematics.

Ann's Resources

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/simul/index.html
My first resource is a site that gives the definition of what a simulation is. It also provides advantages and disadvantages for using simulations. This site also gives advice on how to incorporate simulations into the classroom and also how to adapt to this different way of teaching. This site provides information to teachers who want to learn more about and also how to use simulations in the classroom.


http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm/ip.html
My second resource actually gives examples of simulations that a teacher could use in their actual classroom. It provides video clips, lesson plans and also worksheets on how to do various simulations. This site can be used for real life math problems. The exercises in this website will show the students how math can be applied to real life and how math is actually used in every day life.

http://www.techtrekers.com/sim.htm
My last resource is like my second one. It once again gives examples of simulations that can be used specifically for math. This site gives grade range for each simulation and gives a brief description of what it is all about. The grades range from 4th to 12th, and there is an example for a lot of different topics in math.

My first resource for scenarios comes from scenario thinking. It says it is the world's No. 1 open community on scenario thinking and scenario planning where one can publish scenarios, and reflect on the planning processes and also share online resources about scenario planning in a democratic manner.
http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

My second resource comes from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OEDC). They talk about seeking more efficient ways of maintaining established practice, rather than about shaping the long term. It discusses how to develop scenarios and use them to address the challenges confronting policy and practice.
http://www.oecd.org/document/42/0,2340,en_2649_35845581_36507370_1_1_1_1,00.html

My third resource comes from Global Business Network. It explains the history of scenario thinking. It also says that scenarios are tools for ordering one's perceptions about alternative future environments in which today's decisions might be played out. Scenarios resemble a set of stories, written or spoken, built around carefully constructed plots.
http://www.gbn.com/AboutScenariosDisplayServlet.srv

My first resoure comes from Wikipedia, which is the free encyclopedia online. It basically goes into detail of what a blog is. It includes such information that range from the history, types of blogs, blog popularity, blogging and the mass media, and legal issues with blogging. The site basically notes that a blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog


My second resource comes from marketingterms. It basically gives information on blogging and what it consists of. It also states that a blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, much like Wikipedia had done when it stated as being an on-line journal.
http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/blog/



My third resource is blog connection. It has such items as blog connection that categorizes the blogs into personal, business, photo, family, and community blog. It also contains blog FAQs, articles, software, templates, and directories.
http://www.blog-connection.com/

The video I chose to watch was called “Eager to Learn.” This video clip was about students at Moanalua High School who are participating in a class called Media Communications and Technology Integrated Studies Program. This class combines social studies, English, and multimedia into different projects throughout the program. This class allows students to work on different projects that relate to them and then show these projects to the entire school. The technology that was used in the video was mainly computers, televisions, video cameras, and pretty much everything else needed to produce a video. The technology in this lesson was mainly student-centered. The teachers would be there if the students had any questions, but mostly the students were the ones who were working with the technology. In one of the projects the students were making a documentary on one teachers grading policy in the school. I could see that it was the students’ responsibility to video tape other students and teachers outside of their classroom and then take the video clip back into class to start editing. The teacher was not present when the students were taping, but he was present for help while editing.

I believe technology makes the lesson more engaging. It helps the students to stay focused since it is more of a hands on approach. If the students were just sitting there watching the teacher work with technology then they would most likely get bored. However, technology is something that students could incorporate into their lives outside the classroom as well. This helps to make the lesson more interesting when the students know they will be able to apply it to the real world.

One teacher in the video commented on how she sees the new technology in the classroom as an ‘asset and a challenge.’ I agree with this statement because it will help the students learn more, but it is often challenging to learn the correct ways to use technology. There are many challenges that teachers and students may face when integrating technology into the classroom. Many times students can get easily distracted while on the internet or playing a game on the computer. This could make the process of learning new technology longer and harder if one does not pay close attention. Also, if the student does not know the correct way to use technology then they may not be able to complete the projects that were assigned to them which ultimately may make them fall behind in the course.

Overall, I believe that using technology in learning and teaching has many more advantages than disadvantages. Students are able to feel more like they are in control in a classroom when using technology and a lot less like the class is centered on the teacher. Technology may be difficult to learn and understand at first, but once you feel comfortable with how to use it, it will help expand and enrich one’s learning experience.

website: www.edutopia.org click on video library, then technology integration

Video Case Analysis

The video that I watched was called From Hula to High Tech. This video clip talked about an elementary school integrating technology in at a very early age. It also talked about how all the students got a chance to use the technology. The teachers at the school wanted all the students to learn how to use the technology and everybody got involved in the process. At this elementary school the students used, computers, VCR's, video camera's, and also all the equipment necessary to make a TV news cast. Every single grade from Kindergarten till 5th grade got involved in the news cast. Everyone throughout the year had some part in the production. Even though there was a lot of technology being used the teachers however were not the center of the classroom. The teachers let the students figure out their complications on their own. The teacher in charge of the news production actually said that it teaches them responsibility and also it also shows them problems that they will face as they grow up. The news production wasn't going as smoothly as it should have been but the teacher let the students in the production room solve the problem on their own and continue on with production. Another example showing that it was student-centered was the fact that every student had access to a computer in the classroom. The teacher wasn't up in front of the class teaching them how to do something from her computer, the students were doing the task and the teacher was going around the room supervising and answering any questions that the students might have.

I believe that technology makes the classroom a lot more engaging. Technology provides the students with more hands on task and these types of task make a classroom more exciting. Also, the students aren't just sitting there listening to the teacher lecture, they are actually doing what they are taught; this way the teacher can answer any questions that a student might have right there in class. Integrating technology in the classroom provides the students with information that they might not get in a normal classroom. When preparing for a lesson that includes technology the teacher has to make sure that he/she knows how to use and teach the best way for going about using that type of technology. Also, the teacher has to make sure that technology will fit in with the lesson for that day. Another big task for the teacher is keeping the students engaged on the topic. Sometimes when a student gets access to a computer they play around on it instead of doing what the teacher wants them to do. To assess student performance I would have weekly meetings with the students and have them show me how to do certain things with the technologies. This way I can see what they have learned and what they still need to work on. This will also show me that they are learning things from the technologies and that they actually know how to do they things that I teach in class. Another way to assess is just to walk about the room and monitor the students on a daily basis.

There are several advantages to using technology in the classroom. Its more advanced and more exciting then just sitting behind a desk all day. It is also hands on, and many kids enjoy those kinds of task. Technology is changing everyday and teaching them at a young age will provide them with information that will help them when they get older. They will know how to use the basic programs before entering high school and will have an advantage over the students who didn't have access at an early age. There will be some challenges for the teacher and for the students. The teacher has to realize that everybody learns at a different pace so for some student he/she might have to spend more time making sure that they are grasping the topic. Also, some students don't feel comfortable working with technology and might not like that kind of teaching, so teachers might have to alternate their lessons going from more hands on to the more basic style of teaching. Another challenge for the teacher would be getting access to the technologies. I know that a lot of school don't have the money to buy the technologies that some teachers would like to have.

Here is the site that I used:
http://www.edutopia.org click on video library and for topic select integrating technology

Zach, Reflection

I chose to do my technology reflection over "Laptops on Expedition". This video took place in a Main Middle school with a 7th grade science class. The video starts off by showing a presentation by the students to an audience consisting of parents, teachers, and so called experts. The class prject was a to make a CD-ROM featuring information and interesting facts on endangered species. The students did their research on the internet, and then formatted the information they chose to use to a CD-ROM.
The school enrollment consists of a very diverse group. It was noted that the school has 28 different languages that are spoken and also that 60% of the students qualified for free or reduced lunches. However, ever since the curriculum was altered to fit in this new wave of technology projects, the school's standardized test scores went from the bottom 1/3 in the state to the top 1/3. The school chose to alter its curriculum by intergrating the basic subjects of science, math, social studies, and english with artwork, community members, and field work. They chose not to use text books for their teaching of the class.
One example was for their CD-ROM project, they had so called experts of a particular specie come to the school and the students would interview them in class while being recorded on video. Then, they would take this video and edit it for their project in their video production class. I was very interested in the fact that they were offered a video production class since I did not have one in my school.
All the success does not go to the school however. The school connected with local business people such as Phillip Rhinelander, who is president of Xpress Copy Services, and an accomplished documentary film maker from Huey Filmaker, who helped with developing the video so that it would look as professional as possible.
However, last and most important fact that was mentioned was that every student in class did his or her own assigned work for the project. I feel that projects like this will help everybody in class be intrigued and become more involved in their subjects, this preventing any student from being "left behind".

My video was on the site of http://www.edutopia.org and select video review then select Laptop on expeditions.

Reflection #3

When I was in high school we did not use a lot of technology. We did have computer labs but we hardly ever used them unless we were typing papers or doing research. After doing the first 2 reflections I have realized that there is a lot of technology that I didn't even know about. Whiteboards, tablets, and clickers are all good tools when using technology in the classroom. I have also realized that I do not know a whole lot about using technology in the classroom because I have no past experience. I hope we can use some of these different technologies during this class so I will get some experience working with them and will also feel comfortable working with them in my own classroom.


Reflection #4

I feel that our e portfolio's will benefit us greatly in the future. This will give our employers a look at some of our previous work. Creating this e portfolio will show them that I have had technology experience and I can bring that experience to my own classroom. It's also a chance to showcase what I have done in the classroom so far. The e portfolio is also a resource for me, I can go get previous lesson plans that I did in the past and also get the links to websites that I think are very informative. The team blogs are a good way for us to learn about the different technologies out there. It gives us a chance to work in groups and create something that we can use for later use. I feel that both the blogs and the e portfolio's are very beneficial and will help us in the future.

Amy-->Reflection 3 and 4

Reflection 3:

Over the past couple of weeks we have been learning a lot about the different technologies that we could incorporate into our future classrooms. I think that it is important to integrate these technologies any way we can in order to help keep the students interested. It seems, to me, that many students get distracted very easily and by integrating tools like tablet pc’s and interactive whiteboards into the classroom it may be much easier to keep their attention for a longer period of time. Many new technologies can serve as a guide to help learn the harder material. Students could use technology like the internet to help them with a task he/she may be having trouble on. Tablet PC’s can be used by both the teacher and the student in order to produce work that is nice and organized. Overall, technology is an important tool that can and should be used by students inside and outside the classroom.

Reflection 4:

I am very excited to work on and manage my e-portfolio. However, it is still very confusing to me. I am not exactly sure what we need to fill out now and what we have to wait to fill out later (it seems like there are a lot of pages that we’ll fill out later, is that right?). I think that the e-portfolio will be a great tool to have while applying for teaching positions. It is a place where you can not only state your own opinions, but also have the opinions of your peers. Plus it is a great and easy way to organized! As for the blogs, I think that it is a great place to reflect and write about your specific thoughts and ideas.

Zach's Reflection Three and Four

3. On my reflections 1,I talked about the most common technologies that I've experienced in school. I also ranked the prior technology as far as how comfortable I felt with the technology. In reflection 2, I listed my top five technologies with the interactive whiteboard being my number one. I like the fact that with the interactive whiteboard you can use it in class so that everybody can see the work you are doing on the board, as well as have your students show their own work in front of the class. It gives them more of a way to interact with the other students by showing their strategies or explainations for solving the problems.

4. As far as my reflection on the E-Portfolio and the blogging, I am very intrigued by this E-Portfolio. While working on my portfolio, I found myself confused alot, but still very interested and curious about all the possibilities that I could do with web pages. In regards to blogging, all I really understand about this is that people do that on Wilkipedia where they can look up facts that other people have posted about a certain subject or topic. The other interesting trait is the ability to go in and edit people's blogs or add to their blog.

i am confused

What is going on here

I have no idea right now. Somebody help me!

Our theme is scenarios and Simulations