A Time of Reflection

As I am finishing up my course, Impact of Technology on Education, Work and Society, I want to take a moment to consider the effect that learning about technology has had on my own education and work. Prior to this course I had never created a blog, never visited a wiki or helped create one, never made a podcast or even taken the time to listen to one. I can now say that I have accomplished all of these activities. I have learned to consider ways that technology can change my classroom to do things differently rather than just do different things. For example, instead of replacing a white board with a Smartboard for the same notes, I can use the Smartboard to allow students to come and manipulate the materials.  As a teacher I need to utilize technology for collaboration among students and allow students to find answers and create solutions themselves rather than just delivering information to them.

I have learned that when students are working for an audience, such that the internet can provide through blogs, wikis and podcasts, the level of performance improves. Students may not be willing to put forth their best effort for a teacher, but if they know the entire world can access what they are doing they will do a better job. To expand my teaching and leading with technology I would like to continue with this theme of giving students an audience to perform for. Rather than have students hand in assignments to me, I would like for them to present their answers to their peers, and to work together to solve problems. By continuing to try new methods, groupings, and technology I will become more experienced as a teacher and thus expand my learning. I would like to continue to follow the blogs of other high school math and special education teachers to see what ideas they are using. Especially with the Common Core standards that are approaching my grade level, I can use ideas from teachers all over the country rather than just my building.

Within the next two years I will be teaching the Common Core standards, as well as be using a new format of assessment which requires more writing and justification in math. I would like to utilize a blog site in my classroom where students will have assignments that they have to explain (in writing) how they have come up with their math solutions. These blog postings will help prepare them for the upcoming assessment that will require such skills, and provide an audience for them to write for.  At present all blog sites are blocked at our school, so I will have to overcome that administrative obstacle. I will also need to obtain more technology options in my classroom. We currently allow students to use their smartphones in class, but I cannot expect all students to have that technology. Additionally, our school has several carts of IPads and laptops I am able to check out to my classroom, but if I had my own class set of either, my blog site idea would be easier to implement.

Another goal I have is to begin using the TNspires our math department already has. This is a technology I have only dabbled in, and would like to become more proficient with. Students enjoy using them, and it provides immediate feedback to the teacher. I would like to be using these tools at least once a week within the next two years.

Two areas I have improved on while taking this course are designing learning experiences that require students to formulate questions for inquiry and engage in real-world problem-solving activities; and modeling reflective practices and engaging students in activities that promote self-reflection and self-examination of their own learning.

Through the STEM initiative at our school I have been able to spend time with teachers collaborating on ways to engage students in real –world problem solving activities such as finding the height of several poles and trees on our school property, and many real life word problems involving quadratics and exponential growth/decay.

To encourage students to self-reflect on their learning I have used summarizing techniques such as having students explain how to solve a problem in writing, having students tell which part of the math they do not understand, or understand very well, and by having students hold up the number of fingers ranking how comfortable they feel with the lesson. 

I look forward to seeing where I will be at the end of 2013 after I have completed my entire coursework and see how proficient I will be with using technology in my classroom then. 

check out my podcast...

The beginning of the podcast does sound a bit like a monster, but then after a bit it returns to my normal voice... This is my first ever podcast!
I surveyed my advisement class at the high school about what access they have to technology, what technology they prefer, and how much time they spend using technology. Listen for results!

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/14460/episodes/76640

21st Century Skills

This week I spent some time looking around the website for Partnership for 21^st Century Skills. The website is devoted to helping US students develop skills needed to compete in the 21^st century global economy. While the website recognizes the need for teaching the three R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic), it introduces a need for also teaching the four C’s (critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity).  My state of Georgia has not adopted this initiative, but does implement STEM lessons, is adopting the Common Core Curriculum, and is also moving towards a more critical thinking format of testing with the PARC assessment.

I believe this website can be a useful tool for teachers to gain resources and make connections with other community members who are adopting 21^st century practices. On this website I read an article about skills assessment; while our nation is focused on assessment, it is mostly multiple choice and not task oriented.  The lack of applicable use of the 21^st century critical thinking skills shows that U.S. students are learning the material but are not learning how to apply it. 

Regarding 21^st Century Skills, something I disagree with is the comparison of education in the United States to other nations.  The theme seems to be that our nation is falling behind other nations in technological development and education standards. While I do believe that to be true, when we compare the student population to that of our foreign competition I believe we will find a vast difference. In other countries it is a privilege to go to school, and not all children attend school. In the United States we educate all students, and not all students are going to excel at critical thinking, and creative problem solving. Comparing the entire student populations’ test scores to the test scores of an elite student population is certain to produce skewed data.

Regardless of our nation’s education ranking and performance, the future of our students will require 21^st Century skills. It is up to me as a teacher to provide opportunities for students to practice critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and communication. I need to expose students to technology and allow them to become confident in using it so that they can take these skills and become innovative with them.

Blogging in the Classroom

How can a secondary math teacher use a blog in her classroom? Our calendar is filled to the brim as we strive to conquer all of the standards before the End of Course Test; high school math teachers do not have time for “fun” projects like playing with blog sites. Well, busy teachers; it is time to embrace the communication age. Students’ lives revolve around their cell phones, social networking sites, and the internet; if we want to connect to students we need to begin speaking their language.

Our 10^th grade Math 2 class uses a formula sheet throughout the school year, I cannot tell you how many times students need a new formula sheet throughout the year because they have lost theirs. Through the use of a blog posting, that problem can be solved and students can have access to their formula sheet at any time. Additionally, if teachers begin posting homework, upcoming test dates, and study guides on the blog, students and parents alike can be kept aware of all assignments. To help build community among students, parents, and teachers questions can be asked and answered on the blog as an additional form of communication.

Another idea to enhance lessons is to utilize the Doodle Buddy App for the I Pad. Our school is fortunate enough to have a class set of I Pads we received through a STEM grant. This app will allow students or the teacher to take notes on the I Pads, just as they would on a white board, and then the pictures can be saved and posted onto a class blog. This way a student who was absent could then have full access to the class notes as easily as they have access to their smartphone.

I am looking forward to learning more ways to use a blog in my busy classroom, and will share more ideas as I find them.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone! I am a high school special education coteacher, currently in math class settings in Georgia. I am adopting new ways to integrate technology into my life and classroom, beginning with this blog. Please feel free to post ideas or suggestions to help me with my endeavors.
In case you are wondering about the name...one of  our school's motto is "whatever it takes to graduate", followed closely by "do the right thing". I am sure you can imagine how these statements must go hand and hand. As a teacher I often find myself muttering these words to myself when I feel like I am pushed to my limits, but in reality my goal is really to do whatever it takes to get the students to graduate. Extra study guides, reminders of missing work,contacting parents, tutoring before school, whatever it takes.