Online Apps

The two online apps that I will be reviewing are Google Docs and Sumo Paint.

I use Google Docs for everything in my school.  I have set up folders just like a computer and you can save everything in the "cloud".  Therefore, you are not using any of the memory on your computer.  The part that is really nice is that I can work on something at school and then finish it at home or vice versa.  I can get the documents that I am working on at any computer.  I do not have to save them to a zip drive or email them to myself.  Therefore, if something happens to your computer, you will still have all of your documents.  Google docs allows you to make word documents, presentations, excel, and many more type of files.  I also have a Google Website.  I can link my pages of my website to the files that I have in my Google Docs.  Then when I make a change to the file on Google Docs, it automatically updates my website!  I don't have to update anything twice!
The only down fall that I have found so far is that I can not get my SMART board lessons saved on Google Docs.  However, I can save all of those on Drop Box.  The only problem with drop box is that you have to have all of the programs on the "other" computers that you might be using.  Therefore, if you don't have word on a computer, you can not work on a word document.  Google Docs has its own programs therefore you can use them everywhere!

Sumo paint is new to me.  But as soon as I started playing with it I saw a lot of different ways that I could use it in my Geometry Class.  In the picture below I made a tessellation   I could have my students figure out how many degrees the figures are moved, name the figures, and tell me what properties they have in order to make them the shape they say they are.  You could use a lot of other shapes also.  It was very easy to save on my computer.  However, outside of having students creating their own pictures or looking at pictures I create, I don't know the other uses that I would use it for.

Website

This week in my grad class, we were suppose to make our own website using Google Sites.  My site is located at https://sites.google.com/site/careypyke/home.  It is still a work in progress (just like everyone elses).  We have a new trimester starting in two weeks so once I have my syllabus made and more information done, I will be adding a lot more to my website.  However, right now I have a good lay out working!

Week 10 Reflection

The concept map I made is about factoring.  I find that students are always getting confused on how to factor whenever they are given an expression.  Once they know how to start factoring, they normally do just fine.  So this concept map I would give them as a teacher in order to help them figure out where to start out at.

Graphing Calculator Video

This is how to use the graphing calculator online.

First go to http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/productDetail/us_sdk_73_83_84.html and download the graphing calculator.  Once you have it completed downloaded and you restart your computer, double click on the debugger icon.  Go to file, new.  Press the play button.  

When the calculator comes up on your screen, it will look and be exactly like the ones we use in class.  In this video, I am showing you how to find the solution to a system of equations.

Week 8 Reflection

View Lesson Plan - Distance and Midpoints in a larger map This lesson would be a great project at the end of the distance and midpoint lesson in Algebra 1 or Geometry. I would have my students make their own map on Google Maps and then place their map on a coordinate plane. Once their map is on a coordinate plane, they would have to find the exact coordinates for each location that they put on their maps. They would need to make sure that the axis on their graphs are labeled the correct way in order to make sure the distances were real life (everyone should be in miles). Once they transferred their maps onto a coordinate plane, I would find them find the exact distance and midpoint between each location. I would have them check their distances with the distances that Google Maps gave them. I think that this project would help students understand how the distance and midpoint formulas can be useful in real life situations. They could also check their work with the distances that Google Maps gives them in order to make sure that they are using the distance formula correctly.

Week 7 Reflection

The podcasts that I found to be interesting are Ted Talks and NPR education.

Ted talks isn't necessarily about education (although a lot of them are) but there are a lot of different podcasts that make you think about different things that are going on. For instance, one that I listened to was about a doctor who was a violinist and he talked about the difference between music and medicine and how music can be better than medicine.

On NPR education there are talks about great education with ideas on how to improve education. Seems like there are new talks once a week. I think that podcasting would be interesting to use while I'm just driving in the car. My family lives an hour away from where I am and sometimes I'm sick of listening to the radio. I could plug in my iphone and listen to a podcast about education while I'm driving. It seems like I never get away from it, but anything to help my students I'm definitely willing to give a try! There are a lot of podcasts on how to improve student achievement, working with "at risk" students, things other teachers have tried, lessons that have worked and not worked.

 While reading Chapter 14, this paragraph really made sense to me,

 "This has fostered movements such as HPI, which views performance outcomes as the end result of a number of interacting elements such as clear expectations, timely and specific feedback, access to required information, adequate resources, properly aligned policies, efficient procedures, appropriate incentives and consequences, targeted training, comprehensive selection systems, communication of values, knowledge sharing, and varied management support activities as well as many others (e.g., Binder, 2009; Marker, 2008). The demonstrated ineffectiveness of single-solution, miracle interventions to improve performance have bred mistrust for the next “flavor of the month” and a receptiveness to the systemic approach of HPI."

I think of all of the ideas they covered here is exactly what you need to do in order to be a great teacher. Students need clear expectations for everything they are doing. Whenever my students have a project, they need a rubric. Then they know exactly what I am looking for and exactly how to get 100% or whatever grade they are trying to earn on it. I also am doing interactive notebooks with my students. On Friday when they turn in the notebooks, I give them a grading sheet so that they know exactly what I am grading and exactly what I am looking for.

 If you give your students high expectations, they always try to meet and exceed them! If you don't tell your students what you are looking for, they will never know and be able to grow to their full potential. When I grade tests and quizzing I always give them partial credit. If they mess up something easy like a negative sign, I always circle it so they know exactly what went wrong. If they do not know how to start a problem or get stuck in the middle, I give them hints or little clues on what do to next. This way, they can always do a correct and reflect in order to earn a higher grade. I think that fixing your mistakes is a great way to learn. When you can find these mistakes, it sticks with you more often for what 'not to do' next time.

 I think that access to required information, adequate resources, and properly aligned policies go together. In order to students to be able to learn and retain as much as possible, you need to make sure they have the resources and information they need. I always tell my students different websites they can use in order to watch tutoring videos at home. I always make my students be organized so they can use their notes and homework as a resource. In their notebooks, I have them make a table of contents so they can go back to and easily find what they are looking for.

 In order for students to feel comfortable, you need to make sure that are have clear expectations, positive, and negative consequences. They need to know that you care about what they are doing and you are there to help them. I have a Google voice number that I give each of my students so that they can get a hold of me any time. That way if they are doing their homework and need to talk to me they can. Also, some of my students don't have a person in their life they can talk to about difficult situations. I feel like I can be more than just a teacher to them. Some of my students are extremely happy that I give them this opportunity.

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