PowerPoint Reflection

Brief description of the lesson/topic presented on the PowerPoint

My content area is mathematics so I chose to create a PowerPoint on Matrices. In the presentation, I go over the basic operation of matrices including adding matrices, subtracting matrices, and multiplying matrices by a scalar. I also included a real life problem to show how to organize data into a matrix.

Brief description of the features used in your PowerPoint. Did you use any "challenge" features? Why/Why not.

I used many basic features in my PowerPoint and also tried to incorporate some "challenge" features as well. For basic features, I used a slide theme and incorporated WordArt for the titles on each page. I had a lot of fun playing around with the custom animations and transitions as well. I used images for the matrices I found online and included hyperlinks to cite my resources. I also included images from Photo Booth on my Mac and had a lot of fun with that! Some "challenge features" I used were tables for my data and SmartArt graphics.

Did you learn anything new in the process?

In this process I learned about the SmartArt graphics. I had no idea what that was until I explored it and looked at the various layouts. I was surprised how many graphics they provide and found them very useful in making the presentation more appealing. I will definitely use SmartArt graphics in my future PowerPoint presentation.

How can a lesson be enhanced with Presentation Software (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Docs Presentation software, etc.)

Presentations can be enhanced with presentation software like PowerPoint by making lessons and lectures more appealing and more interesting. They also provide a framework for both the teacher and the student. For the teacher, they can use their PowerPoint as a reference to refer to and to help them throughout their lesson or lecture. For students, a PowerPoint helps them to see the main points laid out for them to take notes from or to guide their learning.

T2P Week 5

If teachers approach conundrums in the learning environment with pedagogical beliefs of relational care, then the teacher's solution will directly benefit the students and more likely solve the problem because a foundation has already been established.

While creating a heuristic to approach a conundrum, I believe teachers should use their pedagogical care to support their thought process in coming up with a strategy. Teachers need to have the ability to look past their bias and listen to their students without passing judgment. It is also important to consider affect in understanding the problem. Teachers need to care in the sense that their students feel cared for when solving the problem. It is important for teachers to think of their students as their own. When teachers are autonomous in their work and conscientiously pursue certain goals for their students, they are acting as a parent and putting all their time and effort into coming to a solution that is best for the students. As teachers, all our energy needs to flow towards the cared for. If we've developed a caring relationship with out students, we will more likely find a solution to a conundrum because we have already created that caring foundation.

EDCI 5825 Week 5 Blog Questions

1. Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms? Please explain.

In a world surrounded by technology, all teachers should be encouraged to create online activities for students within their traditional classrooms. Although personal, face-to-face contact is important and necessary in the learning environment, online activities create new opportunities for students that provide many benefits. One benefit is that some students feel safer expressing themselves online (November, 2010). Students can interact and respond to each other freely on their own time, allowing them to be more thoughtful with their feedback “without fear of recrimination” (November, 2010, p. 89).

Another benefit of online activities for students is the advantage of a collaborative environment on the Internet where students reach out and work together creating a positive relationship between peers (November, 2010). Since the Internet is a highly shared tool, students work and rely on each other and “learn what each other think and believe” (November, 2010, p. 89). In regular classrooms, there is not as much sharing of ideas because students fear they are being judged; online activities create a judgment-free zone. November (2010) mentions one student from an online school known as VHS who says, “You can really know someone just by what’s inside them, by the comments they say and that type of thing, instead of thinking, ‘Ooo, that person looks weird’” (p. 90).

Finally, online activities allow students to take on the responsibility of managing information (November, 2010). November (2010) says, “With online learning, students can do their work when they are best prepared mentally and physically to do it, whether that is 9 a.m., 8 p.m., or 2 a.m.” (p. 91). Students are given the responsibly to manage their time freely and motivate themselves to complete their work (November, 2010). Online learning activities are not for everyone but I think it is important to encourage teachers to create some online activities and take advantage of all the benefits the Internet has to offer.

2. Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.

Social networking has and will continue to develop throughout the 21^st century. The power of social interaction will continue where we build complex networks of resources allowing for learning to be a “continuous conversation among many participants” (Richardson, 2010, p. 86). With the explosion of Twitter, schools can communicate with parents and others in the community as well as find links to student work, presentation, or relevant articles on a variety of topics (Richardson, 2010). Social bookmarking sites such as Delicious and Diigo, create learning environments where teachers and students can organize “vast libraries of information” on their own as a great tool for sharing information (Richardson, 2010, p. 91).

Social networking also gives students a new experience to engage in “self-directed, peer based learning” different from what they are used to in traditional classrooms (Richardson, 2010, p. 132). From an educational standpoint, social network sites such as Facebook and Ning create an interest-based learning environment (Richardson, 2010). “The key to both of these sites for educators is to move beyond the friendship-based connections and really explore the potentials of the networked, interest-based learning that’s possible within these frames” (Richardson, 2010, p. 132). Social networked learning creates a 21^st century vision that stresses “cooperation, interactivity, mutual benefit, and social engagement” (Richardson, 2010, p. 133). Let the social connecting and learning begin!

T2P Hypotheses "Voices of Youth Today"

The Power of Whole Brain Teaching

If teachers encourage students to draw, mirror, talk, or model, attending to their various learning styles, then they will be more likely to progress as learners enabling them to retain information and get closer to independent performance. For example, in the video "Whole Brain Teaching: High School Math," Kristin DeWit teaches her class a lively algebra lesson, what she calls "whole brain teaching." She has her students mirror the concepts she is teaching and then has them teach each other in pairs creatively referring to half the students as the "north" and half the students as the "south." She says, "North, I'd like you to tell the south about the four types of lines we have. (clap, clap) Teach." She also uses rhymes to keep the students entertained and engaged. She says, "Classsss" and the students respond, "Yessss." Vygotsky would say this teaching method is effective because learning cannot be separated from social context. In the zone of proximal development, students' assisted performance allows them to become closer to independent performance. As a teacher, I think that students should be actively engaged in a lesson, whether it involves talking concepts out with peers, mirroring concepts for repetition, or incorporating visuals into a lesson. By creating an engaging learning environment that does not separate social context, my students will achieve, progressing through their entire learning experience.

Pedagogical Care

If teachers develop a trusting, nurturing student-teacher relationship where they show students that they care and will never give up on them, then students will feel empowered to make change in their lives and stay out of trouble to reach their goals towards a better future. For example, in the video "Youth Voices," Eric, a fifteen year old 9th grader, talks about his father's struggle to get a job as a construction worker. He talks about his math teachers that really made an impact in his life. "Miss Vondant, she's trying to help me out too. She helps me fill out job applications because I tell her I need the money to help my dad and she's like 'just do good in school Eric, we'll all be here to help you, for anything.'" Eric also says that he wants to join the army and then become a cop, "something that will keep me out of the streets." About Eric, Noddings would say that his teacher portrays relational care, establishing a "framework" for learning that pushes Eric to pursue his goals to make a better future for himself and his father. As a teacher, I understand that I must first listen to my students and give them a chance. I accept my responsibility to provide a "relational sense of caring" where my students feel cared for and provide them with memorable experiences as a foundation to their learning toward a positive future.

Students Speaking from the Heart

If students, living a life surrounded by debt and family struggles, come together in learning environments where teachers provide a place where their voices can be heard, then students can express their feelings and bond together to solve their problems and build a better world. For example, in the video "Is Anybody Listening?" Village Academy High School students speak out about the struggle they face every day and the stress in their lives. Their teacher, Michael Steinman, allows his students to speak from the heart and gives them a chance to share their personal stories. "We decided to put together a very heart felt testimony to what kids are going through...let their thoughts flow freely." In the testimony, one student named Ana says, "I have lots of stress, I'm getting sick of it. I can't even concentrate in school anymore." Michael Steinman says, "The students have come to realize they have to bond together, as a community we have to bond together, and work to solve these problems....we're all in this." About these students, Maslow would say that their basic needs must be met in order for them to achieve needs higher in the Hierarchy of Needs. Their basic needs are not being met outside the classroom and this is the reason why the students are struggling to focus in school. Maslow would say that their teacher is providing them with a safe, structured classroom environment where they can express their emotions freely meeting their basic needs. As a teacher, I think it is important to give your students a voice and allow them to express their emotions and come together to relate to one another. There are so many things out there, and it is my job to show students that their dreams are attainable.

Website Creation

Here is the link to my website:

Maureen C's Website

What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.

I had very positive reactions to the entire web development process. I always have been curious to learn how to create a website and this project showed me how easy this process can be! I didn't know there were free programs out like like Weebly to use! The only negative reaction I had during this process was when I couldn't figure out how to include some features.

What was involved in the process of developing your site? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome those obstacles? What successes did you encounter?

To develop my site, I used Weebly and used images I obtained from Google to add to my site and make it more appealing. I decided to include a home page, a homework page, a contact page, and a class blog. On the homepage, I added a funny mathematics video and a link to a fun website for students to go to for math practice and games. On the homework page, I included a link to a tutorial for their calculators. Some obstacles I encountered were having trouble adding an image or link. To overcome these obstacles I used my peers as resources and they helped by showing me how to add these features.

Will you continue to build on/update this site after this course ends? Why/Why not? Please explain.

I think I will use this website in my future classroom but I will definitely need to makes some changes and add more important information. I would use this website instead of creating a new website because I have already added some basic features that I would want in my future classroom's website. I could use build on this one instead of starting from scratch.

What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?

One error I found when I tested my website for 508 compliance was "The use of color must not be a single method for indicating important information on a web page." I think this means that I need to make sure that all the information on my page in color needs to also be made available without color. That way people who are color blind can see my information.

Here is the entire list of my results: Results

Internet Workshop Reflection

What feedback on your Internet Workshop did you receive from your two group members online?

After going over my Internet workshop, the overall feedback that I received was positive. They liked that I incorporated group work right at the start of the workshop. They said that by having the students work in pairs, each student can feed off of each other and learn from each other. One partner might see one aspect and another partner might look at something different and together they might see things that they wouldn't if they worked alone. They also liked how I decided to do my Internet workshop in 2 class periods and thought this was a sufficient amount of time for my task. They also said that the preparation for teachers section on my lesson plan was well thought out. My peers also said that my idea to have the students come back and evaluate another website together of the overhead projector is a great way to access their learning. One piece of advice I received was on my rubric. Although it was well thought out, my peers said that it might be too wordy and a little too overwhelming for my students. They thought it would be better if I shortened it a bit and made things clearer.

Will you use the Internet Workshop, or use a revised version of the Internet Workshop in your future classroom? Please explain.

I think that I would use this Internet workshop in my future classroom. I think it is important for my students to know how to evaluate mathematics websites online so that they know whether or not they are credible and can use them as resources for extra practice in mathematics. I would probably take my peers advice and revise the rubric before using it in my classroom but other than that I think this workshop is a great lesson for my students.

Briefly summarize your group's discussion of the statement, "Students will become victims of the expansive dark side of the Internet unless we teach the critical thinking necessary to make meaning out of the overwhelming and potentially manipulative amount of information that is now available and growing every day" (November, 2010, p.27).

During our discussion of this quote we said that with hoax websites that are available online, students may take everything they read as true and that is why it is our jobs as teachers to army our students with the skills to critically evaluate a website. There are also a lot of corporate websites on the Web that have a lot of information on them but are sneaky with a hidden purpose of trying to sell the reader something. Internet is a big part of our lives today and students go to the Web a lot more than books for research so we must educate students and provide them evaluation skills. There is no way to get around the Internet, is has become an essential part of our lives. In our discussion we also talked about how in another class we talked about G. Siemens and his idea of "cognitive off-loading." In today's world full of technology, we no longer have to remember things. Instead we off load knowledge into something else such as a device that we can refer to. A great example is cell phones. A majority of people would say that without their cell phone they would not know people's numbers other than their home or maybe their parents. Instead of having the knowledge in our head, we must become competent in knowing how to critically evaluate other resources where information is stored. Since we live in an age where we go to resources for knowledge and don't need to have everything stored in our heads, it is crucial for students to be equipped with the skills to determine if something is valid.

T2P Week 4

Theorists provide multiple modes of learning that help to assign the teacher's role in the learning process as well as the student's role in the learning process. I think it is interesting to look into each theorist's role and compare their views to another theorist. I made the most connection with Nel Noddings. I believe that in order to have a positive, effective learning environment, teachers need to develop a trusting, caring student-teacher relationship. Teachers need to adopt "relational caring" where it is more than looking at their claim to care but to care in the sense that the student recognizes he or she is being cared for. Students will be more efficient in their productivity if there is a foundation of trust and care. Teachers need to uncover their students already inherent goals for learning by developing a caring relationship, and focusing through student-centered teaching. When a teacher takes extra time to create a curriculum that includes student interests, they not only benefit the students but also feel more competent themselves. To me, that is powerful stuff!

EDCI 5825 Week 4 Blog Questions

1. What is the right balance between giving students freedom to explore the Web for research and providing them with structure and guidance?

The right balance between giving students freedom to explore the Web for research and providing them with structure and guidance is through the use of primary sources. Teachers can provide students structure by providing certain agencies to research and find their primary sources but they will have the freedom to explore what they want to research. The National Archives and Records Administrations (NARA) is a federal agency that contains all permanently valuable federal records and this organization is developing a website providing public access to these documents (November, 2010). The authenticity of these documents allows students to explore but also know that what they are reading is valid.

Students have freedom in their research but also guidance through the Digital Classroom (November, 2010). November (2010) says “the Digital Classroom provides educators and students with primary source material and with tools for using primary sources in the classroom” (p. 67). This collection is available on the Internet through the National Archives and provides primary sources that are easily accessible (November, 2010).

Another resource from NARA is the Archival Research Catalog (ARC), which is an online catalog that provides information and digital copies of thousands of primary source documents (November, 2010). November (2010) provides an example of a classroom where the teacher has students do research on this database using the names of significant people they knew had to do with the government. One student researched George Bush and found a document about another George Bush that was not the President he was looking for. After doing more research to find biographical information, he did find that this George Bush and President Bush were both pilots. This example shows “the power of primary sources in not just teaching historical content, but also in encouraging valuable research skills” (November, 2010, p.69).

2. What is the role of the teacher in helping students to make meaning of primary source material?

The role of the teacher in helping students to make meaning of primary source material is to provide structure and direction to the students (November, 2010). It is important for teachers to help students because many students have not developed strategies to evaluate primary sources. There are many ways teachers can help. One skill teachers should teach their students is “to understand the language and perspective of the organization or the people who provide primary source material” (November, 2010, p. 73). November (2010) gives an example of students searching “Trail of Tears” on NARA to search for information on the forced march of the Cherokee from their homelands. The federal government would not have called the removal of the Cherokee “Trail of Tears” and the students’ search may have been more productive if they took into consideration the government’s perspective (November, 2010).

A few more skills teachers should teach their students are to think about bias and subtleties, to sort fact from fiction by being visually literate, and to think critically about the primary sources (November, 2010). Teachers should guide students’ questions by encouraging students to focus on a specific question when analyzing a primary source (November, 2010). It is also important for students to examine other sources to help them learn about their primary source (November, 2010).

3. How can teachers use Podcasting and/or multimedia tools to promote collaborative learning?

To promote collaborative learning, teachers can use Podcasting and other multimedia tools such as videocasting, screencasting, and live-streaming TV. All these tools allow students to publish their work to an audience allowing for communication to share ideas and learn together. Podcasts are quick to make and easy to consume through RSS (Richardson, 2010). RSS allows people to subscribe to their podcast so that they can view new podcats whenever they are created (Richardson, 2010). If students publish their own podcats and subscribe to others, they can be creating and contributing ideas to a larger conversation (Richardson, 2010). Education Podcast Network is a great website to visit to view nearly 1,000 different education-related shows that students can use (Richardson, 2010). Richardson (2010) gives an example of students who create “Coleycasts,” making their “learning transparent to others” (p. 116) by creating “enhanced” podcasts with audio and accompanying slides. Another example is “Students Teaching Students,” which is a podcast created by fifth graders in Thailand to “think about how to better understand the reading process and the themes, plots, and characters for the books they are reading” (Richardson, 2010, p. 116). It is amazing what students can learn when they work together through these podcasts.

Video casting is another tool that promotes collaborative learning. With websites like Teacher Tube, students can view thousands of student-and-teacher-produced videos as well as upload videos of their own for others to look at (Richardson, 2010). This is another tool that allows students to communicate through creativity. Screencasting is also very useful for students to learn from together. With programs like Jing, students can create training videos for their peers to teach each other (Richardson, 2010). Finally, live streaming allows students to create TV on the web for the classroom through online video streaming sites like Ustream.tv (Richardson, 2010). For example, with live streaming, students can go online and participate in live review of the election and conduct a careful analysis of the voting by interacting with the “viewers” (Richardson, 2010). The possibilities for collaborative learning are endless!

Screencast Reflection

After reviewing feedback provided by other groups in response to my groups’s survey, I think the overall effectiveness of our screencast went well. My group worked very well together and we were successfully able to create a screencast in the instructed amount of time. At first we struggled with thinking of features we can teach in our screencast but once we got going we were able to quickly work through the project. What worked best in our group was our ability to break up the work. While some people were working on the actual screencast other people were working on the google doc and survey. I left class feeling very accomplished and proud of my group.

Some positive reactions to our screencast were that people said it was very clear and easy to follow along. By providing high ratings, people also said that the information for the basic skills and the special skills is useful in teaching. Many people also liked learning about how use tracking and leave comments in Microsoft Word. Some negative reactions were involving our footnote example. Multiple people said that they would have liked it better if we went through the formatting on footnotes and created one rather than just deleting one that was previously there. The feedback I received on Google Form was helpful but I wished I asked more elaborate questions to get a deeper understanding of what people thought. My group asked 4 questions on our survey that were scale based where reviewers only had to provide a number 1 through 5. Although I got a general idea from their ratings, I wish my group asked questions that had the reviewers provide a written response explaining their rating.

I found screencasts created by other groups very helpful for my teaching and learning. I am not very familiar with Microsoft Excel so that screencast helped me the most! Their audio was very clear and broke up each instruction, making it easier to follow. I also learned some advanced features on Microsoft PowerPoint that I never knew were available before. I would love to incorporate these screencasts into my future classrooms because students may not know some features on Microsoft Office that would be useful to them.

Students would benefit from the use of these screencasts because they could use the basic skills to review what they know on Microsoft Office and use the advanced skills to learn some things they didn't already know. The screencasts can be a review or a learning tool.

I will definitely use screencasts in my future classrooms. I wish I was introduced to them before graduate school. I think screencasts are great projects for students to practice using as well as learn from other student's screencast. With the rapid growing technology around us, it is important to expose students to the technology avaiable to them!

Thanks!

Maureen C.

EDCI 5825 Week 3 Blog Questions

1. Now that there is unlimited potential to celebrate the work of students with their communities, what is the best way to mange this opportunity?

The best way to celebrate the work of students with their communities is to have students publish their work on the web. A student gets a sense of acknowledgment for the contribution they made to their community (November, 2010). With an audience reviewing their work outside the isolated classroom, students feel motivated and get a sense of pride knowing that they are important (November, 2010). When students publish their work online, teachers can show their students the work of other students so that they want to improve on their work (November, 2010). A great resource for teachers to find other students work for their students to preview is Think Quest (November, 2010).

2. How can we create authentic work and relationships for our students to give them a deeper meaning in relation to complex issues such as globalization and cultural sensitivity?

Teachers can create authentic work and relationships for our students to get them thinking about global issues and cultural awareness through school to world connections (November, 2010). Programs like Skype, which allows free global connections, allows students to connect with other students from around the world (November, 2010). A teacher can have her students connect with native speakers from other countries where they can learn from each other's cultures as well as the global issues (November, 2010). November gives an example of cultural sensitivity with a situation where a teacher connected her students to a class learning English in Puerto Rico. When one male U.S. student met a female Puerto Rican student through a video program like Skype, the male student immediately hesitated when he saw a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes because he gained a bias to the girl's image and relied on a stereotype on how a Puerto Rican girl should look (November, 2010). By having the teacher communicate with the students in Puerto Rico, this male student was able to convert his cultural understanding to a "deep appreciation of not making hasty judgements about how someone in another country should look" (November, 2010, p. 40).

3. What are the emerging collaborative relationships for teachers?

Teachers should do their best to share their practices by gaining a relationship with other educators. "Teachers will be valued for their ability to share their knowledge and solve problems about teaching and learning that an individual teacher could not solve alone" (November, 2010, p. 50). A great website, created by the Advanced Learning Technologies in Education Consortia, for teachers to share ideas as well as find ideas on teaching with technology is www.4teachers.org (November, 2010). Teachers can also develop relationships with anonymous reviewers. "When a teacher assess student work from another's classroom, there can be a very positive impact on student motivation and quality" (November, 2010, p. 51). Teachers who share the review of student work also grow professionally because "the comments of each partner teacher add depth to the knowledge base of the team" (November, 2010, p. 51). One final relationship teachers should develop is collaboration with parents. The support from a parent or guardian through technology can provide teachers insight on how their child learns (November, 2010).

T2P Week 3

Hypothesis:

If teacher's beliefs and visions are solely what they base their teaching around, then conflicts may arise between teachers and students because what the teacher uses to approach those beliefs may need to be changed or adjusted according to the students the teacher is working with. What teachers believe to be most important may impede the students' learning.

T2P Week 3

Affect and motivation play an important role in learning. It is important to know who you are as a teacher and grasp on what motivates you. Along with understanding your emotion, it is essential to have emotional intelligence so that you know what you are comfortable with sharing with your students. Once you understand your own emotions, teachers can learn how their students emotions affect them. As teachers, we need to understand how powerful emotions play into our students learning. The positive or negative effects of a "hot cognition," "baggage," as well as their intention all are important to look at. Our goal is to get our students to reach a sense of self-determination through autonomy, competence, and relatedness. If all three conditions are present, students can function effectively and experience overall wellness. As teachers, we should empower our students and keep them intrinsically motivated to achieve. When students lose their intrinsic motivation, we can use extrinsic motivation to get them back to their inner motivation. By experimenting with motivators, teachers can find the optimal motivators that get them to excel.

Case Study

In Vicki Davis' classroom, she believes that students should be thinkers and she empowers them to figure out things on their own that they can share with others. Not only does she accomplish the curriculum but she allows for her students to stretch out by using their strengths as models for learning all technology and reaching the goal of being comfortable with technology. She gets students to learn from things they are interested in by incorporating all forms of technology into the classroom environment.

One of the things that Vicki Davis did in her classroom was allow her students to connect with others. Through her program called "Digiteam" and "Flatt Classroom," her students were able to connect with others students from around the world and share their thoughts. This allowed them to gain a whole new perspective on something and be creative. I also thought Vicki Davis's method of having students teach their peers was very effective in getting students to reach autonomy, competency, and relatedness. It is amazing what students can figure out and learn when they become individual thinkers. She gave them a task, and it was their challenge to become competent in that task so that they can share and present their knowledge to the class. Vicki mentioned how she learned from her students as well. She said that it's ok to go into a classroom not knowing everything and allowing for your students to learn on their own and teach you. The feeling of self-accomplishment can be were rewarding for students and as teachers we should allow students to dig into things so that they can find their own meaning.

My question for Vicki Davis is:

Did you face any challenges in your teaching practices? For example, were there any times that students had trouble figuring out a task on their own and "shut down" instead of feeling empowered to learn more?

EDCI 5825 Reading Questions Week 2

1. To be information literate means to have the ability to evaluate what we read on the internet by questioning the information instead of assuming the source is true from the start. It also means to have the skills to access information and having the ability to make meaning of where the information is coming from. Zack's story in the November text is a great example that shows the danger in young minds that are not information literate.

2. Teachers and students can thoughtfully evaluate online information resources by using the plan known as "MAPping." With this plan, teachers and students can "map" the information they access by looking at the meta-web information, authors, and purpose. Meta-web information includes web addresses, links, and search engines. The anatomy of web addresses can be broken down where teachers and students can understand how each part of the address reveals information about the site. When teachers and students look at links they can perform a link command search, creating a list of sites that are linked into original Web addresses. By looking at various search engines, teachers and students can sort out the different search results that each search engine ranked. Teachers and students also "map" out the information they access by examining the author and the site's purpose. By examining the author, we can investigate into the author's credentials. By examining the site's purpose, we can evaluate what the site is trying to do and why the site was created.

If we were to evaluate wikipedia, we would first examine the meta-web information. For example, the web address for the homepage of wikipedia ends in .org telling us that this is from a non-profit organization that is free to access. Next, we can evaluate the author. There is no author of wikipedia but largely anonymous authors who can post to the site. Finally, when I researched the purpose of the site, it said to "act" as an encyclopedia. After mapping out wikipedia, I've concluded that this site is not a valid source.

3. There are many similarities and differences between the four instruction models of Internet use (Internet Project, Internet Workshop, Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest). A few similarities are that all four models develop student's content knowledge, develop student's collaborative skills, and prepare students for a future where rapid access to information will be important. In all four, students gather conceptual understandings about the world around them and allow them to evaluate their understandings with other students.

Some differences between the four models are that the Internet Workshop can be used in various ways and is very flexible where the Internet Project may be more challenging at first because students are collaborating with students around the world instead of just in their classroom. In Internet Inquiry, students identify individual questions which develops problem identification skills. WebQuest gives a complete set of various resources that can be used to develop curriculum. All four models contribute to instruction in various ways.

EDCI 5065 T2P

T2P Hypothesis

If educators look at, participate with, and observe their students then the educator will understand which learning styles will be most effective to learning because the idea of constructivism and a student-centered environment leads to student success.

T2P Week 2

The beliefs, behaviors, dispositions, and visions a teacher possesses impact their teaching as well as their students' learning . It is important for teachers to realize that beliefs are adaptable over time and may change because of the environment they're in as well as the actions and experiences that they go through. A teacher may look at a problem in one way, such as what happened in the exercise "What's the big problem?" and then completely see another variable that changes their belief on the matter. Also, a teacher may have a belief or vision but may be lacking in experiences or practice creating conflict between the teacher and the students. It is also important to look at the various models of learning. Vygotsky explained that learning cannot be separated from social context and he brings to the mix the idea that factors such as family and culture are important to a student's learning process and we as teachers should be conscious of that. Piaget explained that all children mature through a series of stages in their intellectual development. Teachers can use this theory to base their curriculum on because the series of stages provide a guideline to develop lessons in intellectually appropriate ways.

EDCI 5065 Week 2 Assignment

Hello Everyone!

Below are 3 content specific resources I would like to use as a mathematics teacher.


I. SMART Board
http://smarttech.com/us/Solutions/Education+Solutions/Products+for+education/Interactive+whiteboards+and+displays/SMART+Board+interactive+whiteboards

1. I believe that a great way for people to learn is with hands on activities. With the smart board, students can interact many ways such as touching or writing on the whiteboard during the lesson. I believe it is important to keep students engaged during a lesson.

2. Good teachers teach by taking advantage of the up to date new technology being created and incorporating that technology in their lesson. Smart board is a great example of the new technology. If teachers are avoiding new resources, they are putting their students at a disadvantage.

3. Students develop competency in mathematics with the smart board because it allows students to physically interact and meets the needs of both kinesthetic and visual learners.


II. Cool Math Website
http://www.coolmath.com/

1. I believe that people learn through reinforcement. Cool Math is an interactive website that offers math lessons, math practice, math games, etc. and breaks down the areas of mathematics into various subjects making it easier for students to learn a certain subject.

2. Good teachers teach using a student centered approach to learning. With this website, students can go online and play games that are appealing to them to review their math. This website is geared towards students to show that math is "cool." The website also has a section for teachers, giving them ideas to use in their classroom as well as a section for parents to help their child at home.

3. Students develop competency in math with this website because Cool Math breaks down math into different subjects allowing students to choose what area they need to work on. For example, If a student is having trouble solving quadratic equations, I can have them use this website for extra practice and reinforcement.


III. TI-83 Graphing Calculator Tutorial
http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/graphing/ti83/

1. A big part of secondary mathematics is the use of graphing calculators. It is important for students to know how to use these calculators because they are very useful and required on the mathematics portion of the SATs. I believe that a good way for people to learn is with step by step instructions. This tutorial allows students to choose from a wide range of topics and receive brief instructions to learn the various functions on the graphing calculator.

2. Good teachers teach by providing useful resources with easy to follow instructions. For many students, the graphing calculator may seem confusing to operate. This tutorial is a great tool for teachers to show students for them to refer to when the teacher is not around to answer questions. Maybe a student is working on homework and forget how to adjust the window so that their graph appears on the screen. With brief instructions available to them, students can easily refer to this website when they are having difficulty using the calculator.

3. The graphing calculator plays a big role in secondary mathematics. With this tutorial students will learn and/or review the basic functions of the calculator including how to graph and how to use the home screen. Students will be able to use their graphing calculator to its best advantage!


If anyone has any feedback I would love to hear from you!

Thanks!
Maureen C.

Week One Introduction

Hi Everyone! My name is Maureen C. Today is my first day of class in I'm very excited to get started! I recently graduated from Eastern CT State University a couple weeks ago and received my bachelors in mathematics. My goal is to become a high school math teacher! I've always loved children and I want to share my love for mathematics with my students. My goal of this class is to become more comfortable on my mac and learn some great ways to use technology in my classroom. I love to swim and have been teaching swim lessons since I was 15. I love anything to do with the water! Family is very important to me and I am very lucky to have a very supporting family! Like I said before, I am very excited to get started and I know this class will be a great experience for me!