Sarah L. Lewis - MSU MAET Blog

CEP 812 Wicked Problem Project

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:53:00 -0400

The Problem...

Near the end of every school year, I ask myself a question for which I have never found a great solution. With so little class time left between now and exam week, how do I review a semester’s worth of math concepts with my students so that they feel confident and fully prepared going into my final exam? In the past, I have created review packets that I have provided to students along with answer keys and fully worked solutions in hopes that students could complete them at home and review on their own. In doing this, I feel like I am leaving my students out in the cold, and my students have little or no opportunity to ask for additional explanations or extra help. I have attempted to hold after school review sessions in the past, but sports and other extracurricular activities have caused major conflicts for many students. My students are so overwhelmed with studying for exams and completing final projects for all of their classes, that it’s hard to find time to just sit down and do some math. Class time is limited. After school time is limited. I need to explore ways to use technology to extend my exam review beyond the classroom. This is my wicked problem.

The Solution...

WizIQ is a web-conferencing software that allows teachers and students to meet in online virtual classrooms at anytime from anywhere. The solution to my wicked problem involves holding online exam review sessions in the week leading up to final exams. After polling students to find most convenient times, sessions can be scheduled for any time of day for any length of time. My strategy for encouraging attendance at sessions is to make them voluntary, but offer extra credit points to those who attend and contribute positively throughout the session. Within the session, you can create polls to find out what concepts/topics students are struggling with and what they would like to focus on for the session. My goal is to provide for as much student autonomy as possible in order to make the session helpful in preparation for the exam. Planning for sessions is much like planning for an in-class review session, except that documents, images, and presentations of practice problems must be uploaded to the session and students need to be invited with a link by email. I also recommend doing a test run with students beforehand to make sure students are able to access a session without any problems. By using WizIQ, teachers and students can work through practice problems together, discuss particularly challenging topics, confront any misconceptions, review main ideas, and simply do some math from the comfort of their own homes. It provides an alternative to the students sitting at home working on a practice exam and trying to figure out problems entirely on their own the night before the exam; one where students are working collaboratively, thinking mathematically, and gaining confidence in their own knowledge and understanding.

Application of TPACK...

Technological Pedagogical Knowledge:

In choosing the technology to accomplish this goal I first had to consider an idea presented by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler. “(Technological pedagogical knowledge) includes knowing the pedagogical affordances and constraints of a range of technology tools as they relate to disciplinarily and developmentally appropriate pedagogical designs and strategies.”1 In order to do this, it was important to focus first on my pedagogical goals for the lesson. What are the best teaching strategies to use in reviewing for exams? Two things stood out in my mind. I wanted to be able to demonstrate and model solving problems and I wanted students to actively participate through discussion, cooperative learning, and hands-on activities. My next focus was to find a technology that would blend well with what I was hoping to accomplish. WizIQ is a web-conferencing software that is freely available online. It provides the link between my goal of students reviewing from home and the teaching methods that I think will best prepare my students for the exam. For me, WizIQ provides a win-win situation for using technology to accomplish my pedagogical goals for the review session.

Technological Content Knowledge:

In thinking about how the technology I chose would support and enhance the math content that I wanted to review in our online session, I had some major concerns. In the past, I have found it difficult to implement math assignments and projects using computers and the web due to one main fact: Not everything is formatted to handle math equations, graphs, and symbols. This can make something as simple as creating a PowerPoint or Prezi or even collaborating on Google Docs quite a challenge for my students and for myself. It can be difficult to display math problems accurately, and doing so is often time consuming. An idea from Mishra and Koehler really drives home this idea. “Teachers need to understand which specific technologies are best suited for addressing subject-matter learning in their domains and how the content dictates or perhaps even changes the technology or vise versa.”1 Technologies that work really well for Language Arts, may be complete misses for Math and vise versa. I was really excited to learn about WizIQ and its capabilities, mainly because of the math features that it offers. WizIQ has several math friendly components, such as graphs, geometric figures, and even symbols for typing math equations. The fact that WizIQ offers these capabilities makes WizIQ invaluable to a math teacher and makes it an ideal solution for merging technological and content knowledge.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge:

I firmly believe that students learn math concepts best by actively participating in solving problems. The content students learn in math includes concepts, ideas, applications, calculations, and even strategies. I think that the mathematics content that is learned and understood by our students is entirely dependent on how they were taught. Mishra and Koehler have said, “What is salient in the content changes by the methods to be used, and the current understanding of the students.”1 This makes it clear that the teaching strategies to be used should take into account both where the students are and where you want them to go. In considering how to review and prepare my students for their final exam, I started by thinking about where they are at right now. We have covered all of the content that I had planned for the year. The students have experienced a variety of different math concepts throughout the course of the semester and have demonstrated their abilities along the way. The ideas that I want to present and discuss in our exam review session are not new. Instead, I would like to refresh their memories, correct any misconceptions, and review anything that my students have not yet mastered. In accomplishing these goals, I think demonstration and modeling, along with active participation, cooperative learning, and discussion are the best strategies to use. I have heard it said before that in math, students learn by doing rather than by seeing. In our review sessions, I plan to give students the opportunity to work through problems together, with my guidance when necessary. Running the review session this way will provide students with opportunities to try things on their own, which will in turn better prepare them for their final exam.

Use the links below to find out more about each component of my project.

Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity
Part B - Application of TPACK
Part C - Implementation
Part D - Findings & Implications

1. Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Retrieved from: http://punya.educ.msu.edu/publications/journal_articles/mishra-koehler-tcr2006.pdf

CEP 812 Professional Learning Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:41:00 -0400

My Professional Learning Plan on Prezi

CEP 812 GLP Final

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:34:00 -0400

Click here to link directly to VoiceThread for our tutorial video on using Edmodo to expand your classroom.

1. What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?

We used Google Presentations to create our slides for the video and VoiceThread to record our comments for each topic. We chose to use these two tools because they are available online and can be worked on by multiple people at once from different locations. We really like that VoiceThread shows a mini picture of each of us commenting, making the tutorial a bit more personal for the viewer. The members of our group live across the world from each other, so it was helpful to be able to share the projects online while communicate and work with each other on the tutorial. Google chat and email were invaluable resources to us as well.

2. What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

I learned a lot throughout the course of this project. First of all, I learned a great deal about Edmodo and its implications for use in and out of the classroom. I have been apprehensive about using social networking sites with my students because of internet safety and privacy issues, however Edmodo provides a safe and secure controlled environment for communication among teachers, students, and parents. I learned about a lot of cool features that Edmodo offers, and I feel like I have one more valuable tool to add to my teacher toolbox.

In working on this project, I also learned a lot about the processes involved in creating a tutorial and figuring out ways to teach other teachers about technology. I found that it was difficult to find a balance between teaching others about the many features of Edmodo and really taking the time to demonstrate each of these features. As much as I personally appreciate quick and simple tutorials, it was really difficult to just touch on the basic ideas of Edmodo in only 10 minutes. We decided it would be best to focus many of the most useful components briefly to give the viewer a general overview of how to use Edmodo, and leave it up to the viewer to then go on and explore on their own.

3. What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?

If I were to develop another tutorial video like this in the future, I might explore ways to make it more fun and interactive. Maybe there could be selections for the viewer to choose that would take them through different topics. This way if there was one component they already knew how to use, they could skip that part and move onto more information about topics they are interested in.

CEP 812 WPP Part D - Findings and Implications

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:41:00 -0400

Part D: Findings and Implications

Formative: Did the project get implemented as planned?

My wicked problem project was implemented as planned during the last few weeks of the school year. As the year was coming to a close, I was excited to tackle a project that I was hoping would be helpful to my students and to me in answering a question I have asked myself for the last three years: how do I prepare my students for their final exams with so little time left in the school year? After much research, exploration, and planning on my own, and a couple test runs with students, I held my first ever online Pre-Calculus WizIQ Exam Review Session! Out of my class of 10 high school juniors, I had 7 students attend and stay for the majority of the 2 hour session. My school’s principal even stopped in for a few to check it out. As with any project or activity with students, you have to be well prepared, flexible, and ready for the unexpected. I spent a lot of time planning out the session and creating problem sets for us to work through together as a class, however when the session started I realized my students had their own lists of questions to ask and problems to go over. We ended up spending the entire session going over topics brought up by my students, which I think was the perfect use of our time in preparing for the exam. It was certainly not what I expected, but I was happy to see my students being eager to take control of their own learning. Use the links below to find out more about the different parts of my project.

Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity
Part B - Application of TPACK
Part C - Implementation

Summative: Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice

As I discussed going into the implementation of my project, there are two ways to judge the success of my project: my own perspective and that of my students. My goal for this project was for my students to feel prepared and confident going into their final exam, making my students the ultimate judge of whether my solution to my wicked problem was a successful one. Students were surveyed following the session and their final exam. So, let’s take a look at the evidence of success from both sides.

My perspective:

7 out of 10 students attended the review session for a range of 98 to 120 minutes.

Students came with specific problems and we solved them together as a class.

Students offered tips and strategies to each other, like where to look on the unit circle or how to identify which identities to use.

Students came into the review session feeling worried about chapter 9, however after reviewing problems and concepts, students said they felt more confident with it.

Misconceptions were cleared up including mistakes in finding the period of a sine/cosine graph and finding large angles on the unit circle.

Students provided instant feedback through use of the chat box, demonstrating understanding of particular problems or concepts.

Students demonstrated knowledge and understanding of ideas using the whiteboard, while other students commented with strategies, corrections, or general agreement.

Students earned an average of 90% on my Pre-Calculus final exam, an improvement from the past.

Students seemed prepared and confident by the end of the review session.

My students’ perspective:

100% of students that attended the review session said they found it helpful, that they felt more confident following the review session, that attending the session improved their performance on the final exam, and that they would attend a review session like this in the future.

“Provided extra review time that was shortened from exams”

“Being able to ask you questions over the weekend, with group responses, was really nice.”

“I thought that being able to solve problems ourselves was cool, and also being able to talk to our teacher, Mrs. Lewis, if we got stuck on a problem.”

“It was just like class but online”

“Working through each problem was helpful.”

Of those students that did not attend the session, all said they wish they had been able to attend as they heard it was helpful.

Overall, I think my wicked problem project provides a great solution to a problem many teachers encounter at the end of the school year. It is a solution that works because it is based on a perfect balance between pedagogy, content, and technology. It is this idea of TPACK and intertwining these three concepts that makes the whole better than the sum of its parts. It was certainly not easy to achieve, but when I found WizIQ it just clicked. For my class, and for my students, and for me, WizIQ provided the perfect technology tool for the content I wanted to teach and the ways I wanted to teach it. This is why I think my project was so successful.

How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?

I think the biggest thing for me was keeping an open mind and really striving to find a technology that would solve a specific problem. In the past I have searched for really cool technologies and tried to find ways to use them with my classes, but I’ve learned that this is completely backwards. First, I am less likely to use a technology unless it solves an actual problem I have or makes teaching something much better. Second, approaching a project from this perspective fails to take into account the pedagogy to be used and the content to be taught. Learning to start with a problem of practice and work toward the perfect blend of pedagogy, content, and technology was extremely difficult for me, but it proved to be so much more beneficial in the end. I have finally answered a question I have had for the past 3 years and I have a solution that I can utilize for years to come. Now I can use this new technology I have encountered to solve other problems in the future and to share with other teachers as I work toward being a technology leader in my school. In approaching other projects like this in the future, I think I will definitely follow this template. It has been a lifeline to me in completing this project, as it has helped me to plan, organize my thoughts, seek new ideas, and reflect on how the project is going along the way. I think it’s also important to discuss projects like this with other teachers, either through direct discussion or use of our blogs like we have done for this class. It’s always nice to get a second opinion or great ideas and suggestions from others about things they have tried or experienced in their teaching.

What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

There are lots of lessons to be learned from my wicked problem project, but two that I think will be most beneficial for others to know.

1. Explore your options. Don’t get hung up on one idea or one technology to use. There are likely other options out there that might be better and cheaper than the one you are considering. I spent a lot of time looking at Adobe Connect and exploring its options for my class. I was really excited about it, until I realized how expensive it was. I could get a free 30 day trial, but that does me no good next year, or the year after. Instead I was able to find a much cheaper alternative in WizIQ that is also more math friendly and easier to use. In exploring your options, there is a lot of research involved, but the outcome is often worth the extra effort. Looking at reviews and blogs about various technologies can be extremely revealing about how effective they are for teaching and learning.

2. Be flexible. When working with a new technology, don’t expect everything to go 100% as planned. There will likely be glitches and bumps in the road to overcome along the way, but there will also be unexpected surprises and triumphs to balance it out. The best way to tackle the challenges with technology, is to spend a lot of time planning and practicing. I held a few trial sessions going into this project, to eliminate some of the anxiety about what could go wrong. During this time I was able to work out some of the kinks on my own before the actual review session. I also planned a variety of things to work on during the review session depending on student interest. I created problem sets in case students wanted extra practice and I uploaded some of my students’ study guide projects in case students wanted to review the main concepts. In the end, we didn’t use any of these things, and I was okay with it. I had them ready in case we needed them, my students just had a different agenda for the afternoon.

In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?

I will absolutely be implementing this same project again. I would like to try online exam review sessions with all of my classes next year, both leading up to the semester exam and the final exam at the end of the year. I would also like to explore variations of this project, such as holding weekly or bi-weekly Q & A sessions to provide students with extra opportunities to ask questions or review concepts covered in class. I think this has tremendous implications for students who are absent from school due to illness and sporting events. Because WizIQ has a recording feature, I am also considering doing mini review lessons that my students would be able to access online from home, or even do a project with my students where they can create recordings of lessons to share with the class. I think the options are endless and I can’t wait to see what else I can do with WizIQ.

As far as changes in how I will do this project again, I need to explore my options for improving handwriting on the whiteboard, and for utilizing the breakout rooms that WizIQ offers for allowing groups of students to work on different things. I think the breakout rooms will provide a great solution for our scrolling and changing tabs issue. For the handwriting problem, I think using text is a great alternative, but I would still like to explore other options. I wonder if there is a way to use an iPad/tablet PC/smartphone with a stylus for writing on the whiteboard. This would also be a great way to integrate mobile learning into my project. If anyone has any ideas for this, please feel free to share them!

CEP 812 GLP Part B - Storyboard and Script

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sat, 9 Jun 2012 10:16:00 -0400

For the group leadership project, our group decided to create a professional development tutorial on how to use Edmodo as a teacher. We started by creating our storyboard and script as a Google presentation. Doing our script this way allowed us to all work on the project anywhere at any time, and also to make sure to maintain flow throughout the tutorial.

We have shared our Google presentation with our course instructors, but if anyone else would like to view our presentation, just send us a note and we can share it with you. Our script is written within the notes section on each slide, so you will need to be invited to see this part. Click here to view our published presentation.

To break up our work on this project, we each chose specific areas to explore and focus on. I took on the communication areas, including connecting with students, parents, and other teachers, and the use of the Edmodo calendar. For the final product, we will each be recording our voice to our own sections and then working together to finalize the presentation in VoiceThread. I am lucky to have a great group of ladies working together to produce a quality tutorial on Edmodo!

CEP 812 WPP Part C - Implementation

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Fri, 8 Jun 2012 14:20:00 -0400

Click here to listen to my podcast about the implementation of my wicked problem project. I have also posted some screen shots of my implementation below.

CEP 812 Mobile Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Thu, 7 Jun 2012 14:17:00 -0400

Regardless of whether or not we choose to acknowledge it, our students walk into class with their cell phones in their pockets everyday. They sneak them out in class to send a quick text, check their facebook, or "check the time." Our students are growing up in a world where it seems every kid over the age of 10 has a cell phone or iPod. And maybe I'm too high on the age here. I didn't have a cell phone until I could drive, and even then it was "supposed to be for emergencies." And yet, we critique today's youth for their reliance on technology, including cell phones, iPods, calculators, and social networking sites. I was just talking to the principal at my school today about technology use. He brought up the fact that not only do our students rely on technology, we do as well. We use technology to stay in touch with people, to communicate about our school and our students, to organize ourselves, to remind us to wake up in the morning, to inform us that we have a meeting in an hour; all things that are simplified by technology to allow us to focus on more important things. (Whatever those things happen to be)

So, why not harness that technology, and encourage our students to use it for more important things, like education? My school recently changed our policy on cell phone use in school. It now states something like, "cell phones may be used for educational purposes with teacher approval." Now starts my exploration into how to make these devices useful and how teaching and learning can be benefited by their presence in the classroom.

I did some exploring with Poll Everywhere and had some really positive experiences. I tested it out on my husband first, just to make sure I had the hang of it before attempting polls with students. My question to him was, "Who is the best wife in the world?" The response came through right away, and he earned an A+ for his response, "My wife." On the last day of school, a day that can be described simply as chaos, I did some polls with my students. They were excited when I encouraged them to bring their phones and iPods to class and were eager to participate in my polls. They did complain a bit when I threw in one math question, but overall I received a great response. Some of my results are shown below.

The last poll I did was "In one word, what are you excited for this summer?" Since this was an open ended response, Poll Everywhere gave the option of creating a word cloud in Wordle. I thought this was an interesting way to display the results for that question.

I am excited about my options for using Poll Everywhere in the future for quick checks for understanding in my math classes, and even to just gauge how students feel about a particular topic. Although there are challenges associated with the use of cell phones in the classroom (not all students have them, monitor educational use, etc.), I think the opportunities that exist far outweigh the risk of students abusing their privilege. I am happy to be a part of a district that is embracing changes in technology and their uses in the classroom and I can't wait to explore more fun and educational ways to use mobile devices in math.

CEP 812 Data Visualization

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Wed, 6 Jun 2012 18:21:00 -0400

For my work on the Data Visualization lab, I spent most of my time exploring Gliffy, Cacoo, and Wordle. Wordle was the one that caught my eye first, simply because I had heard people talk about it before, but I had never taken the time to look into it.

To put it simply, Wordle takes a body of text that you provide and turns it into a jumbled cloud where word size is based on the frequency of each particular word in your body of text. It has interesting applications for studying vocabulary and main ideas. I like the idea of Wordle, but I couldn't quite come up with a great use for it in my classroom, so I kept searching.

I came across the section dealing with diagrams and charts. This is where my wheels started turning. I found two sites that seemed interesting, Cacoo and Gliffy, and spent some time exploring each. Both offer some creative tools for making flowcharts. In exploring the capabilities of each, I thought flowcharts would be a great way for me to organize information for my students that would be visually appealing and easily accessible. Overall, both have some really great features, including ability to share the flowcharts you create and/or print them for use in the classroom. I think it would also be helpful for students, if they had the opportunity to create their own flowcharts to summarize a particular math topic.

The visualization I created was made in Gliffy. It is a flowchart representing the processes used in factoring an expression. This is something that my students have always had a difficult time with. There are many different types of factoring and steps involved in factoring an expression. Being able to create a flowchart to better display this information is something that I think will be extremely helpful for my students.

In learning about data visualization and listening to Carl Gude's thoughts on visualizing information, there is one big idea that really resonates with me. That is the fact that people are more likely to be interested in exploring something if it is organized, visually appealing, and easily accessible. There is a big difference between giving my students a big long list of methods to use when factoring and providing them with a flowchart that will allow them to make sense of the big picture. I think now it's just a matter of taking time to consider and experiment with alternatives to displaying information in text form.

CEP 812 WPP Part B - Application of TPACK

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sat, 2 Jun 2012 17:09:00 -0400

PART B: Application of TPACK: Basic description of each of these areas and important characteristics of these areas as related to this project

What is the TP knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

When I think back to first deciding which educational issue to tackle for my Wicked Problem Project, my first instinct was to choose a really cool technology and find a way to fit it into my teaching. It was really difficult for me to take this project on from the other perspective, but it is already proving to be so worth it in the long run. I see now and have experienced before that technology can be fun, and new, and interesting; but if it does not solve a problem, or improve a teaching strategy, or result in more learning, then it’s just using technology for the sake of using technology.

My wicked problem: How do I review and prepare my students for final exams with so little time left?

My solution: Extend the exam review beyond the classroom.

In choosing the technology to accomplish this goal I first had to consider an idea presented by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler. “(Technological pedagogical knowledge) includes knowing the pedagogical affordances and constraints of a range of technology tools as they relate to disciplinarily and developmentally appropriate pedagogical designs and strategies.” In order to do this, it was important to focus first on my pedagogical goals for the lesson. What are the best teaching strategies to use in reviewing for exams? Two things stood out in my mind. I wanted to be able to demonstrate and model solving problems and I wanted students to actively participate through discussion, cooperative learning, and hands-on activities. My next focus was to find a technology that would blend well with what I was hoping to accomplish. WizIQ is a web-conferencing software that is freely available online. It provides the link between my goal of students reviewing from home and the teaching methods that I think will best prepare my students for the exam. It also provides an alternative to holding a review session at school where some students would be unable to attend due to sports, rides, etc. In addition, while exploring WizIQ and doing some test runs with students, I discovered some features that will not only support my review strategies, but enhance them as well. For example, WizIQ has several math friendly components, such as graphs, geometric figures, and even symbols for typing math equations. It also has capabilities for uploading documents and even PowerPoint presentations for use during a class session. Now I have the option to upload study guide projects that my students have already created to assist us in our review for the exam. For me, WizIQ provides a win-win situation for using technology to accomplish my pedagogical goals for review session.

What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about representation.)

In thinking about how the technology I chose would support and enhance the math content that I wanted to review in our online session, I had some major concerns. In the past, I have found it difficult to implement math assignments and projects using computers and the web due to one main fact: Not everything is formatted to handle math equations, graphs, and symbols. This can make something as simple as creating a PowerPoint or Prezi or even collaborating on Google Docs quite a challenge for my students and for myself. It can be difficult to display math problems accurately, and doing so is often time consuming. An idea from Mishra and Koehler really drives home this idea. “Teachers need to understand which specific technologies are best suited for addressing subject-matter learning in their domains and how the content dictates or perhaps even changes the technology or vise versa.” Technologies that work really well for Language Arts, may be complete misses for Math and vise versa. It is absolutely necessary to consider the content to be taught and how that will influence and be influenced by the technology used. I have spent a lot of time working on ways to use technology to improve the mathematical learning that takes place, and I have found that it really relies on having a technology and content that are well suited for each other. I was really excited to learn about WizIQ and its capabilities, mainly because of the math features that it offers. As a math teacher, it is so important to be able to quickly insert a graph or draw a figure. Could they be drawn by hand on the whiteboard? Yes, but with the amount of symbols, figures, and graphs that are drawn, especially in a PreCalculus class, this can be extremely tedious and time consuming. My students and I will be able to interact in real time on the whiteboard, and will be able to quickly and easily work together to solve problems using a variety of shapes, symbols, and graphs. The fact that WizIQ offers these capabilities makes WizIQ invaluable to a math teacher and makes it an ideal solution for merging technological and content knowledge.

What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

I firmly believe that students learn math concepts best by actively participating in solving problems. The content students learn in math includes concepts, ideas, applications, calculations, and even strategies. I think that the mathematics content that is learned and understood by our students is entirely dependent on how they were taught. Mishra and Koehler have said, “What is salient in the content changes by the methods to be used, and the current understanding of the students.” This makes it clear that the teaching strategies to be used should take into account both where the students are and where you want them to go. In considering how to review and prepare my students for their final exam, I started by thinking about where they are at right now. We have covered all of the content that I had planned for the year. The students have experienced a variety of different math concepts throughout the course of the semester and have demonstrated their abilities along the way. Now, we are less than a week away from the final exam, and I am realizing how much content I am asking them to recall and demonstrate on the final exam. The ideas that I want to present and discuss in our exam review session are not new. Instead, I would like to refresh their memories, correct any misconceptions, and review anything that my students have not yet mastered. In accomplishing these goals, I think demonstration and modeling, along with active participation, cooperative learning, and discussion are the best strategies to use. I have heard it said before that in math, students learn by doing rather than by seeing. In our review session, I plan to give students the opportunity to work through problems together, with my guidance when necessary. Running the review session this way will provide students with opportunities to try things on their own, which will in turn better prepare them for their final exam. On Friday, I gave my students some class time to start reviewing for the exam, and I was extremely excited by what I saw. They immediately moved their desks into a big group and started working through their review packet together. I saw students helping other students by explaining ideas and comparing their work, and I felt like so much learning took place in such a small amount of time because they were working together and sharing different perspectives than just my own. I really hope our online review session is just as successful, if not more, and that my students go into their exam on Tuesday feeling confident and prepared.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Retrieved from: http://punya.educ.msu.edu/publications/journal_articles/mishra-koehler-tcr2006.pdf

CEP 812 GLP Part A - Brainstorm Session

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sat, 2 Jun 2012 14:10:00 -0400

1. What web conferencing tool did your group use?
Our group chose to use Vyew as our web conferencing software. None of us had experience using Vyew prior to starting this project, but we were interested in learning more about its capabilities.

2. What were the advantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project?
There were many advantages to using Vyew for our brainstorm session. First of all, Vyew is 100% free. We were able to sign up and get started right away. Vyew allows multiple moderators so we were all able to edit and contribute to the session in real time. Angela was able to pull up the assignment description from the CEP 812 portfolio to guide our discussion and evaluate our progress on the project. We were able to use a combination of audio discussion with our microphones and text discussion through the Vyew chat. The audio was nice because we could communicate quickly and more easily, but it was also nice to have the chat for sharing links and other text. Vyew provided our group with a way to meet and share ideas, when we could not physically meet as a group due to long distance and time zones. We were able to make decisions as a group on the technology we wanted to teach, the technology we would use to teach it, and come up with some ideas for how we would like to proceed with our project.

3. What were the disadvantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project?
There were only two disadvantages that I found for using Vyew to communicate as a group for this project. The first was the difficulty of scheduling a time for all of us to meet. With our group members living halfway around the world from each other, we had to be strategic in finding a time that would be convenient for everyone. We were able to have the session on Thursday at 7:30pm in Michigan, which was Friday at 6:30am in Thailand. Though Vyew required us to find a common meeting time, being able to communicate as a group all at once was definitely worth the hassle. I just hope Seema didn't mind getting up early! The second problem we encountered was an issue with our audio. We had problems with static and echoing when we all had our microphones turned on. We tried several different things to try to alleviate this problem, finally discovering that muting our microphones when we weren't talking seemed to work the best. For this reason, we ended up using a combination of audio and chat for our discussion. I think that if and when we use Vyew again, we will definitely do some prior research into fixing our audio problem to make discussion a bit easier.

Summary of our brainstorm session:
All group members were able to attend.
We chose to use Edmodo as our technology to be taught. (new to all of us)
We plan to use VoiceThread as our technology to use for our tutorial. (new to some of us)
We decided to do some research and exploring on Edmodo, and to meet again this week to discuss more of the technical aspects and timeline for our project.

Link to our recorded session:
Group 1 Brainstorm Session

CEP 812 Web-Conferencing

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sat, 2 Jun 2012 13:24:00 -0400

For our brainstorm session on our Group Leadership Project, my group members and I chose to use Vyew as our web-conferencing software. Overall, I think the video conference went really well. We were all able to log in and access the session. I don't think that any of us had used Vyew prior to this, so we all had the opportunity to try and explore something new.

Our original plan was to record the session using Jing, until we realized that Jing can only record in 5 minute increments. Fortunately, thanks to Angela, we were able to find another screenshot program called Snagit that would allow us to record the entire session. The sharing and chat features of Vyew worked extremely well and allowed us to communicate easily with each other in real time. We were able to change the settings so we could all edit and contribute to the session. One thing that we had a hard time with was the audio when we tried to use our microphones. We had quite an issue with static and echoing as we talked. We did find that this was diminished significantly if we each muted our microphones when we were not talking. Next time I use Vyew, I will definitely do some research to find out ways to improve the audio quality of our sessions. If there is a solution to this problem, I think Vyew is an extremely valuable web-conferencing tool that I can see myself using again in the future.

Vyew is definitely a tool I can see myself using with my students. It provides endless opportunities for student collaboration on projects in and out of the classroom. It would be a great way for students to work with each other, when class time for a project is limited. Students could work together from home to produce high quality work that can easily be shared with the rest of the class. I am currently using WizIQ, another web conferencing software, with my PreCalculus students as a way to review for our exam next week. We are holding night and weekend study sessions where we work together on math problems. I think Vyew would provide another platform for doing this, and I plan to look into the math capabilities it offers.

CEP 812 WPP Part A - Description of Need or Opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:56:00 -0400

PART A: The Wicked Problem - A Need or an Opportunity

What is the important educational need that you are seeking to address? This element is fundamental in this project. Since we have limited time, energy, and resources, cool technology without a clear sense of why it matters or what we gain by it is of little value in the educational setting.

Near the end of every school year, I ask myself a question for which I have yet to find a great solution. With so little class time left between now and exam week, how do I review a semester’s worth of math concepts with my students so that they feel confident and fully prepared going into my final exam? In the past, I have created review packets that I have provided to students along with answer keys and fully worked solutions in hopes that students could complete them at home and review on their own. In doing this, I feel like I am leaving my students out in the cold, and my students have little or no opportunity to ask for additional explanations or extra help. This is my wicked problem. I would like to explore ways to use technology to extend my exam review beyond the classroom.

How you plan to address this educational issue with technology? You need to make a clear and convincing case that your proposed solution will make a real impact on the issue you identify, and that your proposed approach is a reasonable approach given its costs and possible alternatives.

My first thought for how to solve my exam review problem came to me during one of our Adobe Connect sessions for CEP 812. As we were discussing course assignments and Nancy was sharing various windows on her computer, I started thinking about how I could use Adobe Connect to hold a virtual exam review session for my high school students. I immediately started doing some research. Initially I focused on two key factors: cost and usability for math. I quickly found that I could get a free 30 day trial, that would at least allow me to get started and then I could figure out how to finance future use later on. I did some playing around and found that Adobe Connect also had some features that would make it math friendly, mainly its built in whiteboard and capability to import pdf files to write on. At this point, I started to get excited. I could see major potential for this to solve my exam review problem. I did a quick test run with some students after school to explore the options for student editing, and started to think more about the logistics and how to really maximize the potential this technology could have for extending my exam review beyond my classroom. While doing some research on how to do this, I came across a comparison done by a former high school math teacher and technology guru on Adobe Connect 8 and another e-learning platform called WizIQ. To make a long story short, WizIQ and Adobe Connect have many similar features and capabilities, with one main exception. WizIQ is free for educators. So, I did some more playing around. WizIQ seems to have all the features I found in Adobe Connect, plus a few features that make it a bit more math friendly, including options for drawing geometric figures and inserting graphs. I plan to address my exam review problem by using WizIQ to hold online exam review sessions in the weeks leading up to my exams, in hopes that my students will go into their final exam feeling confident and fully prepared.

Logistics of solution: For example…

What is the scope? (e.g., when and where will tool be used and for how long? Who all will use it?)

I plan to use WizIQ with students in the next couple weeks as we near final exam week. I will poll students to find convenient times for them and schedule 1-2 virtual review sessions approximately 2 hours long. Students will be invited to attend on a voluntary basis, but will be given extra credit points to encourage attendance. I will plan review problems in advance for each of the units to be covered on the exam. Within the session, I will poll students to see which units they would like to focus on. I can then import particular problems and we can review together as a class. Depending on student attendance, questions, and interest, I may extend the sessions or add additional sessions to aid in exam review.

Relevant research and resources (from the Internet and elsewhere) including reports on the closest effort you can find to what you are planning to do as well as ideas and materials you may be able to build upon in your own effort. Your description should include:

The results of your search (What resources may help guide your project? What resources may help in the implementation of your project?)

What you learned from performing this search. For example, which search engines did you use? What strategies did you use? What helped or hindered your search? How would you search again next time?

In researching ways to use technology to solve my exam review problem, I started with google and then one thing led to the next, which led to the next, and so on and so forth. I found several resources and tutorials directly through Adobe Connect and WizIQ, which will clearly guide my efforts to hold a virtual class, but the resources I found the most useful were blogs and comments by teachers who have used these e-learning platforms. These provide me with things to do and not to do, and general ideas for making the most out of the potential provided by these powerful tools. One resource that I think will be extremely helpful to me as I move forward is the WizIQ blog. It is compilation of blog posts about e-learning, virtual classrooms, teaching online, and using WizIQ that were written by people who have extensive experience in teaching and technology, and how to combine the two to enhance the power of both. Now if I can bring forth my mathematical expertise, I think I can achieve the goal of TPACK. As I move on with my Wicked Problem Project, I will refer back to these resources for guidance in how to plan my virtual sessions for optimum success and efficiency. In performing my search for appropriate technologies to solve my problem, I think I limited myself a bit at first by solely focusing on Adobe Connect. I am glad that I happened to come across an open-source alternative that I think will be a great solution to the problem I have been plagued with for the last 4 years. In the future, when researching technologies, I will definitely keep a more open mind and try to find and compare the various alternatives that I may have at my fingertips.

A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.

My plan for implementation during this course:
Plan and implement two or more virtual precalculus exam review sessions over the next week and a half leading up to exams.
1. Plan review problems in advance
2. Hold test runs to familiarize students with the sessions and work out any kinks
3. Invite students to attend review sessions via link in email
4. Hold sessions where we work through problems together, with participation from students and go over any questions students have
5. Survey students on their general thoughts regarding WizIQ and the sessions, and whether or not they found the sessions helpful in reviewing for the exam and why.

Ideas for implementation following this course:
1. Plan and implement virtual exam review sessions in the weeks leading up to semester and final exams for all of my high school classes.
2. Hold weekly help sessions for each of my classes where we review the weeks concepts and go over any questions.
3. Create tutoring sessions where advanced math students can work with those that need some extra help.

How would you know you were successful?

As much as I feel I will have a sense of the success of the implementation of this project based on my own experiences with it, I think the best way to determine the success of this project will be the student reaction. The whole idea behind this project is that I want my students to feel confident and prepared going into their final exams. I want them to have had every opportunity to learn and master the math concepts that will prove helpful to them both for the exam and long into the future. If I am successful with this project, students will feel more confident in themselves and their mathematical abilities before and after the final exam. Ultimately, students should perform better on the final exam. I plan to survey students after the review sessions and the final exam about the sessions overall, if they found them to be helpful, if they felt more confident about the exam having attended the sessions, if they felt the review sessions improved their performance on the exam, if they would attend future sessions, what specifically they found helpful, and if there is anything that could be improved on in the future.

CEP 812 Sample Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:45:00 -0400

Click here for my sample podcast created using Audacity.

CEP 812 Video Bio

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:37:00 -0400

Click here for my CEP 812 Personal Introduction Video.

CEP 811 Final Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:32:00 -0400

When I think back to the beginning of this class and even the beginning of the summer before taking CEP 810 and 811, I am amazed with how much I have learned about technology and I am completely in awe of all the new tools I have packed into my teacher tool box. Coming into these certificate courses, I thought of myself as a pretty tech-savvy person. Now I see how many great things have been right at my fingertips without me knowing!

For me CEP 810 was all about exposure. I was introduced to things I had never used, let alone heard of. Right off the bat I had a blog and was subscribing to RSS feeds. I was creating Prezis and playing around with Dabbleboard and Google Docs. For the first time I started a Google Calendar, learned how to sync it to my smart phone, and even spent some time exploring Moodle.

With CEP 811 I was looking forward to expanding my horizons even more. I was looking for concrete ways to implement technology in my classroom, and most importantly how to do it effectively. I know that there is a time and a place for everything, and technology is no exception. It has to be used purposely and it has to be used to improve the quality of instruction and learning going on in the classroom. I was pleasantly surprised to explore even more great technologies, learn about invaluable resources that I will take with me long after this course, and gain a strong understanding of what makes a good technology rich UDL lesson.

Throughout this class, I have learned so much about teaching effectively with technology. One of the things we talked about that really resonated with me was considering universal design for learning (UDL) in the lesson planning process. Clearly it is important to try to reach as many of my students as I can everyday; but without considering the instructional strategies I am using and their impacts on my students, I can easily be stacking up barriers right in front of them! Considering the UDL principles and applying them to my lesson plan and my StAIR project really opened my eyes to the importance of varying instruction and presenting information in ways that allow all students the chance to be successful in my classroom.

When I think about evaluating the effectiveness of educational uses of technology, I am reminded of the Web Quests we explored in this class. I was really excited to do this, because I had never seen a Web Quest before. Despite being a novice, I found it quite easy to tell the difference between a really great Web Quest that made great use of technology to improve instruction on a topic and encouraged student interaction and learning, and a Web Quest that simply took a traditional lesson and put it online for students to read and answer questions about. It goes back to that idea of using technology to IMPROVE teaching and learning instead of using technology to say you used technology.

As far as my own personal goals, there are two that come to mind right away. 1. Learn about available educational technologies out there. 2. Work on integrating these technologies to my curriculum in order to improve my instruction and increase student learning in my classroom. Although I know there will always be new technologies out there (have you seen the commercial about the “even newer LCD TV”?), I feel like I have for the most part met this first goal. I have a lot of new tools to use (website, wiki, blog, etc.) and I also have a lot of new resources to find out about more tools and great ways to use them in the classroom (MACUL Space, MERLOT, Edutech classmates and instructors, etc.). And for the second goal, I am on my way. I am working on incorporating a few of the technologies I have learned in my classes this coming school year, especially Moodle, my Google Calendar, and my StAIR project for sure. I know that I have a support system around me as I am continually building my personal learning network. I plan to continue on with the MAET program as I can’t wait to learn more. I am so excited to share everything I have learned this summer with my students, as they are the ones that stand to benefit most from my improvement as a teacher. And that’s what really matters.

Online Teaching & Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Tue, 9 Aug 2011 12:04:00 -0400

When I consider ways to incorporate online learning experiences in my math classes, there are so many possibilities. However, the one option that seems to fit best with my teaching style (and that would still allow me to reach students of various learning styles) is the use of a learning management system (LMS). Over the past year, my school has been introduced to a LMS called Moodle, and we have done some training on how to use it for our classes. I also had the opportunity to explore Moodle to a greater extent with a project for CEP 810. I learned about a lot of great ways that I could use Moodle to improve the experiences my students have in my math classes. Over the summer I have been working on Moodle, starting to set up courses, and finding out more about some of its advanced features. I am hoping to introduce my Moodle sites to my classes in the fall.

I think that Moodle will allow me to teach a variety of content to my students. Most of all I think it will be a great way to organize course content in a way that is understandable and enjoyable to my students. Today's students are growing up in a world where technology is everywhere, so why should math class be the exception? Moodle will provide me with an alternative to the ways I typically teach in my classroom. I can post assignments on Moodle that students can explore on their own and move at the their own pace. I can include discussion forums where students can collaborate with each other and even help each other with assignments and projects. I plan to provide extra materials and resources that students can access when they need help or if they just want to review certain concepts. Another reason I would like to use Moodle with my students is that it will prepare them for the online learning experiences they will have when they get to college, and it will encourage them to take more pride in and responsibility for their own learning and success. For me, Moodle is a way to get started with incorporating online learning in my classes. From there I can branch out to other uses of technology, such as webquests, blogs, wikis, etc. These things could even be linked to from my Moodle course sites.

In thinking about the difficulties of incorporating different technologies into my classroom, things that I am new to scare me the most. Until this summer I didn't have any experience working with wikis, websites, blogs, rss feeds, Google Docs, Prezi, or even webquests. But now I know that these technologies have so many advantages that I would be a fool not to explore them and find ways to use them in a math class. One of the first questions I have when someone tells me there is something new and cool to teach with is will it work for math? Being able to type equations and include graphs is absolutely essential, and that is one of the things that holds me back from using certain technologies. It's not always easy to type math problems in normal text, but there are ways to get around it. Sometimes you have to get a little bit creative, and who knows, maybe my students will have better ideas than I do for dealing with this issue. This is something I am definitely working on with Moodle.

Wiki Lab

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Mon, 1 Aug 2011 00:05:00 -0400

It was really quite fun to learn about wikis this week. I can't count how many times I have accessed Wikipedia to find quick and easy information about a topic, but I never really knew much about wikis or what goes into creating and editing them. I guess I just thought they were no different than a website. Now I see how interactive they can be and how much collaboration they can allow and encourage, especially as an educational tool!

Below are some screen shots of the additions I made to my school's Wikipedia page. I noticed how much athletic information had been previously posted, so I wanted to include more about our school's academic reputation and our community. I did some research on the 2010 census and included the population of our school district, as well as some notes about our high MEAP & MME test scores, and our high graduation rate. I also included the references that I used for this information, and links to those references.

I also took some time to create my own wiki that I can use in my classroom this year. I think this will be a great location for my students and I to share helpful resources and to communicate about all things math! It is definitely a work in progress, but I also think it's something I can easily implement and expect to get a lot out of. Below is a screen shot of the wiki I created, and a link to access the wiki.
https://mrslewismath.wikispaces.com/

I can't wait to start using my wiki this fall!

Analyzing My Lesson for UDL

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:54:00 -0400

In analyzing my Systems of Equations lesson plan for UDL principles, I was somewhat surprised by the features and barriers I found. I found that I was doing a lot of great things to reach the majority of my students, but that I was also creating some barriers that could limit the learning of some of my students. This really opened my eyes to some of the things I am doing, not just in this lesson but others as well, that could be potentially harmful to my students! One of the barriers that seemed to keep popping up throughout each of the three UDL principles was the use of rubrics, checklists, and objectives to help keep students organized, on task, and aware of their progress throughout the lesson. My lesson did not include any of this and I realize how easy it would be to provide students with a checklist/rubric to make them aware of what is expected, and how beneficial this would be to all of my students, and to me! I will definitely consider this, and the other barriers as I work to improve this lesson to meet the principles of Universal Design for Learning. My analysis of my lesson is provided below. Click on the tables to enlarge.

MERLOT Evaluation - GeoGebra

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:14:00 -0400

When I first started exploring MERLOT, I went straight to the Geometry section. Geometry is my favorite class to teach, but my students sometimes have a difficult time visualizing what we are talking about. I know there are lots of programs out there that are available for purchase, but I was hoping to find something freely available to use in my classroom. I quickly came across a resource called GeoGebra. GeoGebra, available at http://www.geogebra.org/cms/, is an open source downloadable software package that provides interactive experiences in graphing, drawing, and constructing geometric figures.

Quality of Content:

GeoGebra is an international, mathematically sound, interactive tool created and maintained by a diverse team of experts and volunteers. It is surrounded by a community of educators who contribute to its success by creating and sharing lessons and ideas free of charge to GeoGebra users worldwide. For teachers and students, GeoGebra meets the need for an interactive tool to explore visual mathematical concepts in a way that is functional, efficient, and fun. It allows teachers to teach, and students to learn all of the concepts they would in a typical Algebra or Geometry class; but in a way that incorporates technology, allows manipulation of figures and can be done in the classroom or at home.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

GeoGebra can be used anywhere in the learning process; from first introducing a topic to a class, to demonstrating problems to students, to students using the program to practice and apply their new knowledge. The options with GeoGebra are endless. It allows students to graph equations as they would on their graphing calculators, but offers increased capabilities in manipulating equations and viewing the results on the graph. GeoGebra also has the ability to construct various geometric figures with a simple click and drag, something that is not so easily accomplished on a typical graphing calculator. Using GeoGebra allows students to visualize figures and graphs, as well as explore the effects of making changes to them, and even find measurements from figures they have created. GeoGebra is definitely geared toward visual learners, but would be beneficial to any student using the program. GeoGebra will definitely improve my ability to teach mathematical concepts to many of my classes. I think its applications for Algebra, Geometry, and even Pre-Calculus will make it an invaluable resource for my students and for me as a teacher. I also found that the GeoGebra website has a Wiki with resources, lessons, and activities that can be used to start integrating the program into my teaching right away. I can’t wait to start exploring these activities and creating some of my own.

Ease of Use:

In the time I have spent exploring GeoGebra, I have found it extremely easy to navigate. All tools and options are readily available in a toolbar along the top, with each providing instructions for its use after it is selected. The program seems pretty user friendly and can be used to teach or explore a variety of topics. The program is easily downloadable from the website, and one can be drawing figures and measuring angles in less than 5 minutes. For today’s generation of students who have grown up using technology, GeoGebra will be easy to pick up on. Using the program, students can create highly complex figures and graphs in a matter of minutes, and spend more time exploring characteristics of those figures and graphs such as angles, area, and more. GeoGebra can be a huge time saver for students, which can be a great motivating factor. As for teachers, the website is extremely helpful, providing a help forum and a pretty extensive list of activities sorted by course and topic. GeoGebra also hosts a yearly conference, monthly newsletters, and events and workshops around the world for teachers to learn more about it.

Personal Learning Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:49:00 -0400

Coming into CEP 810, I really didn't know what to expect. I hadn't taken any classes since my student teaching internship during the 2007-2008 school year, and I was nervous that it would be difficult to get back into the swing of things. On the other hand, I was really excited to learn some new ideas and strategies for using technology in the classroom. To be honest, I was starting to feel out of the loop in terms of technology and I was ready for some help to get back up to speed on the latest and greatest tech tools for teachers.

Just finishing my third year of teaching, I think I am getting to the point where I have a pretty good handle on what types of things work well for students, and how to differentiate my instruction to reach the most students and to make the most of the time I have with them in class. I know that each and every one of my students walks into my room with different personalities, different backgrounds, different expectations, and different learning styles. However, they do all have one thing in common. They are all growing up and going to school in a world where technology is everywhere. My students are using technology that did not exist when I was growing up and going to school. I remember being in elementary school, thinking Fraction Munchers was the coolest thing in the world, and that nothing could ever be better. Now students are using Google Docs for projects and assignments, blogs and websites for online classes, and presentation tools that I had never heard of until this summer. Now, more than ever before, I realize the importance of bringing this technology into the classroom. There is such a huge potential for increased motivation, increased learning, increased communication, and increased success. I have learned that the possibilities are endless with today's students and technology. Toward the end of this school year, I mentioned Prezi to a group of students doing a project; and a week later I had one of the most interesting, creative presentations on polynomials I had ever seen. Who knew polynomials could be fun and that my students could be so techy and creative?! Using technology in the classroom is a must in today's society if we expect to prepare our students for jobs in the real world, that will inevitably involve using technology in some way.

One thing I have really enjoyed about this course was the opportunity to be exposed to so many different uses of technology, and to be able to explore and learn more about the things that interested us most. It was nice to find out about a lot of the things that are out there, but then to really spend some time focusing on a few that would be most useful to us. I also think it was a good thing that this was an online course. Having the class online, having to communicate with group members and instructors, and having to submit assignments online really forced me to evaluate the best ways to do these things online. It forced me to get to know Google Docs, blogs, and online public presentation tools, which have truly been beneficial to me. During this process I really learned a lot about specific technology tools, but more importantly I was made aware of resources that will prove invaluable to me long after these tools are replaced by new and better ones. By creating my blog, following the blogs of others, setting up my Google Reader, and joining the Edutech community on MACUL space, I have surrounded myself with a learning network that I will continue to go to both now and long into the future.

The assignment that I am most proud of completing for this course was my VoiceThread technology plan presentation. A week before I created my technology plan, I had never even heard of VoiceThread. However, after watching the SIG presentations and seeing one done through the use of VoiceThread, I started to find the other presentations lacking something. The inclusion of voice in their presentation just made so much sense to me, and I couldn't see myself making a slide show presentation without voice. I went back to their presentation for some tips, created my slide show presentation, and started recording. It felt really good to be able to explain myself as I went through the presentation, rather than cramming each slide full of wordy explanations. When I finished and played through my presentation for the first time, I was so proud of myself for stepping outside of the box and trying something new. VoiceThread is such a versatile, user friendly tool that I can't wait to use in the classroom next year.

When I think back to my personal growth plan at the beginning of this course, I realize how little I knew at that time. My two main goals at that time were learning how to create Moodle course sites for my classes, and setting up Google Calendars for everything from my Algebra 1 class to my edutech courses at MSU. Moodle was definitely something I spent a large portion of this class focusing on, as it was my SIG project. I was able to actually go through the process of setting up a course. I learned how to add assignments, import quizzes from my test writer program, create discussion boards and a homework help forum. I also learned how to create calendars and send course announcements to students and parents, how to set up surveys, and how to manage an entire course by changing settings for which things students have access to and which things they do not. I feel I was able to learn enough about Moodle that I can fully integrate it into my classes starting this fall. This will be a growing project of mine, as I improve and add to my Moodle sites over the summer and the coming years. As for my Google calendars, I have started using them. However once school let out, there are much fewer events in them! Once I am given our school calendar for next school year, I plan to work on creating Google calendars for each class that I can share with my students and their parents. This is still on my "to do" list.

I definitely have lots of new goals as we finish up this course. Many of these are laid out in my personal technology plan, which I will be revisiting often to evaluate myself and set new goals. As I said before, I came into this course not knowing what to expect. I thought I might learn a few new tricks to use in my classroom when they fit along with the content, but I gained so much more; SO MUCH MORE that I cannot even begin to describe what I take away from this class. There are so many more things that I want to do in my classroom now that it's hard to decide what things to start doing first. I think the first thing on my priority list is getting my Moodle sites set up for my classes over the summer. This will give me a place to start using technology with my students. One thing I am really excited about is the discussion boards. I really think it will be a great thing if I can give my students a place to talk about math, outside of my classroom. Then I can move on from there. I could give assignments on Moodle, give quizzes, provide students with math resources to use when they are stuck or want to learn more. I can have students do projects using Prezi, or Zoho Show, or VoiceThread and share them with each other on our Moodle site. In addition with my goal of using Moodle, I would like to expand my own use of technology in planning and writing lessons, outside of Word, and paper and pencil. I would like to work on converting some of my lessons to these technologies that I am now aware of, and would like to share with my students.

As far as my long term goals for using technology in the classroom, I think it's a matter of maintaining my personal learning network, staying in touch with the people I meet who are just as excited about technology, and keeping myself up to date on the latest tech tools for teachers. I plan to continue the edutech courses and complete the MAET program, and to stay in contact with the people and online communities that push me and challenge me to be the best teacher that I can be, in terms of content, pedagogy, AND technology.

Learning Styles

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Mon, 6 Jun 2011 12:56:00 -0400

All through school, I was always a strong student. I always put in my study time, whether it was spelling words or multiplication facts, but things usually came pretty easy to me. I have never really felt like I had a "learning style." I have always felt that I could learn anything, anyway, from anyone; so long as it was organized and I knew what was expected of me. And there I go throwing the organization factor in there! So maybe I do have somewhat of an organizational learning style. When I think back to the classes I have taken over the years, the ones I felt most comfortable in my learning were my math courses. These were highly organized and straight forward, where I new if we did section 7-4 today, then we were going to be doing section 7-5 tomorrow. How much more clear could it get? I knew when the next test was coming and I knew exactly where the content was that I needed to know for that test: my trusty math book! The classes that I felt slightly uncomfortable in my learning were my English classes. Here, things weren't always so cut and dry. Content for each unit came from multiple places, instead of just a single book. The ideas were a little more abstract. I had to do a little more thinking and creating than computing and procedures. I remember finding it extremely difficult to study for my English exams. Maybe all of this stems from what my learning styles actually are.

After taking the Learning Styles Quiz from Edutopia, I found my results to be pretty reflective of myself as a learner. My results are below.

As a math teacher, it makes sense that my three highest learning styles are Logical-Mathematical, Visual Spatial, and Naturalistic. Reading through the descriptions of these three learning styles definitely reaffirmed my feelings about the ways that I learn best. Still, I think it’s worth noting that for all categories, my results were 25% or higher, meaning I have at least some connection with each of them.

Though I have had many different teachers, of many different subjects, with many different teaching styles and strategies, I feel I have received a quality education, where I have learned to grow and adapt as a learner, and now even as a teacher. Now it’s my turn to think about my teaching style and strategies and the ways these things can impact ALL of my students. I know that it’s impossible to try to reach every student every day in a way that is meaningful and directed to them. However, it is possible to present the topics I am teaching in a variety of ways throughout each unit, so that at some point I can get through to each type of learner. My focus now is to do the best I can to differentiate my instruction to reach as many learners as possible, instead of relying on methods and strategies that have worked well for me as a learner. Not all of my students learn the way that I do, and failing to provide them with opportunities to learn the ways that are best for them would be a disservice on my part.

Reading the articles about different learning styles, and taking this learning styles quiz has really opened my eyes to the impact learning styles can have not only for me, but for my students as well. I think I need to take some time to go through my units and carefully analyze what types of learning styles my lessons are geared to, and how I can make improvements to reach more of my students everyday.

Creative Commons Lab

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sun, 5 Jun 2011 18:20:00 -0400

I recently taught a lesson to my Geometry class about different types of tessellations. We discussed and compared regular tessellations, semi-regular tessellations, and tessellations that could fall under neither category. For some students, the small differences between the different types of tessellations where difficult to grasp and remember. I think that having visuals to help identify these key differences might be extremely beneficial for my students. I found several images of tile floors on Flickr that demonstrate the ideas I am trying to convey to my students.

Photo Attribution:
Original Image: Bathroom Tile
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/2938395412/
By: Joe Shlabotnik
Released under an Attribution License.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Photo Attribution:
Original Image: Tile Flooring, top floor Casa Batllo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bastique/3901695313/
By: Bastique
Released under an Attribution, Share Alike License.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo Attribution:
Original Image: Tile Floor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaireproductions/4294376652/
By: Shaire Productions
Released under an Attribution License.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

I think showing students these three photos and discussing the similarities and differences would be a great way for me to introduce tessellations to my Geometry class. As a class, we could come up with our own definitions for regular and semi-regular tessellations based on the photos, in a way that will make sense and be memorable to my students. This can also lead into a discussion on which shapes can and which shapes cannot tessellate a plane, and why. Maybe I could even have students take pictures of their tile floors at home and bring them in to decide what type of tessellation they would be.

Below is a photo I took of the tulips in front of my house this spring!

Link to my Picasa page:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103104991662728359173/Jun5201102?authkey=Gv1sRgCMTkx4anruaengE#5614860471901017490

Photo Attribution:
Original Image: Red Tulips
https://picasaweb.google.com/103104991662728359173/Jun5201102?authkey=Gv1sRgCMTkx4anruaengE#5614860471901017490
By: Sarah Lewis
Released under an Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike License.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

PC Maintenance and Security Lab

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:59:00 -0400

I found this lab to be extremely helpful, because I often have questions about internet and computer security, but I never know who I can really trust to tell me what I need to know. I watched several tutorial videos that I thought would be useful to me, and here is what I found.

"Managing your Web passwords with RoboForm"
RoboForm is a clear alternative to trying to remember passwords for all of the websites, emails, bank accounts, blogs, and social networking sites that you use on a daily basis. It provides a service that can make our lives a lot easier. It allows you to set up one master password that will allow you to access any and all "passcards" you have saved in the past, and also has a feature to help you fill out online forms more efficiently. It sounds like a great solution to a common problem, but it really surprised me to find that saving and storing your passwords online all in one place would be a good idea. I'm still not sure I would feel comfortable with trusting my information to RoboForm.

"Explaining cookies"
I learned that websites use cookies to track user movements around sites, some while one is actually on the site, but also some that can track user movements on the Web even after they leave a site. One thing that really surprised me is that advertisers can use cookies to keep track of which types of websites you visit and then use that information to decide which advertisements to show you. One example was that amazon.com can keep track of your purchases and then use that information to provide you with recommendations for what else to buy. Recently, I was shopping for a new vehicle online. I went to numerous websites for dealerships, manufacturers, and even Craigslist. Later on I started to notice many vehicle advertisements along the side on various websites. I wonder if websites were tracking my cookies!

"Showing the results of bad security and careless computing"
I learned a lot from this video about all the things that go into protecting a computer from potential viruses, spyware, adware, malware etc., and the things that can happen if you don't. It is necessary and important to have a firewall, antivirus software, and antispyware to keep a computer safe. One thing that really surprised me, as I have always been an avid user, is that Internet Explorer has too many holes and vulnerabilities, and it is recommended to use a browser such as Firefox instead. Note: I have switched to Firefox. :)

RSS Page Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sun, 22 May 2011 22:59:00 -0400

When I first started working on the RSS lab and set up my Google Reader account, I wasn't really sure how useful it would be to me. However, as an avid facebook post checker (I don't miss a post), I thought checking RSS feeds would be something I could pick up on pretty quickly. I added the posts suggested by our instructors and also found some interesting feeds to subscribe to on my own. I was quite surprised by how many blogs and websites offer the option to subscribe to their RSS feed. Honestly, I never new what that little orange symbol was, or really cared for that matter. Spending a relatively small amount of time skimming through my Google Reader page, I quickly realized how out of touch I was on so many things! I check facebook several times a day just to get updates on my friends and their lives, but I really haven't spent much time (in my 3 years as an educator) catching up on what is going on in the worlds of mathematics, technology, and education in general.

I have to admit that I am still getting used to checking my Google Reader page regularly. I am working on making a Gmail and Google Reader check a part of my daily routine, and I am finding it quite helpful so far. I have found that some of the RSS feeds I subscribe to (ISTE Connects, NPR Education, and Mathematics & Multimedia) have new posts daily or at least a couple of times a week, while others (Weblogg-ed and "Reflections of a High School Math Teacher," a blog I am following) haven't been updated in the last week or the last month. Despite this inconsistency, I have found many insightful posts as I have been able to scroll back in time to see posts from before I had an RSS Reader. Over the past week or two, I have also been able to identify some of the feeds I think will be most helpful to me and also to unsubscribe to some that didn't provide the type of information I hoped to gain. I definitely think narrowing down my feeds to the ones that most pertain to me as a math teacher has made the process much easier for me. Overall my experience has been positive and my next step is learning to make the most of my RSS Reader and its potential to make me a better teacher.

In the short amount of time I have had with Google Reader, I have learned a lot. I have been a member of NCTM, but haven't taken much time to visit the website and stay current on the latest information in mathematics education. I subscribed to NCTM's RSS feed and have found their monthly "Problem to Ponder" quite interesting. I'm even thinking of sharing this month's problem with my geometry class this week. I have also been following a blog called "Reflections of a High School Math Teacher." There haven't been any posts since I subscribed, but I have gone back to see what was posted in the past. I have found some really cool ideas to use in my classes, including using pipe cleaners to graph trig functions, and using flip video cameras to record students doing math problems. On a Mathematics & Multimedia feed, I learned of a free downloadable program called Microsoft Mathematics that allows users to graph and solve 2D and even 3D equations. How cool is that? Through this same feed I also came across a video of a talk by Conrad Wolfram on "Teaching kids real math with computers." He had an interesting perspective on the use of computers & calculators in mathematics, that really has me rethinking some of my own thoughts on the matter.

I am pretty amazed at what I have learned so far using my RSS reader and I am glad that my original perception of its usefulness was completely wrong. Now I think it's a matter of figuring out how to use what I have learned to become a better teacher and to improve the experience my students have in my classes. At this point, I am still thinking about how I could use the capabilities of RSS reader pages in my math classes. I guess this would be a way to introduce the NCTM "Problem to Ponder" to my students each month. Or maybe there are other websites out there that post weekly or monthly problems that I could share with my students. This is something I will have to look further into. One thing I know for sure is that there are valuable mathematics, technology, and education resources out there for me to explore, and my RSS Reader gives me one way to do this. The content of my Google Reader page is already full of ideas, strategies, and suggestions to try in my classroom. Even though I only have 14 days of school left for the year, I am excited to apply some of the things I have learned, which reminds me...I need to make a trip to the craft store for some pipe cleaners.

Getting Things Done

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah L. Lewis) — Sun, 15 May 2011 16:32:00 -0400

After learning about the "Getting Things Done" work flow process, I realize that I already do a lot of these things, just not in the clear, calm, organized way discussed by David Allen. He says, "It is possible for a person to have an overwhelming number of things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control," and I completely agree with this statement. I have always felt that when I am overwhelmed with a million things to do, that the best remedy is to sit down, make a list of all the things I need to do, and to prioritize and make decisions about what to do next. Whether it's making a hand written list on a sticky note, or making an electronic list in the Astrid Task Manager on my phone, there is no better relief that checking one item off a list.
Going through this process, I found that the biggest disparity between what I have been doing and what I should be doing is that I have too many lists in too many places. I have 2 email inboxes full of things to do, sticky notes at home and next to my computer at school, Google calendars with everything from Castle on Monday nights at 10pm to dog sitting for my brother and sister in law for a weekend in June. I have found Google calendar to be the easiest way for me to organize this process. Here, I can bring all of my "To-Do" lists together in one place. I can access it quickly and easily when I am checking my email, as well as from my smart phone where I have a calendar widget placed on my main screen. I am working on organizing Google calendars for the classes I teach, the classes I am taking, as well as my personal life. One thing I have found difficult to organize with Google calendar is projects that I don't have a time line for (example: cutting down willow tree in our back yard.) Although, I have found a solution. I also have a widget for Astrid Tasks. This allows me to list things and rank them in order of importance, without assigning a deadline. I have this placed next to my Google calendar on my phone.
I think this process of "Getting Things Done" will help me, because it helps me put everything into perspective. Instead of having a million things to do in a million different places, I have one place to look, and more time to get started on checking things off the list. For this reason, I will definitely keep following this process.