Photo Sharing Tools

The end of the semester is quickly approaching, so here I am looking back at all of the things we've done in our Education Technology class. I think on of the most fun sections in the class was on Photo Sharing and photo editing. If I would have reflected during the that chapter, I might have said that I thought photo sharing was something I would never use as a teacher. I'm still a little unconvinced as to how often I may use this in my classroom, BUT I definitely feel prepared should I ever need to.

In our class we worked with Animoto, Smilebox and the Picnik/Picasa combo through Google. By favorite was Picnik/Picasa. As we continued with our projects throughout the semester, I found this tool to be very helpful! Picnik allows you to edit pictures (crop, rotate, add captions, etc.) very easily and with Picasa through google, you can easily save and organize your pictures on the web. This was particularly helpful when working on projects because I could easily upload pictures, edit them, and save them online, making them easy to access from anywhere I may need.

As for Animoto and Smilebox, I don't know that I will use these as much in the future. Smilebox is a really neat tool, however, the tool (to be used to its full potential) must be downloaded onto a computer, which is something I'm not particularly interested in. Smilebox does have a lot of different options for editing though, so if I ever needed to be super fancy. And concerning Animoto, I don't know how often I will use this in my career, but I was extremely excited to hear about this video making tool. Based on my experience with the digital story project (Windows Movie Maker), I would like to try working with Animoto in the future. Although I know there aren't nearly as many options, Animoto sereiously decreases the number of the decision the user has to make, which I'm sure I will be very interested in as my teacher career begins.

Overall, I really enjoyed the photo sharing section of this class much more than expected and I am now seeing more and more application for these tools in my own classroom!

Windows Movie Maker vs iMovie

So I have to say, if I were to make movies for use in my classroom, I would try to use iMovie next time. From all previous experiences, I feel like Mac programs are typically easier to use and you spend less time looking for what you want or need as compared with PC programs. For this project, I used Windows Movie Maker. Although I did like the "Workspace" pane, which held all photos, videos, music clips, and housed transitions, there were way to many things that I felt were much more complicated than necessary. I was particularly frustrated with adding text throughout my video. There were only a few options (maybe 3 of 20) which would allow you to place text somewhere other than in the center of an image. Obviously I used those, because I didn't want to type write over the center of my images. When I began my digital story, I had intended to place multiple words around the edges of my images, having them fade out one by one. If these is a way to do this in Windows Movie Maker, it is beyond my, and frankly would have consumer far too much of my time to make the difference. I was also displeased with the options for rolling credits. If I had it my way, my credits would have been spaced much closer together, so that it wouldn't take up so much of the time on my video. This was also a problem with the text I was trying to display on the 'Careers' section of my video. Overall, I was a little disappointed at all of the changes and sacrifices I had to make from my original vision. However, I am proud of the finished project - just wish I had known how time consuming it would have been to work out all the kinks and even get it to that point!

Comments on other experiences with Windows Movie Maker or iMovie are encouraged and welcomed! :)

My Digital Story

 

This video is something that I may use at the beginning of a semester to engage students and remind them that there is a reason they are learning this all this math stuff. I feel like this is one of the biggest questions I hear students ask in their math classes: "Why do I have to learn this? I'm never going to use it!" As teachers, I think we often get frustrated by this constant questioning and often get lazy in our answers: "Because I said so.... So you can get into college.... You need it to graduate." But these answers won't motivate most of our students, and if they do, they will only do so marginally. I think students need real answers! Some of what they learn in my algebra class, they will never use in their daily lives. Case in point: when was the last time you had to divide polynomials using the synthetic method? However, one of my biggest goals for my future students is that they understand math (in some form or fashion) will apply to their daily lives and will help them be more successful and independent people. Even if you go straight to the NFL after a year at college, wouldn't you want to know that you're not being cheated out of your money?

So that was my intent with this video. Certainly, it does not address the aspirations of every student I will have, and it wasn't intended to. But I would like to start the year off by informing students that I will make every attempt possible to connect this material to their lives and show them why it is valuable for them to study math - if for nothing else than it builds that problem solving and logical processing abilities.

Webquests & Inquiry Based Learning

Quite a while back, our class talked about and explored the use of Webquests and Inquiry Based Learning in the classroom. Overall, I think that this approach to learning could be very beneficial to students, especially with respect to long term retention. Webquests, specifically, seem to be a great way to create cross-curricular lessons which address a number of different standards in all different areas of learning. In particular, this lends to the opportunity for more real-world type learning experiences for students. Some of my favorite Webquests on the top sites questgarden.com and bestwebquest.com, we those that required students to participate in activities that would directly apply to them in their real lives, such as creating a floor plan, designing a budget for owning your own car, or even understanding the interest you pay and/or get paid on borrowed/invested money. As a high school math teacher, I know there will be many topics I teach my students that they will probably never use in their day to day lives (like graphing ellipses or finding the area under a curve) BUT there are still a number of math skills I would consider essential for their success in life. When students leave my class, I would really like for them to remember something about algebra or geometry. But if I have to choose, I would much rather them learn the logical thinking and real life skills they will need to really be successful and responsible adults throughout their lives. From this aspect, I think Webquests are a great way to bring real application into the classroom.
My only complaints about Webquests and Inquiry Based Learning are based on the issues of time and necessity. I never want to do things in my classroom just for the sake of doing them. I don't want students wasting my time, so why should I waste theirs with busy work and deny them learning. I think Webquests and inquiry based learning projects should have clear objectives and be very well defined if they are to promote real learning. Students should be fully aware of the learning objectives and teachers should make sure learning matches standards that are needing to be addressed as well. Despite how much I may like a project I've designed or how good I think it is for their learning, if students are not able to make the same relevant connections to their own lives, they will just see the assignment as one more thing to do, unrelated to any important learning or skill they will use again. Additionally, these types of projects often require a longer period of time to achieve a standard than would traditional teaching. While I really do like the idea of giving students the opportunity to learn and find answers for themselves, poorly designed activities can lead to lots of excess (and possibly wasted) time that we as teachers can't afford to lose. Despite these setbacks, however, I believed thoughtfully designed inquiry based activities can really enhance student learning and motivation in the classroom!

Here's to Jumping Back on the Wagon...

Ok, now's the time for honesty - the moment of truth. I have failed to stay consistent in my posting. I really like the idea of blogs, but I just don't think I'm much of a blogger. Maybe that's because I haven't pushed myself to keep posting and make it a habit. Psychologists seem to agree that it takes 66 days for the average person to develop/create a habit. Oh to have the diligence to stick with something for 66 days!

So, despite my behavior, I believe I've had a change of heart concerning the blogs. Let me explain. Initially, part of my failure to post may have been attributed to the fact that I didn't really see blogging as a useful tool. As with many of the tools and resources we explore in our technology 486 class, I didn't think blogging was something I would ever use in my classroom or as part of my teaching career. As it stands today, I still don't know if blogging is something I will use in my classroom (i.e. for my students or my parents). While I certainly want to be able to share information with both of these parties, I believe a classroom website would be more practical. Especially do to the fact that I would be able to keep all other class related info there as well.

However, as I begin talking to current teachers and trying to figure out where I stand on various different issues, I thing blogging could be a great resource as I begin building my teaching career. So many teachers have great wisdom to share about their experiences - what to do, what NOT to do, what worked for them, etc. The teacher I am observing now has told me numerous times to speak to as many teachers as I can throughout my career. And while I certainly won't agree or even relate to everything I may be told, that doesn't mean that it won't benefit me to hear it! So, if for nothing else that opening my mind to others' experiences and hoping someone else can learn from my own, I'm jumping back on the wagon. From here on out, I will fight my urge toward inconsistency!

Interactive Spreadsheets!

Inspiration: Solving Systems of Equations

So recently in my technology class, we spent some time working with the Inspiration software. From my understanding, Inspiration is intended to make the building/creating of concept maps and flow carts a little simpler. The program itself is really neat, with a number of different options for creating a unique display of information. What I found most helpful was the outline feature. Just like when you create a powerpoint, there is the option to input information in an outline view. The helped me because I could organize my thoughts in an outline, then simply click a button to create a web, tree or pyramid of information. It is also very easy to insert images or pictures onto a map, unlike it might be if you tried to create a similar product using Word or another familiar product for creating documents. 

Although I had a lot of fun discovering all of the nifty thinks to do with this project, it is in complete opposition with how I learn. Personally, I don't really like concept maps. There's too much information, that for me, seems far too disorganized or scattered across the board. I'm a linear thinker - so for me, a list of ordered steps seems to make much more sense. Perhaps this is why I enjoyed being able to first create the outline and then have the compute arrange it all for me! Despite my personal disinterest in organizing information this way, I know some students I have will enjoy the non-linear representation of the information and may better be able to organize a number of different methods for doing something in this fashion. For this reason, I won't completely rule out Inspiration in my own classroom - but I don't think it will be a common staple for me.

Photo Scavanger Hunt :: Opposites!

Digital Photo Collection

Observation Experience (1)

Yesterday was my first day actually observing in the classroom at Bearden High School. My observation time covers a full-year freshman algebra class, and a geometry class (with 35 students!!). Monday was an experience to say the least.

As my mentor teacher described, the student in the freshmen class are all fantastic as people, BUT having a classroom full of freshmen right after lunch on a Monday is no walk in the park. The teacher told me about how Monday's are always the hardest, but to help keep her class on task and ready to learn each day, she provides routine by always giving opening and closing problems. At the beginning of class she gives them 1-3 problems covering previous lessons, and at the end of class, she assigns 1-3 problems for the class to be working on while she's still with them to observe. The best part about her organization in this area, was that she monitored while the students were working and as it became clear they had finished or understood the concept, she handed out homework assignments. I really liked this idea, because she was able to interact with all of the students and was able to see who was getting in more quickly and who would potentially need more time and explanation the next day.

The geometry class was also slightly challenging. The students were older, so overall they were better behaved and more on task without the teachers prompting. However, there are 35 of them and it is the last block of the day, so attention spans are generally rather short. Yesterday, the class was preparing for a test they would be taking on Tuesday (today). While the teacher was handing out quizzes from the previous class, the students began to get rambunctious. On the fly, the teacher wrote a short problem on the board for the students to work on while she finished handing back papers. This tactic seemed very simple, but really worked great for keeping the students calm and working. The students worked through their review packets individually/quietly and then in groups. While on the outside this may have seemed a little chaotic, this seemed to work really well in her classroom. Students who finished quickly and understood the material really well were paired with others who seemed to be struggling, creating peer tutoring roles. This allowed struggling students the more one-on-one attention they needed while keeping the more advanced students on-task and out of trouble. It was really fantastic to see peer tutoring roles implemented so easily and effectively in the classroom.

Pre-Internship Observation Experience

So, I finally met with the correct teacher at Bearden High School for my pre-internship observation. The first time I tried to go to Bearden for my placement, they placed me as a service learning student in the Learning Center with a credit recovery classroom - oops! Oh well, like I said, the problem has been corrected now. And, incidentally, I was place with the one teacher I know at Bearden High School, Ms. Parrott. I'll be doing my observations during on her Freshman Algebra class and her Geometry class. From what I've been told, she has fantastic students, but her Freshman Algebra class is at maximum capacity with 35 students and after lunch, productivity diminishes rather quickly. Anyways, I'll be interested to see how she manages her classroom and what tools and activities she uses to engage her students in learning. My first official observation starts on Monday, so I'll have to post again later with an update on how it goes!!

Reflection on Website Evalution

The website evaluation activity taught me about looking at a lot more that .edu to validate information. In high school, the idea was if it was .edu the information was from a school entity and therefore correct, but information from .com was not always reliable and had to be checked against other credible sources. BUT the website evaluation tools really explain all of the questions one needs to ask to consider the different aspects of reliability and validity of information.
In my own classroom, I think I may use the website evaluation when students are researching different solution techniques and mathematical explanations. There is a lot of math work out there that is explained from many different perspectives (physics, engineering, abstract mathematics...) and my students need to understand that although there are different explanations, some of these will make absolutely no sense or will miss important connections to the curriculum as a whole. Additionally, this resource will help students validate that solutions and hints found online are actually correct and not simply other misled students.

Website Evaluation Formula

This site would be a fantastic resource for high school students learning to distinguish websites as credible or bogus. It covers 5 major topics for evaluating web pages: (1) authority, (2) purpose/intended audience, (3) currency, (4) objectivity, and (5) support. Each section includes a set of questions to consider when looking at websites. But even better, I think, is the inclusion of tips and ideas to help the student really think through these questions. So not only does it ask the student "Who's the author?", the site instructs students on where to find this information, what to do if it isn't listed on the site, and how to verify credentials of an author or organization.

Duke University Libraries: Evaluating Web Pages

Wonderful Wikis

So this week was dedicated to learning about Wikis and their classroom use. I find wikis pretty straight forward - edit, write, save! Creating and embedding links was pretty interesting, and I liked working with the pictures and fonts/colors and such, but I do plan on spending more time 'fussing' with the formatting and other fun stuff on my wiki page. The best part of this whole wiki educational experience was probably seeing real life examples of wikis in the classroom and reading suggestions of how they can be used in all types of classrooms. Now that I think about it, I remember using wikis to solve group homework problems in a Geometry class last semester at UT. Thinking about applications to my own classroom however, I like the idea of giving students a place to post notes and topics for reviews and text prep. I think giving students the opportunity to collaborate together and 'talk' through the material, even if it is just to outline important topics, would be a fantastic way to encourage students to continually be reviewing what they are learning. Also, outside of my specific math classroom, I REALLY like the use of wikis as an orientation for new students into the high school setting - in which case upperclassmen would collaborate to create the wiki. Overall, I think wikis could end up being very beneficial in encouraging collaborative learning in the classroom.

Course Expectations

Honestly, I'm pretty excited about this course. I don't think of myself as a tech whiz me any means, but I love to figure out new technology and experiment with different bells and whistles! I'm also encouraged by the syllabus, since there are a number of projects listed for this course. I really feel that projects allow for more flexibility to express my thoughts and ideas, without feeling bogged down by strict step-by-step guidelines. Since technology is going to help me in me as an educator, however, I can't wait to get my hands dirty and start seeing the ways these different methods can be applicable to my classroom.

Just a bit about me...

Well, I’m Colleen Williams, but in UT's system I'm Amy Barnett. Just to explain, Colleen is my middle name, and I recently got married so my new last name is Williams. Confusing, yes, but what's a girl to do?! I was born in Maryville have lived in the Maryville/Alcoa/Knoxville area my whole life. I went to Alcoa High School, graduated in 2007, and then started directly at UT. After this semester, I will have completed my undergraduate with a BS in Mathematics and a minor in Secondary Education.

Early in my life I developed an interest in teaching. During high school, I often tutored my peers in various math classes. Through these experiences, I became aware of how differently people learn and conceptualize mathematical ideas. Even from my past two years of experience at the tutoring center, I continue to explore the number of ways to present overarching concepts to students, that they may best understand and connect these ideas to previous knowledge. And although I’m excited to get started in the classroom, I don’t know where I’m interning yet or even where my field experience will be, but I’m sure there will be a lot to learn from any placement!