DimensionM

I read the article "Learning Connections Game Play is Important for Learning", and the purpose of this article was to show how students are learning math with video games.  Some classrooms are using the video game DimensionM to teach students that are testing low in their state scores, and using the fun of the game to get them engaged in the math. 

Personally, I think it is a brilliant idea, and if I have the opportunity to teach pre-algebra or algebra, I would definitely look into using a game system like this to teach my students.  What better way to learn math than to play a game? It keeps students' attention, and makes them want to learn in order to progress to the next level. 

Overall, by playing the game Dimension M, students understanding of the material increased, and they are more willing to come to class to learn. In the end these students ended up learning more and faster than the normal math classes that weren't using the games to learn. 

As far as the NETS Standards for students go, by using the video games to learn, the main standard that it addresses is standard 4 a-d.  This standard discusses problem solving, making decisions and exploring different solutions, which is all involved in playing this math related game. 

Gillispie, L. B., Parker, M., & Martin, F. (2010, August).
Learning Connections Game Play Is Important for Learning. Retrieved
October 21, 2010, from ISTE (Vol 8, Issue 1).

Telling Stories with Video

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the use and effectiveness of composing videos in a class. It gives opportunities for students to be creative and to be able to demonstrate what they really learn outside of the classic paper and pencil homework.  

Although I don’t think that I would use videos in a math class, I think it is a really good idea in other subjects. With math, there isn’t too much stories to be told, although it could be a way to visually represent a specific topic with some form of animation.  Videos would allow for the more artistic students, who might not respond well to traditional homework, to show what they are really capable of and show that they really understand what is going on.      

Overall, having students create videos as a class activity allows for increased participation, as well as collaboration and feedback from other students.  It is a fun and different way to work with a subject so students can get excited about doing something new. 

The following are the NETS Profiles for grades 9-12:

#3: Students have the opportunity to use whatever technology
would be best appropriate to use with composing a video, which could be for
editing or previewing. 

#4: By creating videos, students are discussing specific
subject matter in a critical way. 

#6: The technology used in creating videos can be analyzed and
exposed to students, so they can decide if it is a technology that they would
like to use for later projects. 

#9: Creating videos are another way to create media-rich
presentations. 

Young, C., & Kajder, S. (2009, June). Learning
Connections Telling Stories with Videos. Retrieved October 16, 2010, from
ISTE.

Total Technology Immersion

The purpose of the article is to show the effects of total technology immersion in schools, and to show how it is done.  The author showed how it takes time, leadership, infrastructure (including money), and the support of teachers to make a total immersion actually be successful. 

            Personally I think this is a great idea, however difficult since this is a very expensive idea.  I definitely connected with the part about how the math classes had a hard time giving up the pencil, paper and calculators.  I feel that math is something that should be done via pencil and paper, and doing it on the computer can be frustrating.  There are really interesting programs that I have helped teach with at the university, and these are like ALEKS which is a artificial intelligence program which learns with the student and understands what they really know or don’t know.  Although most of the scratch work needs to be done on pencil and paper, ALEKS is a good resource for helping students to better understand their math. 

            Overall, this article shows how valuable that a total technology immersion program can have a big affect on student’s learning.  After evaluations, it showed that more students are doing better with reading and writing test scores.  On the other side, more students are more involved in what they are learning and feel more connected to school, which is always a benefit. 

            Considering that this is a total technology immersion program, all of the student NETS standards apply.  Students have all sorts of opportunities in all of their classes to develop skills and understanding of technology that applies to their schoolwork and real life.  This will help with their critical thinking process as well as identify which technology is appropriate for the project they are working on.

Vaughn, Sandy. "International Society for Technology in Education - Learning & Leading Total Technology Immersion." International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE, Sept.-Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Total_Technology_Immersion.aspx>.

 

VoicetThread Extend the Classroom

The article, “VoiceThread Extends the Classroom with Interactive Multimedia Albums” discusses the idea of using the technology of VoiceThread to spark the interests of students and be able to have them actively participate in discussions that the might not normally be interested in doing.  It allows students to collaborate beyond the classroom in a way that is completely different from a classic class discussion. 

The purpose of the article is to show teachers the power of voice thread and how the success of Bill Ferriter could happen in any class.  They showed how easy the technology is and that it is a fun and easy way to involve students. 

After experiencing  VoiceThread, I might use this technology with solutions for math problems.  Students could be assigned specific problems and show their techniques in solving them by uploading a picture of their solution and using the drawing tool and a voice comment to explain step-by-step their understanding of what they did.  Other students could comment and also explain alternative solutions to the same problem.  I have found that when students are able to explain problems to others that they themselves understand the material better.  This gives students the opportunity to collaborate and see new viewpoints to the math that they are learning, thus giving an overall better experience.

The following are the NETS standards for 9-12 that apply to this article:

#5: By using VoiceThread, students could have the opportunity to work out a global issue and discuss it with comments, as did Bill Ferriter’s class did with issues in Darfur. 

#9: On VoiceThread, students could use the technology to create presentations with voices, pictures and demonstrations. 

Laila, W. (2008, April 16). VoiceThread Extends the Classroom with Interactive Multimedia Albums. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from Edutopia.

Digital Libraries

The article, "Digital Libraries: shifting the Landscape" is an informative article about the shift of the way books are read. We now have the technology to be digitalizing our books making them more readily available to everyone.

I feel that by digitalizing books, it is a new way for students to read books that fit into their technology-based lives. The new technology allows more people to have access to more information which is extremely concrete, in comparison to the internet. This is definitely going to affect the dynamic in my future classroom. Soon textbooks will no longer be available in a printed version which will allow students to view their math problems on their phones, laptops and kindles. As a teacher I could display the problems easily in front of the class which could cut down lecture time and make the class environment more efficient. Personally, I am a big fan of the kindle. It not only reads like a book with its e-ink technology but it also stores multiple books in one place so there is no excuse for a forgotten book.

Overall this article is showing how fast technology is changing, and it is moving our society into an endless world of information. Even though ethics is an underlying issue, digital books can be a positive tool especially in learning.

The following are the NETS standards for 9-12 that apply to this article:

#3: By selecting digital books, students can be more efficient in their learning especially with built in dictionaries and searches.

#6: Digital books have pros and cons, but students have the opportunity to choose to use them based on their needs.

#10: If using technology like a kindle, it is an opportunity for students to use, understand and troubleshoot a new device that they might not usually be able to use.

Bull, G., & Sites, M. (2009). Digital Libraries: Shifting
the Landscape [Electronic version]. Learning & Leading, 37(1),
12-13.

Article 1: “The Beginners Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips”

The purpose of this article is to show teachers that field trips don't necessarily have to take place away from school. Students have the ability to visit faraway places or talk to an expert from across the country. This article gave suggestions for teacher to easily do VFT's (virtual field trips) by giving resources and suggesting teacher to look for video conferencing technology at their schools.

I believe that VFT's would be a very useful activity in a classroom. If I were teaching in a High School math class, I would use it to bring in a mathematician or someone in a math related field to talk about the application of a specific topic or to discuss a math related career. It would offer a break in normal classroom activities and would allow for more interaction and interest with the subject.

Overall, VFT's are a way to make a subject more interesting and is easier than a traditional field trip. Students have the opportunity to go to faraway places like museums, historical places or even organizations. These VFT's can take the form of videos, pictures, or podcasts that are not in real-time, or could be interactive real-time video conferences. Students are able to go and experience things that they might have never thought possible, which makes learning for them a lot more fun.

The following are the NETS standards for grades 9-12 that apply to VFT's:

#3: This standard discusses the use of digital tools and resources. This could be shown if, for the VFT, you needed specific video conferencing equipment for an interactive video conference.

#5: Depending on the typ of VFT, there might be a complex global issue presented, and the purpose of the VFT would be to look deeper in the issue and offer solutions to solve it.

#6: If using special video conferencing technology, students could understand its capabilities and limitations.

Using Technology in the Classroom with Student Standards

After reading the "Creating our Future: Students Speak Up about their Vision for 21st Century Learning", I noticed how much students want to see technology used in the classroom.  Since I am aiming for my single-subject credential, I focused on grades 9-12 from the Profile for technology (ICT) literate students. 


One portion of the article focused on the use of digital textbooks and interactive resources online which is illustrated in standard #3.  I think it would be an excellent idea for students since it would allow for more interaction beyond just what is happening in the classroom. As a potential math teacher, I understand that visuals are very important in teaching and understanding mathematics, and if there was any tool on the internet that would help with this, I could definitely be able to incorporate a more interactive resource into a lesson plan. 
The article also discussed different types of technologies available for use inside and outside the classroom, as well as being safe online.  This would reflect in standards #2, 6, and 9.  Standard 2 discusses creating an online art gallery that reflects what is taught in class. This would give students and opportunity to look and explore art from different time periods that might not be found easily through a book, and it gives them an opportunity to be able to put art side by side to analyze it. Unfortunately, working with an art gallery is something that is not taught in a math class, so this is not applicable to what I would be teaching. Standard 6 reflects the issue of internet safety, limitations and capabilities of different technology. I believe it is important for any student to understand this, and should be discussed before using any technology in a lesson. For a math class this could include the use of a graphing calculator. Students should understand that the calculators can do a lot of things like graphing simple lines or even trig functions, but they can also solve complex problems like finding derivatives and integrals. This all depends on the level of mathematics, and I would have to be careful in showing what the students understand. Standard 9 discusses creating media-rich presentations, which is used in almost any subject. I know when I have to do a presentation, I immediately turn to power point to create a presentation that can use pictures, sounds, and can easily organize information in a clear and concise way. If I were to assign any type of presentation in my own class, I would definitely show my students how to use the program so they can use it in their own presentations.


As stated in the Speak Up article, "In many communities, the students feel a strong need to access online resources due to the lack of resources in their own community or concerns about the quality or effectiveness of their teachers or textbooks." This shows that students are very eager to learn about new technologies and understand that they will help them strengthen their education. Many students are taking the initiative to learn the new technologies on their own and are even getting a head start on some of these standards. These standards could be as in #3(stated above) or #10 which discusses troubleshooting and creating a system that allows for a proper learning environment.
Overall, our education system is depending on a lot of technology to teach our students. It is becoming important, easy and useful, for teachers and allows for students to keep interest in their classes.