Thing 21

1.  A flipped classroom provides another venue for students to learn information taught in class or to gain a different perspective on the topics discussed in class.   It also provides a way for students to recapture information  they might have missed in their notes and refreshes  their brain cells on the material.    

For my classes, this would be helpful in cutting down some of the following:
 "How did you do that?"
"Could you do that again?"
"I need help but can't come in after school because _________________"

Also, a flipped classroom could be an excellent project for students to create their own screencasts explaining various topics to their peers in ways that allow their peers to gain a better understanding of the material.


2 & 3

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cli3e9dCT

First of all, this screencast took much longer to make than I thought.   Secondly, I stopped counting my re-recordings after ten.  Just didn't realize how nervous I could get with recording my own voice on a screencast for the world to listen.  Anyway, I showed this screencast to my mom, a retired educator in Michigan and Florida, since I created it while chillin' out with her and my G-ma (grandma).  :)    Of course she enjoyed it since I'm her child but she also pointed out some of the same things I noticed that  would need correcting for the next time.   We both agreed that I paused too long in some parts as well as used the words and and so more than what was needed.  I know the pausing was the result of me trying to remember what to say during those moments.

The next time I do a screencast I might write out a brief outline of what I am going to say so that I do not pause too long or show my hesitation vocally.  I would also go through a couple of dry runs prior to doing the recording so I avoid doing what I did for this screencast.


Overall, I would definitely do more screencasts to add to the resources that are available to my students in order  for them to be successful in their math class.

Thing 20

1.With the website I created for my classes last year, I did embed videos from Khan Academy and from  phschool.com to help further explain the lessons I taught in class.  I also have used videos from Khan Academy as a part of my instruction in the classroom.  This upcoming school year I would like to incorporate a few podcasts on a trial basis to see if it would be beneficial within my math classes.  Some  of my concerns using video and audio resources are as follows:

 Will  students actually pay attention and possibly  take notes during the video or podcast?
Do students have access to the internet outside of school to access the resources?

2.  PodOmatic is a site where a person can create and post their own podcast for free as well as view podcasts others have posted on a wide variety of topics.  The basic version is free while the pro version will cost some money.   With the basic version, a person gets 500MB of storage along with 15GB of bandwidth.  A person is also able to follow other podcasts, have access to easy-to-use publication tools,  and share podcasts with others.   PodOmatic also has another feature called Minicast.  Minicast is free software that mashes up photos and audio into a slideshow.  Just like PodOmatic, Minicast can be shared with others via Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.

3.  I think using video resources verses strictly audio resources  are more useful in a math class because students have better chance at understanding math if they can visually see things like the process of how problems are solved or how formulas are derived.   (Yes, I do understand that there are those who may find the audio resources more beneficial to them.  And I know I probably contradicted myself in what I said in question one).
Using a strictly audio resource could possible bore students and make them less interested in listening and more interested in going off task.  If there is, however , a well made podcast that would capture the interest of students in math, then I could see the possibility of lively discussion afterward.

Thing 19

1.  This digital story was created in iMovie.  I did find iMovie pretty easy to use.  I will need to play around with PhotoStory since my school doesn't have Macs.

2.    Here is the link to my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgEr3SXTYVM



3.   I could see my students using digital storytelling as a way of explaining a topic in math to their peers.  There are times when  a student just doesn't understand something that has been taught by me.  But when one of their peers explains it, it all seems to make sense to the student.

Digital storytelling could also be used for students who are homebound and/or have the tendency to miss ( skip)  their favorite class (math).  This way, the student doesn't miss out on information that was presented in class.

4.  The feedback from the video has been great!  The music that was chosen was perfect for the video and my viewers found the captions funny.  One viewer said it was perfect.  Aww... bless her heart.  :)  I did have my sister preview it before I sent it to YouTube and she found 2 mistakes that I quickly cleared up.  Other than that, everything else was good.

Thing 18

1.  My district has an online program for students that has been in place for 4 years now.  Because of this online program, all teachers have access to e2020/education2020 for all courses that are taught within the building.  There have been several traditional classes that have blended online learning with traditional learning with some success.

Personally, I have used e2020 to prepare my students for the ACT/MME test.  Naturally, some students did find it beneficial and chose to continue working on e2020 at home.  For them, they felt better prepared for the actually ACT/MME.  Other students didn't take it seriously because there wasn't a grade attached to working on e2020 or they became frustrated with the content and decided to give up.

For this upcoming school year, I hope to incorporate the e2020 program as well as phschool.com  more in my planning for the classes I will be teaching.  I know I have students that would find learning some of the content online beneficial to their success in math.  Plus it would give students another view on how math can be taught.  It would also give them the opportunity to learn upcoming topics before they are taught.  I know I loose a few with some of my lectures.  Hopefully, by giving them another avenue of learning, they will use it to gain a better understand of the topics taught in class.

Downside:  Being able to get into a computer lab when every teacher in trying to do the same thing.  Too few labs and too few working computers is a big issue.

NOTE:  e2020 and phschool.com are at no cost to our students.

2.  Instead of writing a paragraph I decided to list some things that would enable a student to be successful as an online student.

• Commitment to taking online courses with the knowledge that you will be working independently.
• Being a self-sufficient independent (for the most part) learner
• Knowing the cost, if any, for taking online classes
• Willingness to increase skills for the workplace
• Willingness to learn new ways of communication(i.e. Skype, blogging, creating own website)
• Take on the responsibility for own learning
• Knowing if the course can be accessed at home, school, library, etc.
• Having a computer
• Knowing if working ahead is allowed
• The limit on the number of courses that can be taken in a semester
• Knowing who to contact for tech support
• What teachers are available and when to help when topics need more explanation 
• Will online courses count towards graduation?
• Are the online courses accredited?
• Will in-school lab time be required?
• Learning how to use the program that provides the online course
• Knowing how homework (if any), quizzes and tests are to be turned in.
• What happens when passing the course isn't possible?

Thing 17

1.  Interesting and informative site to have joined.  Im particularly interested in some of the course catalog offerings that are online.  Im not really sure if I would use the collaboration center but would definitely use the Reference Center seems to provide resourceful information that I could use in my classroom.

2.  Since I have a Facebook acct that is strictly for my personal use, I went ahead and signed up for Twitter.  One of the people that was suggested to follow was J. Lo.  Really??  Anyway here is my Twitter page.  Just following 11 so far.  Don't know if I would ever use this though with students.  Honestly, I wouldn't have my students follow me or be a part of my Facebook page even if it was strictly used for academic purposes.  I just see too much of a risk with what can be posted on Facebook and Twitter by students.  Plus there are plenty of other avenues to communicate with students via online sources.

3.

4.   Below is the screenshot of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics website.  The purpose of this organization is as follows according to their mission statement :

The cost for membership varies from $104 for Individual membership to $40 for a Student membership.

Some benefits include subscriptions to Journal for Research in Mathematics Education or Mathematics Teacher just to name a few. There are also discounts on all conferences for being a member.

 Skills that I could bring to this organization would be my knowledge of teaching students from diverse ethnic backgrounds, learning  and social economic backgrounds the fun of learning math.

Thing 16

1.  The pair of databases that I took a look at were InfoTrac Junior Edition and InfoTrac Student Edition.  What I decided to search for was information on the Pythagorean Theorem for students to find material for a research project.

a.  Appropriateness
Both sites are appropriate for high school students to use and from the links that I did click on, nothing seem inappropriate .
b.  Usability
Both sites were easy to use and their page layouts are not messy and confusing.   There are various tabs that allow for searches of material (i.e.  basic search, advance search and publication search)
c.  Content
In searching for information on the Pythagorean Theorem I found that both sites really didn't produce enough  information  that I would want my students to look for.  InfoTrac Junior barely had anything on the subject while InfoTrac Student had more news articles, journals and books available.   The one thing, however, that is making me think both databases wouldn't be useful on the subject of the Pythagorean Theorem is the fact that there are articles that contain the words Pythagorean Theorem but have nothing to do with its creator or how it is used.
d.  Credibility
Although the both databases didn't impress me when searching for the Pythagorean Theorem,  I would still let students know about both.  There are other topics in math and other subject areas where both databases could prove very useful to students.

2.  The database I took a look at was the General Reference Center Gold.  I chose to do a search on cyber bullying since it has been a hot topic in schools across the country for the past couple of years.

a.  Appropriateness
Yes, this site is appropriate for students to use in researching information on the topic of cyber bullying.
b. Usability
Just like the other sites, this one easy to use and its page layouts are not messy and confusing.   There are various tabs that allow for searches of material (i.e.  basic search, advance search and publication search).
c.  Content
I did find the content  to contain reliable information that would be useful for students doing research on the topic.  I also clicked on several videos that were a part of the search.   The only downside was that I had to install Flip4Mac software in order to view some of the Windows Media videos.

d.  Credibility

The General Reference Center Gold just like the others is creditable and useful.  And just like the other databases, students will either find a wealth of sources or very little depending on what they are searching.

  

3.  Citation for a video in MLA format using the citation tool in MEL:

4.  A citation using EasyBib

Thing 15

I chose to use iGoogle because like most things with Google its easy to learn and navigate.   Google, however, has decided to retire iGoogle in November 2013.  Great...

Anyway,  using a RSS aggregator would be helpful to my students in keeping up with the latest news, entertainment, interests  and educational resource feeds all in one place.  

Thing 14

1.  I took a pptx file of a graphic organizer and converted it into a pdf file.   Since I type a lot of my notes, formula sheets and other things  in Word and sometimes PowerPoint, being able to use an online tool that coverts from one format to another would be very beneficial to my students.   I can covert my documents into a format that students could easily access without having to pay for software to open the original files.  This would give students the ability to not fall behind if they are absent during lecture.  It would also give students the chance to convert their own files at school and send them to their personal email addresses in order for them to have access.

Below are screenshots of the original document in pptx and its conversion in pdf.

2.

Converted docx to pdf:  Result was good.  No problems.

Coverted docx to bmp:  Result was good but each of the four pages of the original document resulted in four separate downloads in bmp.

Converted docx to png.  Result was good but each of the four pages of the original document resulted in four separate downloads in png.

Converted docx to odt.  Result was good.  No problems.

Converted docx to txt.  Restult wasn't that good.  Items that I had bold and underlined in the original didn't show up in the txt format.  Also spacing in the txt format was off.

A screenshot of what is emailed from Zamar 

A screenshot of what will be downloaded 

3.   Since my district moved from Outlook over to Google Docs, everyone has been using Google Calendar with students, within departments, individually, within individual  schools and the district.   It's an easy way to communicate upcoming events without having to constantly remind people verbally or use printed calendars.  It's a great tool to use to let students and parents know when assignments are due, when quizzes and tests will take place and what in general is going on at the school.  

Below is my Google calendar from January of this year.  What you see in orange in mine and what you see in purple and yellow is what has been shared with the entire staff by the athletic office and the principal.

Thing 13

1.  Here is a Google Earth screenshot of the famous Manitou Incline just outside of Colorado Springs, CO.  This was my very first hiking experience and it was tough but totally cool.  The other screenshot is to show you what the incline really looks like and how steep.  I ready to go back and tackle the Incline a few more times.

2.  This is my number one place that I want to visit.  Had the opportunity to visit several years ago but I chose to work summer school.  What was I thinking!?!?

3.  Quizlet

Since I use flashcards all the time in my Geometry classes and the one providing the 3 x 5 notecards or making some from card stock,  Quizlet would be much easier for my students to use and save me time.   Plus they wouldn't lose their note cards.  They could easily quiz themselves on the terminology of the course as well as share their flashcards with others.  I would use it as a review tool that would include vocabulary as well as mathematical images prior to a quiz or test.

Thing 12

1.  Google Form

Above is a screenshot of the survey I created and would use for my students at the beginning of the school year.  I found creating a survey in Google Forms to be easier than in Survey Monkey.  Google Forms seems to just be simple, clean and to the point for what I need.  And because I find this easy to use, it would be a good tool to quickly survey the class on their learning and their opinions of what was taught.  I might not use Google Forms for quizzing students since some of the work I require them to show Im assuming can't be done on the form.

Below are the results of my survey.  I enlisted the help of a few teachers and non-teachers since I am not teaching students right now.

2.  Rubistar

In the district where I teach each department has a rubric that is used when we give our students their CCR (Closed and Critical Reading) assignment.  This assignment is used to collect data on how well our students can process the information they read.  Students are asked to write in complete sentences and show all work for any computations.   So, what I posted in the above screenshot is similar to what I have been using in my classroom.

3.  Data Tools

 The data tools that are available in my district allow teachers to access basic student information (i.e. address, parent contact, email, etc), transcript information, class schedules with all grades(homework, projects, quizzes and tests) in their classes, MEAP data, CCR data and behavioral referrals.   Teachers also have access to SMI (Scholastic Math Inventory) and SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory) scores that show a student's current math and reading level.   Our district also just purchased Next Navigator to  help us with accessing the CCSS with our students.   

In regards to FERPA and HIPPA, they are both important in protecting the rights and privacy of the student (as well as other individuals) and at the same time provide necessary information for the care and well-being of the student physically, emotionally, and intellectually. 

Thing 11

http://prezi.com/2691pp2elohd/copy-of-pythagorean-theorem-and-sohcahtoa/

Frustration is the key word in learning Prezi because it's something new and different than what Im use to using.  With that being said,  this is my first Prezi presentation and I know this won't be my last.  :)  I like the zooming feature of the presentation and like the fact that the youtube clips I inserted start immediately.   Most of my students are accustom to using powerpoint for their presentations so getting them to use Prezi should be interesting.  I'm pretty sure that they will learn this much quicker than me and would add that razzle and dazzle to their projects via Prezi.

This is a zoom shot of phschool.com website that I strongly encourage my students to use as an additional resource for their learning.   Being able to zoom in on different parts of a diagram or steps in solving a problem  while lecturing would help some students focus more closely on what is being taught.  It would allow for that connection between the explanation and visual to be more in sync.

Thing 10

Before

After

This picture was taken by me during my vacation in Vegas this year.  The picture is of the Hoover Dam taken from the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.  

I used Picasa because it was easy to use and since my district has gone Google, the students have easy access to this photo editing tool.  Students who aren't generally creative will find Picasa a great tool to express their hidden creativity in the projects they produce.

Some of the  features that I used in Picasa were the following:

-fun and useful image processing tabs

-addition of a caption

-I'm feeling lucky icon

2.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111139614319309478237/albums/5764125649969946065

Thing 9

1.  Since I am not in contact with any students during the summer, I gave my true or false quiz to my sister (she slightly protested) and a few friends.   Their knowledge and understanding of copyright law was just about the same as mine.  That being average.  They understood that the law doesn't allow a person to download music without paying for it but struggled in realizing that a person's creative work that has been written is protected by copyright.  Surprisingly, the question I asked about Creative Commons they all got correct.  Granted two of them guessed the correct answer but still.

Here is my quiz

2.

Took me FOREVER to figure out how to get this on my website but I did it!  And now that it's done, it  should have taken me minutes to do!

Thing 8

1. Graphic organizer using bubbl.us

2.  A word cloud using Wordle.

3.  How can this be useful for students.

In my district we currently use Thinking Maps (aka graphic organizers) with our students to help them better process the information that has been given to them.   It seems to be working because I have had students ask me if they could use a Thinking Map to take notes verses the note form that I would give them.  

I think using something like bubbl.us would get more students interested in using a graphic organizer because they wouldn't have to use pencil and paper and can easily save it in their storage drive at school.  I could see them using it to outline a unit prior to the unit being taught.   They would easily be able to go back and revise their organizer that would be the most beneficial to them as the unit material is being taught.

Thing 7

1.  Summary of two bogus websites.

http://147.129.226.1/library/research/AIDSFACTS.htm

When you first look at this site it just looks bogus because of the way the site is designed.  Then when you start reading the "information" on the page your initial hypothesis about it being bogus is true.  Granted the site does state at the bottom that is is bogus but let's look at a few things.  1.  There is no such thing as the Atlantic Center for Disease Control.  A simple Google search proved that.  By the way, the Centers for Disease Control no longer maintains their page on public health hoaxes.  2.  There is no University of Santa Ana.  If there was, you would think by clicking on the name you would be directed to the university's main site.  3.   There is no information about the author and no link to gather further info about the author. 4.  When deleting some of the URL the remaining part sends you to the following page:http://www.ithacalibrary.com/research/.  5.  Obviously, anyone reading the facts that are listed would know that they are untrue.  6.  There is no additional information that a person could go to via a link on the page to get more in-depth information on the so-called facts.

http://www.stephenswork.com/funkyshoes/fun.html

Any shoe aficionado would instantly know that this is a bogus site.  Who would ever order a pair of used, funky smelling shoes from here?  Anyway, when I click on the place my order tab I noticed that there was no https to indicate that the site was secure.    I also called the 1-800 number and was told that the program has ended by a recorder.  And I also noticed that there weren't any pictures of the "funky shoes" that you could purchase.   The psychic readings they offer is just icing on the cake to this false website.


2.  Activities to help other learn about cyber bullying, personal information on the web, acceptable use of the internet and/or Netiquette.

 Since I teach primarily 10th and 11th graders( think invincible ) one of the activities I would like to do with them would be for my students to take the Netiquette quiz.  After taking the quiz I would have them work in groups to discuss what they already knew and what they didn't know about etiquette on the internet.

The other activity I would is to have them create their own brochure on cyber bullying and its effects, what they shouldn't share with other via the web and how to protect their personal information.   The hope is that they would draw most of their information from personal experiences as well as researching information via the internet, books, parents, network administrators, web masters and teachers.  Some sites that I really liked and would refer them to for background information are the following:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/resources/brochures.aspx
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html
http://www.netsmartz411.org/

Thing 6- Differentiated Instruction and Diverse Learning

1.  Since I have been team teaching with ELL teachers, at least one Geometry class for the past several years, I have seen a change in how I teach my diverse learning population.  I have also had the privilege of teaching several Special Education students that were place in my non-team taught classes because my teaching style and the classroom environment was something that they felt at ease with and could learn.

Below are a few things that I do that I believe speak to differentiated instruction.

• Constant communication with  ELL teacher on how to tackle and teach certain material and modify when necessary.
• Giving multiple examples to students.
• Showing how to do a problem then giving students a similar problem to do on their own or with a partner.   Then walk around to room to see their work and if the answer is wrong, I  have them find their mistake.
• Gathering information from students through questioning or through them working in groups  to see what they might already know about the content I will be teaching.
• Using formula sheets and notecards they created to assist them with quizzes and tests
• A willingness to listen and accept when students find an alternative way to solve problems that works for their understanding.
• When students work in groups there are times when they get to choose their group mates.
• Allowing students to use their cell phone's calculator verses a in-classroom calculator. 
• Providing visuals for just about every definition, theorem, postulate and example in class.  
• Placing every student's name on a notecard and using those cards as my way of calling upon them to answer questions.  That way I avoid calling upon the same students all the time. (Thank you KB for this one)
• Giving students options of emailing their written projects to me verses printing them out.  And with the time limit of midnight that I give them it allows my procrastinators get in their work as well.
• Providing highlighters to all students and guiding them to what they should highlight in their notes.
• Modify what I teach for each hour depending on how the class learns even if I have back to back hours of the same class.
• Providing type written notes with blanks spaces for writing in formulas, some key words and room to solve examples. 
• Letting students come to the board (oddly they love to write on a whiteboard) to either work out problems or help explain a topic.  They are also given the opportunity to bring a friend to help them in solving a problem that's difficult.

2.   After looking at the tech tip areas I particularly like the Audio, Visual and the Curricular Supports (math portion).   I recognize that not all  students I teach are going to understand immediately the concepts discussed in class.  Graphic organizers (Thinking Maps in my district ) have been used to help students break down the components of formulas in math to helping organize ideas in writing an essay in English to historic events in History.  I know students have found it helpful in learning math formulas because they understand why it is used and what parts compose the formula.

Under Curricular Supports it was good to see online resources that could help reinforce and provide a different delivery of math topics.  This gives students  the option of how they want to receive the extra help they may need.   

With using audio and visual resources, students have another way of recapturing and understanding what was taught in class.  This is especially helpful for ELL students that are not only learning math but a second language (English) as well.  Below, are two examples of where the same topic is taught in English as well as Spanish.  The site phschool.com is the site that is tied into the math books that are used in my classes.   

http://www.phschool.com/atschool/academy123/english/academy123_content/wl-book-demo/ph-368s.html

http://www.phschool.com/atschool/academy123/spanish/academy123_content/wl-book-demo/ph-368ss.html

3.  I took a look at Math Support under the UDL Strategies and found several of the resources to be informational, fun and what I could use with my students.  These resources are what students would find interesting, fun and helpful all at the same time.  I tried my hand at math playground.com and took a look at one of the multiplication games.  And I discovered I'm not that good with using a space bar and arrow key as a joystick. :)  However, practicing basic multiplication  this way would keep students more engaged verses using old school flashcards.  I also took a look at thatquiz.org which allows the user to create his/hers own quiz on a variety of topics in various subject areas.   I like the practice it provides and allows the user to use a timer or not.  

4.  I used Vozme  to do my text to audio.  Although I found the female voice to be robotic sounding , I was pleased to hear that some of the words that my students have pronounced incorrectly were pronounced correctly here.   This site would be helpful for students (ELL, regular ed, special ed) who are having trouble with reading and pronouncing mathematical terms.  

http://vozme.com/speech/en-fm/35/3589da9f096d1c03f56fd775390888c1.mp3