Part One
The main tool I focused on at the beginning of this class was the SMART board. I still stand by that tool because it is capable of doing almost anything and can be implemented in almost every lesson possible. My high school classes were very limited in technology. I did not know how much was available to teachers to use. After four months of being in this class, I would like to add a few more methods, tools, and more to my “future classroom”. These are three additional parts I would like to include in my original "future classroom" post.
“Flipping the Classroom”
I want to teach/explain important lessons, concepts, and theories through uninterrupted videos online. I will then have the students come to class, after watching the lesson for that day, and apply the lesson in class through worksheets, activities, practice problems, and more. This will allow me to answer my student’s questions and help those who are falling behind or advancing quicker. This will allow me to assign less math problems homework, and more math projects.
Class Blog
I want each student to have a blog, on my class blog. Each video lesson will be attached to the class blog. Hopefully, I can find a way to show, specifically, which student watched the lesson or not. I will also include important notes, a tutoring page, a resource page, and important class updates. My resource page will include links to helpful blogs by other people. My tutoring page will include a forum area for students to ask me questions and include what we discussed in available after-school tutoring classes.
FluidMath
If I had to describe FluidMath in one word, I would say it is “engaging”. This software can be used on a SMART board. It can turn word problems into a visual experience. (For example: “Two cars are head North at 55 mph, how long…….”) These problems can be drawn and the program plays them. It also provides graphs that can be changed bit by bit and adjust appropriately as you show, for example, how negative numbers and positive numbers in a particular area of the equation affect the graph. This will keep my students more engaged than lecturing and drawing each change by hand.
I want my students to be confident and successful. I want to be able to use all resources possible to make them feel comfortable and good in math. My goal is to do this, without having each student live and breathe technology so much that they cannot add without a calculator.
Timothy K. lives in Bellevue, NE and he likes the Oklahoma Sooners. He loves using Minecraft to build houses. His post, “Don’t’ Judge”, is about the story, “The Sneetches”. He describes the story in a nutshell by stating, “If you never read the Sneetches I’ll tell you the story in a nutshell,ok? So the star-bellied Sneetches think their better than the plain-bellied Sneetches. And then this guy, Sylvester McMonkey McBean, takes their stars on and off and then they realize that it doesn’t matter what you look like.” Through this story, Timothy learned to not judge others based on their appearances. I commented on this post because this is a very important message for today’s generation. I told him I had read the story too. It teaches a great lesson- we are all the same, no matter how we look. We can all accomplish amazing things! I told him to keep this message in his head and heart as he grows up. I really enjoyed this post. It was well-written summary, while including the key parts of the story.
Hannah and Becky are twins from Australia. The post I decided to comment on was called “Warrnambool”. Over their Christmas holiday, their family visited Warrnambool for 4 days. They saw kangaroos, koalas, and went to Tower Hill. Tower Hill is a dead volcano. They were surprised at how many animals lived in “The Volcano”. They went to a BMX track, a carnival, the beach, Lake Pertobe, and visited friends. Overall, they enjoyed their holiday. They asked those who would comment to tell them “Have you ever been to Warrnambool?” and “What did you think of our holiday?”
I commented on this blog post because it was so well written. They went into detail about each day. It was very organized and they included many of their pictures. I told them about my friend who is visiting from Australia. I have learned so much about Australia because of my friend. I also know they say holiday instead of vacation. I answered both of the questions. I have never been to Australia and I think their holiday was exciting and fun! I also told them I have a twin sister too. We also do things together like they do.
They replied to my comment. They asked if my friend lived near Victoria or not. They also would like to visit New York and other places here. They wanted know if I had been to New York. Hannah and Becky are great bloggers! I, overall, enjoyed their blog. They go on many adventures with their family.
