Blog 8

I am currently working at an elementary school.  The school district has IT coordinators in place to ensure that the computers we have in our school system are protected from malicious software and/or hackers.  When I first started, I expected there to be security in place to prevent viruses and other malicious software.  I was very surprised by the amount of blocked websites.  I am not able to check my hotmail email account.  I was initially able to check my main email account from EKU, but as of last week, I believe the IT coordinator has blocked me from accessing that account.  I think that this is a little overkill.  Obviously, EKU is going to have its own types of security to prevent malicious software from being transmitted through email.  I am hoping that EKU’s email was having maintenance during the time I was trying to check my email on the school’s computer.  I am not actually employed by the district that I am work at; I am employed by EKU.  So blocking my email from the place that is paying my paycheck seems a little harsh.

One great thing about the computers at my school is that all the computers block pop ups.  You must temporarily disable pop ups for any pop ups to be allowed.  Most pop ups are ads that are spam and can lead to viruses.  It is easy to enable these pop ups in case you wanted it but it also cuts down on potential malicious software to be allowed in. 

My major concern about the schools computers are hackers.  If a computer gets a virus that causes tons of pop up ads, it is more annoying than hazardous to our students.  I have just typed in school hacking into my search engine and one of the top responses is “How to hack into your school computer”.  This is very dangerous to everyone in our school system.  Our computers hold more information than just a student’s grades and attendance.  Every student, faculty, and staff member’s social security number, address, and other personal information can be obtained through the school’s network.  I am not sure what our district has to protect everyone from hacking technology.

One way to lessen the threat of malicious software and/or hacking is to switch to Mac computers.  Mac’s are known to have fewer problems associated with viruses, but it is still possible for them to get viruses.  Another way is to educate the students and the faculty of the dangers of viruses before they are able to use the Internet at school.  Many teachers are untrained with common ways to avoid viruses.  Blocking websites only takes care of a very small percentage of the problem.  Education is one of the best ways to avoid malicious software.

Blog 7

I am not yet teaching, but I plan on becoming a high school math teacher.  Mathematica is a readily available mathematical software.  I would love to be able to use this program in my classroom.  One problem with traditional math classes is that teachers do not use enough technology.  In high school, I had a wonderful math teacher, but other than using our calculators, we were unaware of any other educational math software for upper level math.  In college, I was overwhelmed with the amount of computer based homework I received in my math classes.  The math department had a license for Mathematica. Every semester, I had at least six computer assignments in one of my math classes and I took four classes that were completely Mathematica.  In those four classes, I did not pick up a pencil or piece of paper. 

An instructional goal that I will meet when I use Mathematica in my classroom is that my students will be able see the graphs that they are integrating.  One of the hardest topics that I faced in Calculus was visualizing the graphs and/or drawing them out.  With Mathematica, my students will be able to see the graphs and interact with them.  Mathematica allows you to grab onto the graphs and move them around until you see exactly how the graph looks like.  This is something that graphing calculators will probably never be able to accomplish. 

Since I am not able to use this software with students, I can write about the challenges I faced when my professors first implemented Mathematica to my class.  The biggest problem was that no one explained exactly what Mathematica was and how useful it could be.  When my teacher first showed us our Mathematica assignment, we were given a piece of paper that showed us Mathematica commands.  My classmates and I were completely confused.  We had no idea why we were expected to complete an assignment on a computer that we could do in a few hours on paper.  Our first few assignments took us hours to solve just a couple of questions.  Our little sheet of Mathematica commands did not offer any type of advice when we would have three pages of error notices.  My professor had taken the sink or swim approach when teaching us Mathematica.  I spent many hours playing around with this software before I became comfortable with using it.  After I became familiar with Mathematica, I checked most of my homework on it.  When I start teaching, I plan on using Mathematica, but I will actually teach my students how to use it and why we are using it.  I will spend a few days just going over the basics of Mathematica in a computer lab where they will be able to follow along with me.  I believe that if my professor had taken our class to a computer lab and worked with us, more students would have become proficient in the software instead of dropping the class.

Blog 6

I was really worried about the WebQuest lesson.  I had never heard of a WebQuest, but since the beginning of lesson one, we were advised to begin working on this lesson as soon as possible.  Our instructions for this assignment had the same advice, “Do not wait to do this assignment. Creating a WebQuest is time consuming – far more than most students realize.” 

One of the problems I see with using WebQuest is that sometimes the teachers who post them do not have entirely correct information.  The first WebQuest on the mathematics 9^th-12^th grade was about probability.  I was really excited about this topic.  I am planning on becoming a math teacher, but I would love to teach statistics also.  I read this WebQuest and was really excited about it until I looked at the practice test.  Her students were instructed to take this practice test before doing any research.  It looked great until the last problem.  I am going to assume that the teacher just had a typo, but on that problem there was not a correct answer choice.  This is the problem with using WebQuest.  If I had just assumed that this teacher had all of the correct information and asked my students to do this assignment, chances are that they would have been extremely confused.  I think that WebGarden should have someone periodically checking the WebQuest and changing mistakes like the one I saw. 

My WebQuest is designed for high school students that are from grade 9-12.  The students will act as if they have won $1,000,000 from the lottery and they are to spend that money on a house, cars, etc.  They will then create an equation to find out how long their winnings will last them.  They are also required to use Excel to create a graph depicting how their money was spent.  They are also expected to write a two page essay with a PowerPoint to show their finished product.

The most challenging part of making my WebQuest was finding the standards that went with it.  This is my first education class.  We have covered technology standards, which I included in my WebQuest, but I had no idea where to find mathematic standards for Kentucky.  After searching the Internet for a while, I decided to call my friend who is a math teacher.  She emailed me a link to Kentucky standards and I was able to find standards that fit Mathematics, Practical Living/Vocational Studies, and Technology. 

Another challenge I faced when creating my WebQuest was coming up with a creative and unique idea.  I had worked hours on my WebQuest.  When I went to the WebQuest discussion board to post the URL for my WebQuest, I saw a student who had the same background story as my WebQuest.  After I spent that much time on my WebQuest I was not about to restart this assignment.  Of course, I freaked out for a couple of minutes before I decided to tweak my background story, since it was just that part that was similar.

Blog 5

I am not currently teaching, but as a college student I have used online communication tools in the classroom.  I believe that having these experiences as a student will help me use similar communication tools in my classroom.  While attending EKU, I had classes that required us to have online discussions similar to EDOL 533.  This was a great way to work at your own speed and not be forced to sit in a classroom.  It also allowed time to think about what you wanted to say and not be put on the spot like one would face in a typical classroom.  I have also used email as an online communication tool in college by working on group projects.  It was a lot easier to email people in my group than to schedule a time where everyone could meet together and discuss our project.  Other people in my class would attempt to only work on the projects when they were physically together.  This prevented them from having their project done on time and put together as well as our group.

One online communication tool that I can use in the classroom is using Facebook.  My current goal is to become a high school math teacher.  Since the majority of the students already have Facebook accounts, they will already be familiar with Facebook and how to use it.  I do not plan on becoming “friends” with any of my students.  The reason I do not plan on adding my students is not that I have something to hide, but in most cases school age children post information that they would probably not want their teacher to see.  And when I become a teacher, I do not want to be exposed to some of the activities that my students will be involved in after school.  The best part about using Facebook is that I can create a group page that everyone in the group will be able to communicate with each other, but we will all still have our privacy.  I will be able to post homework assignments on Facebook and if any of my students have problems with completing their assignment, they will be able to post it on the group’s wall.  The other students will also be able to help each other with their work and I will also be able to monitor their communication.

Another online communication tool that I can implement is email.  Most school districts give their students school email accounts.  Using email is a way that I can communicate with my students with any problems they may have that they do not want to publicly post on Facebook.  Using email in high school will prepare my students for college when they will use email on a daily basis.  This will also help them learn the correct etiquette when emailing their professors when they are in college. 

Blog 4

The PowerPoint presentation I created was about firefighters and the application of math problems that firefighters come in contact with at fires.  I presented it to a high school student who is considering pursuing firefighting as a career.  The first three slides had a brief description about firefighting, the education a firefighter must have, and the requirements of being a firefighter.  The rest of the presentation was divided into two parts.  The first part was a type of math question that is usually asked on the written portion of the firefighter exam.  The second part was a math application problem that firefighters often come across.

          I am most proud of the animation that I put into the presentation.  Using PowerPoint, it was easy to ask the student how he would answer the problem before I revealed the correct way to solve the problem and its solution.  The animation helped separate the different steps of the problem so the student had time to think about how to solve the problem.  During the presentation, the student was confused on how to initially start the problem, but after the first step was shown the student was able to work the problem himself.

          If I could create the presentation again, I would add another math problem.  The new problem would be a question that the student would not be able to answer.  I would add this problem so the student would know that he still has a lot of math to learn in order to achieve his goal of becoming a firefighter.  The additional problem would have involved calculus.  I would have also included the description of an arson investigator with the description about firefighters.  Arson investigators are another option that the student may consider if he does decides to pursue firefighting as a career.  If I had included arson investigation in the presentation, I would also like to include a math application problem that arson investigators come across.  I would also like to add a last slide that instructs the student to research firefighting and to come up with his own application problem.  It would also be required that the student create his own PowerPoint presentation that included his problem.

          The student responded very well to the presentation.  I do not believe he had ever seen a math problem that is associated to firefighting before.  The fact that the presentation was about something that interested the student helped him stay focused throughout the presentation.  His interest also served as an internal motivator for him to want to be able to solve the math problems by himself.  The PowerPoint presentation has motivated the student to concentrate on doing his best when it comes to his math problems.

Blog 3

I currently work at an elementary school.  Last month I sponsored the annual food drive.  I made a flyer for students to bring home so their parents would be aware of the food drive.  The flyer was printed on red paper and had a picture of a can of Campbell’s soup.  The flyer also had a boarder to make it look less empty.  I believe this made the flyer visually appealing and helped grab the attention of the students who cannot read yet.

One negative thing about the can of soup was that some students did not want to read the actual message and assumed that only cans of Campbell’s soup could be donated.  In actuality, any unrefrigerated food could have been donated. One problem with the food drive was that I had to turn in the total donations in terms of ounces.  It was easier for me to keep a log of the ounces as the cans were donated than count thousands of cans at the end of the food drive.

Some parents seemed confused because they were not aware of why we did our food drive in ounces.   I wish I would have made the end date of the food drive longer because I had some students turn in food after the deadline.  I would have added the deadline on the flyer.  I needed all donated food in by 11:00 a.m. on Friday because I had to have my totals in by 2:30.

I would have also added as an FYI that all food donated must not be expired because some of the food that was donated had to be thrown out.  We had a huge response.  In one week, we had collected over a ton of food. This surpassed the previous years totals.

I believe that the flyer was an easy and cost effective way of informing parents about the food drive and how to become involved in it.  The flyer I made was effective, creative, and only took around 10 minute to create.  I definitely plan on using a word processor to create more flyers in the future for the students at my elementary school.  I also plan on choosing Clip Art for the flyers as relevant to the cause as possible.  This way, the students will have a good idea what the flyer is about without reading it.

As an alternative to Clip Art, I could also use pictures off of the internet.  Microsoft Word makes it easy to insert a picture.  One way is copying the image from the website and then pasting it to the document.  You can then change the properties of the picture if resizing is needed.  I have used this technique when making a certificate I gave to the students that achieved high reading marks at my school.

Blog 2

The website http://www.microsoft.com/education/CreateTimeline.aspx has excellent ideas for implementing spreadsheets and databases in the classroom.  The website also contains an instructional video on how to create a timeline using Excel.  This website really surprised me because I had no idea that a timeline could be created using an Excel spreadsheet.  I can imagine that this would be extremely helpful for history teachers, but I could also integrate the use of a timeline as a visual representation for important dates involved in my class.  Many students have problems with visualizing when their tests are and how far apart each test date is.  Implementing a timeline that is rather simple to create will allow my students to see how soon or how far away their next test or assignment due dates really are.

I use spreadsheets on a daily basis.  I work at an elementary school as an AmeriCorps worker.  Two weeks ago I was in charge of the annual food drive.  The two classes that brought in the most ounces of food won a pizza party.  We also had a King, Queen, Prince, and Princess of the food drive.  So I had to keep track of the ounces every student donated.  This sounds like a lot of work, but since I used Excel, it was pretty simple.  I had a spreadsheet to keep up with the totals of the classes and then the totals of each individual student.

I also used Excel as a way to track my grades in college.  Each semester, I had my own grade book for myself.  I never had to worry about asking my professors what my grade currently was.  I could also set up a “what if” situation to figure out what I needed to make on the next exam or assignment, in order to get a specific overall grade for the class.  When I become a teacher, I plan on having my students create their own grade book on Excel. This way they will be able to track their grades and also have continuous training in using spreadsheets.  This will also cut down the pesky question of “Miss. Cooper, what’s my grade?”

I have not used databases since I was taught how to use databases.  After reading how useful databases can be in our text, I realize that I am really missing out.  Four years ago I was able to maneuver Microsoft Access with ease, though I am afraid that will no longer be the case.  One of the hardest things about teaching others is re-teaching yourself the material that was forgotten along the way.  Hopefully, I will be able to regain what I have forgotten and be able to implement databases in my classroom.

Blog 1

When I signed up for this class, I believed it would be a breeze.  I know I am tech-savvy because I thought technology was just about using computers. I had no real understanding of the definition of educational technology.  I assumed that it meant using computers.  I need to learn how to use this technology in my classroom.  I also did not think about the different types of technology.  Our definition of technology is a very broad one, reminding me of being in fourth grade learning that an alternate definition of “work” can be as little as moving your finger. 

One of the most important things I have learned this week is the NETS for teachers and students.  Having absolutely no background in education, I had no idea that there are technological standards that teachers need to partake in.  The standard that caught me by surprise was “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity”.  Creativity threw me for a loop.  My goal is to become a high school mathematics teacher, so where does technology and creativity fit in with math?  It did not take long to imagine numerous activities I will immediately implement.  I plan on having my students use Excel to do projects, such as calculating if Skittles flavors are normally distributed.  If Mathematica is available in my classroom, I will show my students the 3D graphs of functions they are integrating.  This will help spark their creativity.

          To implement technology, I will first have a sample project for the students to use as an example.  Then my students will come up with their own project.  They will be able to execute their own project, using programs like Excel, to organize and plot their data.  They will have the creative freedom they desire and I will have distinguished projects from my students.
          A challenge associated with students doing their own project is the required guidelines.  There are many websites that have completed projects that my students will probably decide to do.  One of the problems of the Internet is the rise in plagiarism.  It would be very easy for a student to copy and paste their projects.  Another challenge is that many students will not be on the same technological level as others.  A student who excels at math might not excel at using technology, and vice versa.  I would rather the student who is struggling in my class get a better grade because of the project, than a student get a worse grade because they lack the required technological skills.
          To overcome these challenges, I will have strict guidelines of the types of Excel commands I want my students to use.  There will also be written instructions available detailing how to use those commands.  This will help my students who have never used technology for mathematical situations.  The way I will overcome plagiarism is that I will oversee all of the students’ research and they must site any and all websites they use.