Meanigful Learning

Technology based rubrics are available for every subject. They are used to set a basis for grading. It allows students and the teacher to have a clear definition of what is expected from the assignment. They are very important for both parties to comprehend what they are expected to complete. I liked looking through all of the different rubrics that were available. It seemed like a very good resource and I also noticed that people can submit their own rubrics. I think this makes for a great tool to use in the classroom.

A clicker assesment tool, is a device that allows a teacher, employer, or presenter to take polls while providing information. The results are provided immedietaly and this allows for tweaking if needed. I think this is a fantastic tool for the listeners. It is a great way to find out if they are able to comprehend the information. If they are having problems, it is much easier for someone to answer anonymously as opposed to raising there hand and acknowledging to everyone that they are not understanding. If for nothing else, I would like to use them in the classroom for this reason alone.  

Inspiration Software is a tool that uses visual presentations as a way to teach lessons. The site was really neat, as it had presentations on so many differnt topics. It presented the information in maps and timelines to help build the learning. The other nice thing about it, is that you can pull out the slides you don't need and personalize it to your own lesson. Although I didn't see any on the site, I am sure this could be used in the math classroom, and I have become very open to trying these new tools atleast once to see if they warrant a response.


Discovery Education. (2010). Kathy Schrock's guide for educators. Discovery Education. Retrieved November 24, 2010 from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html#rubrics 
Inspiration Software, Inc. (2010). Inspiration Software. Retrieved November 24, 2010 from http://www.inspiration.com/Inspiration

Qwizdom Inc. (2010). Quizdom. Retrieved November 24, 2010 from http://www.qwizdom.com/?gclid=CNLygeH3mpcCFQZqswodWV6D-g

Visualizing with Technologies

Digital Storytelling by Kate Kemker, was a selction in the chapter that we reviewed this week. It is an activity in which students create a storyboard, film the story, and then use technology to edit that video. It involves a great deal of critical thinking and teamwork. It also requires that each piece be done in sequence and that students really spend the time so that the next piece goes smoothly. For instance, if students didn't thouroghly create their storyboard, then they might not efficiently film, and then get to the end with editing and realize they are missing vital pieces. What I really liked about this activity, is that I feel as though it conveyed the concept that technolgy is not meant to takeover the entire classroom. Moreso, it is there to supplement the and enhance the lessons we already teach. I think this would be a great tool in any classroom, because you can truly create a story about anything. Even in mathematics, it could be used to create stories based around mathematical concepts in the real world. I think it would also be a great way to integrate different subjects.

One part of the chapter broke up different subjects and talked about visual technology and how it can be used to reinforce the concepts of that subject. I was definitley interested and excited to look at the math piece since I am working towards a certification in math. Some of them were familiar to me already. There were ideas for using graphing calculators, data sets, and statistics software. I have seen before some of these ideas, and i definitely feel that the abilty to visualize in math is critical. The concepts can be grasped so much more when we can show students why and how the functions happen, as opposed to just telling them. The one technology that I had never seen, but really intrigued me was the Geometric Supposer. Geometry is one of my favorite math topics, and I also think it tends to be one of the ones that is most struggled with. I think it was awesome to see that the students could test out differenct conjectures and see how they work and compare to others.

I think tv instruction is a great tool. However, just like any other tool we have discussed, I only feel that it is truly beneficial in limited applications and as supplemental to the primary lesson. TV has great qualites such as the visual aspect and also the ability to be consistent in lessons. If a teacher show's every student in every class the same video, then we are sure they are all getting the same consistent message; however, it does not promote very much hands on activity or discussion during the lesson. It is also harder for students to stop and ask questions in the middle of a lesson.

References:

Jonassen, D. Howland, J. Marra, R. & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.