Mrs. Rice's Blog

Starting School

2009-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

So here we are with a brand new year. As the Borogrovians say "the day is a brand new fish". My observations so far is that I have very good kids. Ok, so keeping everyone on task is like herding cats, but when hasn't that been true for juniors and seniors. Their manners are beautiful - these kids are obviously well brought up and intelligent.

Statistics is going to be fun. We are trying to add an activity each day - so whatever else they do they "do" something every class meeting. I don't know exactly how to do this, but between the three of us teaching this class, we'll be ok.

Janet

Back To School

2009-08-12T07:11:00.001-07:00

So here we are at the end of summer. My great adventure this summer was shattering the top end of my left ulna. I haven't been able to drive since June. I haven't made anything this summer, and I'm only just now able to type easily.

However, school's on its way. I did get my section of stat done for the 1st semester and I'm starting to sort out moodle.

Now all I need is a better story about how I broke my arm.

Janet

End of the Year

2009-06-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, we're there, almost. I have one more final to give and grade and that's it. My statistics course is in the bag. All the tests are taken, all the grades are in. Precal will be finished by the time I go to bed tonight.

It's been a good year. I've learned a lot about the use of technology in a classroom. I've learned to always leave a walk space behind the desks so I can see what's on their computer screens. I've learned how to use moodle and now I'm working on when to use moodle.

This summer I want to learn about wikis - and start thinking what could be done in statistics with that sort of common communications.

Precal? Now there is a puzzle for technology - how do I teach them good work habits and basic understanding without pencil and paper? I'm beginning to think the answer is to use the technologies for demos, but stay very traditional in approach. Much to think about this summer.

Janet

A Really Neat Blog on Teaching Math

2009-05-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

I've been following a blog from Michigan mathematician who is teaching at Muskegon Community College. She is working on her dissertation on the use of technology in teaching mathematics. As someone with an intelligent classroom who is slightly perplexed about how to use that for precalculus, I'm finding some interesting ideas from her.

http://teachingcollegemath.com/

Janet

And What Do We Do With PreCalculus

2009-05-10T19:24:00.001-07:00

It looks like I'll be teaching precal again next year as well as statistics. For statistics I think we've pretty well integrated the computers in the intelligent classroom. At least we've got a good start at it and we'll add more activities next year.

But what about precalculus? Can we use the computers to help the kids get precalculus down faster/better/more thoroughly? I don't have any answers right now on that one. I still believe in pencil and paper, grind it out, show the steps. And I don't see a place for the virtual manipulative things in precal - it is supposed to be abstract. If it were concrete stuff, it would be plain old algebra.

On the other hand -
- maybe I can set up some sort of lesson with winplot and changing the variables in a sine wave equation. Winplot is easier to get stuff to show up then on the calculator - although we need to do the two together.

- maybe I could finally learn geometer's sketchpad and use it for the trig stuff. A good way to do solving triangles would be helpful.

- could I use the computer for drill on the unit circle - set up something where the kids go in and enter answers on the circle.

- could I use moodle to manage the class - and maybe post the notes (except that my notes are idiosycratic at best and I'd hate to have to rewrite them in tidier form).

So guess what I get to do on my summer vacation.

Signing Up For Summer Classes

2009-04-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

We only have 7 more Mondays in the year - and one of them is a Tuesday.

It's that time of year - time to sign up for summer professional development. Since it looks like I'll be teaching grade level statistics again next year - and I want to see that as a lab based class - and taking data is a basic skill, I'm signing up for a class on using the TI CBL/CBR. Not that I have the equipment - but if I see something cool in there I can start seeing about getting the equipment.

I'm also signing up for a course of wikis and collaboration. I'd like to get my stat kids writing more - and working together. I'm wondering if wiki's, with the ability to work from home locations, would be helpful in this. So instead of "do a powerpoint" I could tell them to make a wiki page. Moodle let's you do wiki's (although I'm fuzzy on the details). So maybe there is something here. Guess we'll find out come summer.

7 more Mondays

Moodling Away

2009-03-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

It is now the half way point for the fifth six weeks and I've now seriously moodled my stat class through 3 cycles. So what do I think of moodle?

I don't like:
1. The work of getting questions into moodle form. This would be so much easier if it would just pick up copy and paste from word and not have to upload graphics separately.
2. Worrying that my kids aren't learning thinking skills - the world does not give us multiple choice problems - although they are easier to grade
3. Worrying my kids aren't learning the organizational skills for math. Problems have to be laid out in an organized manner - the method is as important as the answer - that's why I won't use moodle for PreCal.

I like:
1. Almost instanteous grading
2. Not having to read handwriting for essay or free response questions
3. Having material available to kids all the time (nice when we don't have a book)
4. Not having tons of paper to handle.
5. Having reviews that self-correct and point to the right answer

Things I want to do next year:
1. Figure out how to do "lessons" to guide kids through concepts.
2. Use moodle for class management in precal (but I can't see how to do the class on moodle - you have to see the homework there).

Things I worry about:
1. Kids who don't have computers at home
2. Kids who really need a book (ok, we wouldn't have books for stat anyway)
3. Kids with vision problems such as dyslexia - I could sure use some help on this one.

On balence, I'll do moodle again next year with stat - and I may add some of the class management for precal. I like the program, it's easy to use and usually I can find what I need for help. And I must admit, I wish I could do my precal final online.

Janet

Goodbye to Jinx

2009-03-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

One of the mainstays of my school died last month and it has taken me awhile to think it through and have something to say.

We lost our crisis counselor,Jinx,- the one person we all went to - teachers and students alike. A wise woman who always knew the right words, a true Texas original. I miss her wisdom and her good cheer. When we loose some one like her the world becomes a bit more vanilla, a bit less lively -just a bit more gray.

I'm glad I had a chance to work with her and to know her.

Moodle and Finals

2009-01-14T10:29:00.001-08:00

I've just given my first final in moodle and I think it went ok. Grades were comparable to normal test grades. I did have one girl who is dyslexic ask for a paper copy to look at (even though she knew the answers would be in a different order.

Some of the kids loved it, some hated it, most didn't care except that it meant they got their grades earlier, i.e. as soon as the test closed.

Looking towards next semester, I am going to moodle for tests and quizes. I'm still worried about the inability to do drawings and show work, but I can live with that for stat - or I'll come up with some sort of hybrid test.

I also want to look into Lessons and turning in assignments online.

Every day is an adventure.

Mrs. Rice

Moodle, Tests, and Luddites

2008-12-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

After a week of letting my stat kids have the computers out during class, I'm more or less satisfied with the experiment. Goodness knows one can goof off in class without technology. I've rearranged my room to give me space to walk behind the kids when I need to. And I've done a test on moodle. And it worked. It was easy to grade (would be easier if I figured out how to use the group feature) and easy to manage. I suspect cheating was not worse than any other time. And my kids did no worse than on pencil and paper. My little Luddite's comment was "none of my other teachers make me do this" - but he and I have done a class before, so he should have known that "no one else does this" isn't a good argument with Mrs. Rice - whose attitude is "wow, let's give this a try".

So we are at the Christmas break. I have one more section of precal test to grade (and a unit to do for stat), but we are half way home. The finals are done and ready, the solstice is past and we've got a whole new year coming up.

Janet Rice

More Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom

2008-12-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today was a more or less successful day using the computers in stat class. I've learned that I niceeed to have things organized and prepped before hand - and make sure there is time for things to happen (like finding the line right below HW for Lesson 35 that says Quiz for Lesson 35) so the kids can actually do something. I've learned that the timer feature on moodle is amazingly nice - and I willu se it again.

For the first time I let the kidlets have the machines out during class - I've decided that if they are going to goof off they will do that anyway (I certainly did). And I had a couple of my kids say that having the computer on is helpful because they take notes - and they actually did, which is amazing.

So this is a learning experience. Let's see what we learn tomorrow.

Janet Rice

Student Centered Teaching

2008-12-03T17:00:00.001-08:00

Since my district has let me have $50K worth of technology to work with, I've been trying to really use it for my statistics class. That means migrating my assessments to moodle. Yesterday I had a kid refuse to take a quiz on the computer. My real worry was that he had vision problems and that this is something we need to be aware of and consider modifications. But actually, according to his mom, it is just that he doesn't like the computer and doesn't see why he has to do it that way.

So - how do I square this student's disklike of computers with the need to get him prepared for a college environment which will be anything but focused on his needs? What does student centered actually mean? Does it mean we cater to their wishes, or does it mean that we work to what we know they need (and that does mean putting the time in to finding out what they need)?

On a plus side for technology - how can we use technology to modify lessons and modify presentation of material for kids with vision problems? More things to consider.

Janet Rice

Teaching Math - Practice, Practice, Practice

2008-11-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

My stat kids are working through the normal distribution and there is a fair amount of calculation involved with that work - even if we are using the Starnes Statistics Through Applications, which is much less computationally intensive that the Brace and Brace book we used last year. Our first quiz over the material was, in short, horrible. Thinking about this, I think the reason is that we simply haven't done enough practice. In theory the kids should have worked the problems on moodle and checked their answers - but in reality I suspect they just did random answers until they got the right one. (ok, not all the kids, but at least some number). So today we did worksheets.

Some things I noticed (and how they are relative to TAKS for my few juniors)

1. Reading a problem like "what % of spiders in the colony weigh more than 13 grams" takes some work to translate into a minimum of 13 and a maximum of (some really big number). The decoding part of these problems takes some work. I observed this last year, but thought it might be due to the way the Brase and Brase book words problems.

2. Everyone knows how to find a percent - or how to find a the count of something when they have a % of a whole - Algebra 1 TEKS (or 8th grade) - but actually doing it when confronted with a wordy problem takes some prodding.

3. The hardest thing for some of the kids seems to be figuring out what formula to use or what technique to use - getting from reading the problem, to deciphering the question, to finding the known quantities, and using the correct equation or approach. I wonder if that is the problem for some of the kiddos with TAKS trouble - making that jump problem after problem? In algebra 1 we really stressed this sort of "what technique?" skill - and I realize now that I need to more of that in statistics. This is one where I could see using turning point in class - put a problem up on the viewer and let the kids pick the technique first - and then, in the next slide, solve the problem. (OK, so sooner or later I'll have turning point - and at least I'll have ideas what to do with it when I do get it).

4. Multipart problems - the idea of having one description and then a number of sub-problems that use the same specific information gave some of my kids problems. I suspect the answer to that is to use more (not less) of that type of problem so that they get used to it. Moodle let's me do "descriptions" and then sub problems - so it would help to make good use of that feature.

5. Different words for the same concept - broadening vocabulary. My kids had problems when I gave them a problem that talked about an average instead of the mean. Again, I think the answer is to do this more often - and very consciously use multiple words for the same concept in the lecture portion of class - so they hear the different words and connect the. Again thinking turning point - maybe a matching word exercise might be helpful.

What I saw that was neat:
1. The kids will help each other - I let them work together - and they actually do help each other - or if nothing else they get confused together and then I can work with them and get them back on track as a group.

2. Some of the kids actually like worksheets - now that I don't understand - but I think it is the idea of having a well-defined task that is comforting. On the other hand, next year they will be in college and they won't have that kind of comfort there.

So, my challenge this year is to see how to integrate the technology with "the old time skills". I don't think the computer work can replace doing practice - but I think the trick is to use the features of moodle that let you walk some one through a problem to help them in doing the practice. So next year maybe what I need is the powerpoint lecture notes, a moodle lesson, and then the homework.

Precal and IC

2008-11-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

Do have to note one thing with precal and intelligent classroom. I did show "Brittany and Alex The Unit Circle To You" and that actually clicked with some of my kids. On the other hand the trig identity rap ("no one understands this, except Victor") didn't work for them - except that at least a couple of kids wondered if they could do something similar to get out of a test. Happy thought.

Janet Rice

Some thoughts on Smart Boards, Intelligent Classrooms, and Precal

2008-11-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

My other class is precalculus and I'm trying to figure out how to use the intelligent classroom technology for precalculus. My first problem is that my job in precal is to prep my kids for a college level calculus class - and they absolutely must develop the skills at showing not just their work, but their thinking. There is no way to do the advanced math problems without that careful and logical thought process.

The other problems is that I am also trying to teach them note-taking skills - and I'm not sure how they can do notes with the computer out.

On the other hand.....

Once I have the turning point system installed - I would like to try short problems with turning point. That would solve my problem of the one kid who knows the answers - and I could make sure everyone is answering - or pick on them if they don't.

I am using the projector for precal - today was polar coordinates. Nice to be able to put up a polar grid and work with it - although smart board leaves much to be desired in terms of resolution. (So the questions is whether the tablet arrangement, when I get it, will be better). I would also like to find animation for various math concepts (like unit circle).

So for right now I see the intelligent classrrom as a way to deliver material in a different manner, but do not yet see how to use it in a fully interactive manner. Turning point would give me a start on interactivity, but I'm not sure how well that works for complex problems - I mean we've worked on these kids for so long on the idea that problems are complex and now I want to go to true/false, multiple choice?

But there is something good in here somewhere. Enough rambling for now.
Janet Rice

Trying New Things This Year

2008-11-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

So my blog now has a distance calculator. This year I'm using moodle in my classroom for statistics. So far so good - although there are things I don't like. The last day before Christmas Break my kiddos will do a project to do a linear regression of air fare on travel distance - so they need a distance calculator. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to add a widget to a moodle document or my moodle page. But I'll keep trying.

Using Chat in A Classroom

2008-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Since other people are keeping up their class blogs, I think I'll do the same - if only to have a place to document experiences.

I've got my grade level stat class on moodle now - and that seems to work ok. Today, since we are doing bus evacuation, fitness testing, and a bunch of other stuff, and my syllabus is in the blender anyway I decided to try discussing an article using the chat feature of moodle.

Ok, it wasn't a rip roaring success, although the kids loved it. They tended to run down too many rabbit trails for me. I put a forum up quickly (although it took a while to get them to the right forum - "go to the one marked 3rd period - not the news forum" and they acutally discussed the article I had up in a fairly civilized manner (unlike the chat room). Several kids actually had what I thought of as adult insights into the question of why and how people will lie on polls.

Right now it is C lunch and I'm going to try this again for the 1/2 hour that I've got my next period and see how they do. I've got the forum set up and we'll see how it works.

Every day is a new adventure.

Janet Rice

Vodcast and Blog and htmal

2008-07-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

The problem I hit initially with embedding the vodcast was that when I go to edit html on blogger it doesn't show any mark up on any of what I've typed. So....I went back to teacherweb and copied the whole html for the post and pasted it in and then it worked. But the good news is I can see what to do with photostory, jodix works if one is persistent and photobucket works just fine. So - I've got my vodcast done and I can see how I might do an on-line lecture using these tools. You learn something new every day, or should

Vodcast again

2008-07-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce myself - this is a short video to say hello and give parents an idea what sort of teacher their kids will be getting.

Vodcast from PPT

2008-07-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm home safe and sound from Michigan and back to work. I've made a powerpoint of an introduction thing, converted it to a video with photostory, changed it with jonix to an mp4 file and uploaded it to photobucket. So far so good. So far I haven't been able to get the html code to embed properly. It's getting late - so I'm putting the link up above with the title. Right now the edit html isn't showing up like I suspect, so I'll try it this way and work on it more tomorrow.

Posting from Nashville, Michigan

2008-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is a something I never thought to do in this place. I've been up to Michigan to visit family and I set up today to drive through my old home town, Nashville, Michigan. It's in Barry County and the joke is that you know you live in Barry County if you mow your yard and find a car. My son is doing a class at ACC and sent me a paper to proof read, so I needed a place to go where I could set up my computer and check my mail. So here I am in Putnam District Library - my library from 6th to 12th. It's in an old house with books in every corner. I'm in what what was the dining room, looking at a beautiful fireplace surround that is still here. I've just been checked out by the library cat and they just finished story hour for the kiddos. Amazing. 40 years ago I haunted this place for books, now they have books and open wifi. Wow. Sometimes when you come home things are better than they used to be.

Weekly Reflections

2008-07-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, I finally feel overwhelmed. I looked at the material on other tools and hit overload. For this week's project I'm going to look at using photostory to turn powerpoint presentations into vodcasts. I'd like to make a "why you should trust me with your kid" introduction for parents to put on my website. Powerpoint is my tool of choice anyway, and my classroom computers come with photostory – so that seems like a good mesh of tools. Anyway, that's the plan.

As for reflections on the class:

How would you describe this course to a colleague?

Web 2.0 will show you how to use interactive tools such as blogs and wikis. You will also learn about media sharing and about the tools that are available to make and publish media files. Through the interactive aspects of the class you'll have a chance to see how other professionals, outside your particular discipline or grade levels, see the tools and get ideas about how to use them in a classroom setting.

What was the best part of the course and why?

The best part of the class was seeing how everyone else looks at the tools we've talked about. I've gotten some really good ideas from what other people are saying – I'm seeing ways to implement these tools that I would not have figured out on my own.

What will you take away from this course to use in your classroom?

I've already changed my teacherweb page to make a blog the first page. And I intend to ask all my students and parents to subscribe to my teacherweb page. That way I can publish happy hints or pertinent information – and I'm making the kids responsible for getting it. Goodness knows the little weasels already use some of these tools – I might as well put that to use. As a long term goal I'd like to get something like moodle working so the kids can do much of the class on auto-pilot, particularly on days when they are working on projects I'm certainly going to investigate teacherwebs blackboard page – I want to see if this is a way to have the kids do homework on line.

What is one thing you would change about this course for the next group?

Ummm, tell them to figure more than 2 hours a week – not because it takes that long to do the lessons, but because there is just so much to explore.

Would you recommend this course to anyone else? Why or why not?

I'd certainly recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn about web 2.0 tools - or even if they just want to do some exploring. Some of the things we've seen – like referencing podcasts or video – are MUCH easier than I thought – easy enough that I can actually use them. It is better to know what is out there and then decide it isn't for you than to ignore useful tools through ignorance. For teachers it is a matter of put your money where your mouth is – knowledge is always better than ignorance – go learn something.

Photobucket Success

2008-07-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

After learning how to pick up a picture from photobucket and put it in to blog using html code, I wondered if that would work on a teacher web blog. And yes it does! Success - click on the title for this post to check it out.

So.... in theory if I wanted to upload graphics, but not use up my storage on teacherweb, I could post pictures on photobucket and then reference them on teacherweb. And this has also made clear to me how we could do that in moodle. Ok, smack head, go "duh", that's the point you've all been trying to make. It takes me awhile, but I do get there eventually.

Technology Availability Question

2008-07-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

So after looking at videos on youtube I'm somewhat making the assumption the kids know how to do this even if I don't. That's ok, I know lot's of things they don't and I don't mind learning from them . However, the basic technology piece is a camera and a microphone. So the question - what are are the odds of getting the district to buy cameras and microphones for classrooms? Technology is only as good as it is available.

On the other hand, I wouldn't have even known to ask that question until I took this class.

Quilts

2008-07-17T14:54:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

I just had to try the button in Photobucket that said to share in a blog - so hey, this does work. These are some of my quilts - the few I have pictures from - some you've seem earlier, but here is the finished version of the mosaic quilt and my latest - the Wheel of the Year quilt. It is another one for St. Andrew's Presbyterian - the lady in charge of the children's programs wanted a wall hanging on the liturgical year. Ok, I can do that.

Week 5: Media Sharing

2008-07-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at week 5 and I've definetly seen things I hadn't before. I'd never explored youtube - and that was an education in itself. I searched on McNeil High School and found some of the things our media tech kids had done. And there are an amazing number of videos that deal on the theme of "math sucks" or "why I hate my math class".

Now to the questions:

Definition of shared media:

Shared media refers to audios and videos that are stored on the web and may be viewed, copies, and modified by others. In order to allow the originators of the work control, but still allow wider distribution and use than a standard copyright, Creative Commons, a non-profit corporation allows originators to exercise control over their work through creative common licenses. In this way videos and audios can be used freely viewed and copied – and modified as needed – without violating the fair use provisions for standard copyright, which allows for only minimal copies on a spontaneous basis and does really take into account new video and audio technology.

Create a photo sharing account - I've done that on photobucket (and I've used that one because it supports both stills and video. I'll be adding images to it later and will figure out how to get them to work with a blog. Next week I'm going up to Grand Rapids, Michigan so I may just wait until I get up there and post some images from some place interesting (and yes there are interesting places in Grand Rapids. )

Embedding Videos

This didn't seem difficult at all for the wiki At least from you tube it gives you the embedding html right on the page and it is just a copy and paste into the widget sort of thing.

Blog About a Video

There are so many videos out there – and I am really impressed by what kids have done (although I’d get creative too if it would get me out of a precal midterm). I was looking for things with a little humor and also decided to look for some things dealing with trigonometry and the unit circle. That's one place I think the kids could use a pointer to a good off-line tutorial. To be fair, there are also lots of seriuous videos out there done by teachers, but they get that in class from me - I wanted something different.

This one maybe not the best instructional video, but it really is a good example of what kids can do – amazingly so. Ok, so maybe I need to give them extra credit for making a video on something. I’m not sure about alternative assessments, but this is kind of neat

Alex and Brittany explain the unit circle: This is amazing – actually the best thing I’ve seen on how to memorize the unit circle – which is not one of our most popular activities. Maybe this will help – and it has a good visuals – which is what I need.

Four Man Math Band – so they wouldn’t have to take a midterm in precal, but another good explanation of trig.

Embedding is easier on the wiki since it has the embed widget button, but I'm going to see if this works.

Five Song Playlist

Well actually I did seven songs, but it is now embedded in my wiki http://mrsrice-mcneil.wikispaces.com/

I tried embedding it here by copying in the html code, but that didn't work, so check out my wiki.

What did you learn?
I learned that there is more to filing sharing than just silly videos – ok, that’s part of it, but there is some neat stuff out there. I know so many people who are just to scared to try anything new – obviously the folks who use youtube didn’t get that memo. There were a fair number of grown-up videos for math – and some of the kid ones were not that good, but it is good to see people who aren’t afraid to just do something. Also I learned about the concept of backing up your photos online – I never thought of that use. Most of my photos are paper copies, but I finally snagged a digital camera of my own and will definetly use this technology. I also like the idea that photos would be accessible at home or at school. I learned that there is more music out there than vapid rap and rock. I found some good concert band music on playlist – so maybe I will have to see about an ipod some day.

How will you use what you have learned?
I’d like to use some of the videos I’ve seen in class as a way to engage my students. What I don’t know is whether a youtube video will play on a school computer. I’ve heard that we’ve blocked that site. And there are some good tutorial videos out there I’m wondering if there is a way to keep a good playlist of those that I can embed in my teacherweb page – or I just use a links page. If I can set up a student blog, that would be one thing I’d ask the kids to post – find a good one, post the link for others to use. That way it would be more than just me hunting for interesting things. And after seeing what some of the kids can do, I’d be tempted to allow them to use video for assignments where they would be doing a presentation anyway. Actually I wonder if kids who are shy about standing up in class would do better with video productions?

How did you feel about this tool?
Media sharing does have some uses I can see (aside from the obvious one of amusement value). Yes, I can see how some of this could be used even in a traditional math class

What do you not want to forget about this tool?
How to find videos I want and how to embed them or link to them. Also, just how much material is out there and continues to be created.

How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
I can see using media sharing in the classroom for both an attention getting and for visual lectures. I can see using it as reference material for out of school tutorials and I can maybe seeing letting my kids do a dual project with a media tech class or something to make their own tutorials and lectures.

Would you use a shared media like playlist.com?
Yes, I’d use something like playlist.com. I could see having different playlists by topic – or letting kids set up their own playlists on a topic of my choice.

Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Yes I’d say media sharing is something that should be used. We are to some extent finding the kids where they already are. Media sharing is not news to the kids. I do worry about parental controls and I worry about distribution of media, but there have to be ways around those questions.

What questions do you still have about these tools?
I need to do some exploration with video playlists and I need to find out what will play on the school computers. Those are the two main ones. Mainly I want to look for ways where I can get the kids to do the work with these techniques – they all know youtube and its ilk – let them go find the resources.

Wiki

2008-07-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

I actually did set up a wiki, although I haven't really done anything with it. If we end up with moodle for school use I'll probably use it for wikis rather than wikispaces. But I've set this up and added a music page and a playlist for some music I like.

Here's the link http://mrsrice-mcneil.wikispaces.com/ or click on the title.

Moodle, Turning Point, Etc

2008-07-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Today I went to a professional development class on intelligent classroom tools and it was actually fun. I went to the sessions on Turning Point and Moodle.

Ok, Turning Point - an in class response system that works with powerpoint. I like the automatic response stuff and I can see how to restructure my powerpoints to add turning point slides. I don't like the idea of having two versions of all my slides - one to post on line and one to use in class with turning point, but that may or may not be necessary, I do like the anonymity of the answers - and the idea that one can use the responses as a daily grade. What I'm not sure about is the depth of the questions. They are meant for quick response - multiple choice or true/false. I need to figure out how to use this to push higher level thinking. The second part of every question in statistics is "why?" and turning point does not lend itself to that.

Moodle is a system that allows posting resources for classes, creating wikis and blogs, and doing on-line worksheets and assessments. The gentleman who taught the class used it for his physics final last year. I really think I could like this tool - particularly as finding a place to put homework on line will be a big deal for my stat class next year, since we'll be using a classroom set of books. There is a way to import files from examview - and I think that might work for precal. It has ways to shuffle questions and answers so each kid gets their own version of a worksheet or quiz. I could see using that for precal if I was willing to give on making them show their work. Right now it can only be used on RRISD networks, but the plan is to have sign ins available through the internet so it can be used at home. That means I could use it for homework (much like the UT system).

I can see potential for both of these tools, but the ever present worry is finding the time to create the resources that are needed.

Janet

More on Wikis

2008-07-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

When I logged into wikispaces I found this link.
http://blog.wikispaces.com/2008/06/wikispaces-connecting-teachers-students-and-parents.html

Looking through the examples for teacher wikis at the school in question it really looks like wikis serve as alternative to teacherweb (or teacherweb pages are sort of like wikis, they just aren't called that). The one teacher site they show has different pages for procedures, supplies, and so on, just like teacherweb.

Just interesting - and puts wikis into a context that I understand.

Week 4 - Wikis - Reflections

2008-07-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, wikis are a lot to take in. I'm going to post my reflections - but I'll keep looking at this and trying my hand at the class wiki.

1. Develop a personal definition of a wiki on your blog.
A wiki is a web page that can be edited online by more than just the owner of the page. Editing privileges can be limited to members of a group, allowing the group to collaborate on the development of the page material.

2. Choose 3 of the wikis listed above to review in your blog -

Teach WIKI
http://teachwiki.wikispaces.com/
The purpose is to centralize information and planning for technology integration – including this class.
The wiki has clear cut instructions and is directly useful to this class. This serves as a good example of how a wiki could be organized that I might be able to follow.
MathTips
http://mathtips.wikispaces.com/ -
I liked this one because it has clear cut examples of problems and integrates audio and video to show children how to solve math problems. I can see the use of the kind of technology in setting up something like a on-line study guide or example of problem solving for precal. I wonder if this is the sort of thing that the photostory program could be used to produce

Welcome to the World
http://welcometotheworld.wikispaces.com/
I really like the idea of developing a class wiki where each page is a specific sub –topic. This wiki links to class wikis. Within each class wikis the kids write the text. For my stat class last year I had pairs of kids develop and deliver lessons on assigned topics. I can see doing this sort of assignment but using the wiki format. That would make it easier for kids who are afraid to talk in front of the class.
Reflection questions

o What did you learn?
I learned what a wiki is – which is something I did not know and I learned at least one of the basic place to host a wiki for free.
o How will you use what you have learned?
I'm not sure about how I'll use this. In theory we need a way for on-level statistics teachers to talk to each other and collaborate (getting math teachers to collaborate is one of those herding cats things). This is easy to do on one campus – we can use the i: drive to share information – and as a last resort we can actually talk to each other. But across campuses it isn't that easy. I know there are curriculum management tools on Gradespeed, but they are not the easiest thing to use and Gradespeed has been known to eat lesson plans and curriculum maps. So maybe a RRISD statistics wiki might be worthwhile – although I don't know if other stat teachers would use it or think it is worthwhile. Umm, making work for other people is a bad thing – but I wonder if this is something that the district curriculum specialists could run? Once upon a time in a previous life as a materials engineer at IBM materials people (who are weird even for engineers) had an internal forum and we did help each other out – engineers could ask questions and get answers. But again –back to herding cats – as an engineering student you are whacked over the head with a 2x4 and forced to learn to be cooperative – I think this is harder for teachers.

I also like the idea of "make a wiki page" as an assignment. The kids are pretty computer savvy and if I could set up a good framework for the subject it might be useful. On other hand, we're looking at higher level thinking skills and I'm not sure how filling in blanks on a page format works at this level. Perhaps rather than doing a micropedia, this might be a way to have them do something like reviews of statistical papers.
o How did you feel about this tool? Wikis
I think wikis can be really useful, but like so many tools the set up time is intimidating. Sorting out what sort of content is needed (or making the framework for the kids to enter the content) is daunting to me. Also, the comments about making sure that one doesn't violate the acceptable use policy is sort of scary. I worry about privacy for the kids – and not doing something wrong unintentionally.
o What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget how to access wikispace – I didn't know sites like that existed – and it's existence makes it practical to have a wiki
o How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
I'm not sure how I'll use this tool. The privacy and acceptable use worries are a concern. On the other hand, making a wiki page on a topic is the sort of thing my little weasels might enjoy – and it would be a good use of the intelligent classroom computers. I need to look at the syllabus – and talk to the other person who will be teaching grade-level statistics at McNeil – and see if between us we can come up with ideas. Also, the AP stat teacher and I have talked about maybe doing something where my kids do the basic work and then her kids pick up and extend the work. Again, I need another person's ideas on how to do this.
o Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Now that's a good question. Do I have a way to use wikis that further educational rather than just use technology for technologies sake. If the answer is yes, then I'd say, yes I should use them.
o What questions do you still have about this tool?
How much work is this going to be? Set up and maintenance – how much time will it take? Who can I con into helping me?

Blogs and Teacher Web

2008-07-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with my teacher web page this week - setting it so the blog is the first page. The idea is I could send out information and - if my kids subscribe - they could get information through the blog.

Ok, some problems with this
Yes, teacherweb does have a way to subscribe as an RSS Feed. But, it sends out a note any time any page is updated - not just the blog. I'm not sure I like that - since it doesn't seem to give me a way to separate my stat and precal classes.

Yes, teacher web has an RSS button - except if you use a frame style site and set the first page as the blog, then the RSS button disappears.

On the other hand, the teacherweb support people couldn't have been nicer - they answered my questions and gave me suggestions for work arounds.

Janet

PodCast at TeacherWeb

2008-06-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

In answer to the question about posting the podcast on teacherweb...... I was able to do that using the blog page there. In the same way that this editor (blogger) has an icon to add a link - teachweb has the same thing. I added in a link there. So I think this works.

Janet

Podcast At Last

2008-06-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

My podcast is a self-introduction aimed at my statistics students. Ok, so this isn't the best thing in the world, but it is a start. Getting this uploaded was not as easy as I thought. OurMedia doesn't really give you much on instructions, other than use SpinXpress. SpinXpress did the upload, but didn't really tell me where everything went. Ok, so maybe I'm not looking in the right spots.
http://ia311337.us.archive.org/3/items/JanetRicePodCastforWeb2.0class/podcast.mp3

Week 3 Reflections

2008-06-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at week 3 - podcasts.

1. Create a personal definition of ‘podcast’ with particular attention to what it is, its purpose, and how it is created or is different from other audio/video formats.

A Podcast or "personal on-demand webcast" is an audio and possibly audio/video file that is uploaded to a server from whence it can be retrieved on demand by anyone interested. In the same sense that blogs can be subscribed to, regular podcasts can also be subscribed to so that notification of new 'casts are sent automatically to subscribers, who can then listen to them at their convenience.

2. Listen to podcasts:
I looked through Learn Out Loud and saw some interesting things under history and social sciences. My problem is that I absolutely loath being read to, I am very text oriented and very visual and just words without action puts me to sleep. I like reading by myself because I can start and stop and go back and figure things out - listening doesn't do it. My husband is the audio book person - he listens when he drives, but it just puts me to sleep. So, I listened to a view podcasts and drank coffee, but couldn't find it in my heart to get excited about this.

3. Create your own podcast.
I'm working on it - I've written a script and am waiting until later when everyone goes to bed so I can do this uninterrupted (and without laughter). I'm doing an "introduce myself" thing for my stat kids. What would be neat would be to be able to put the audio with a powerpoint presentation. I looked into that, and found instructions, but they seem to take signing up for more software that I won't to goof with right now.

4. Please share any really great outside podcasts that you find with your colleagues in class.

I didn't find anything that really hit me as wonderful. Sorry, this one just isn't going to be my thing. Give me a book and I'm happy. I did like the selection of things at Learn out Loud - someone has recorded lectures by Robert Ingersoll, for goodness sakes. How esoteric can you get?

Then consider these questions: “What qualities/features do you find common among the best podcasts?

Topic for me is the first thing I look at - is this podcast something about something I'm interested in. Nice that one can get all those NPR shows, but just not what I'm interested in. The various student podcasts are interesting just from the standpoint of the idea that they can be done.

Does my podcast share any of these features?

My podcast is probably not all that good - other than that it is about me, so of course I'm interested. As for anyone else......

How might podcasts be useful in your classroom or your practice in education?

I'll have to think about this one some more. Math is such a visual thing - at least for me. I can't talk without a marker in my hand - that's why I love the SmartBoard - powerpoint, and a markers, what's not to like. Audio alone is just not that useful. My powerpoints for statistics go on line anyway on my teacherweb page - and I'll do that again next year. I'm not sure how a podcasts would help. Then again I may be putting my own visual style ahead of what my audio based learners would like. But, really, how can you talk math without graphs or equations? On the other hand, I can see a good comedy routine with reading equations - anyone out there remember Victor Borge and reading punctuation marks? There is a joke in their someplace.

On the other hand, some of the best times I remember in lit classes were when we did plays or "radio" productions in class. I can see where doing that sort of thing as a podcasts would just be fun - a good way to get kids to write and present their own work - and show it off to parents and friends (in a more controlled manner than they will do themselves on YouTube).

Can podcasts be uploaded to TeacherWeb in addition to your blog space? Um, I think so - I looked at the teacherweb blog page and it looked like you could insert a link. So I'm going to try that as soon as I've got a podcast

More later. I do promise the podcast by Friday.

Janet

RSS Feeds - oops forgot the questions

2008-06-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

a. What RSS reader did you chose and why?

I'm using Google - Google is my home page anyway and it seems like a good no frills reader.

b. What “non-classmate” blogs did you subscribe to?
http://wordpress.com/tag/precalc/feed/ - this one doesn't have a fancy name, but it is a collection of clever things to do with precal students. I'm always looking for good ideas in that area.

Social Science Science Statistics Blog from the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard http://www.iq.harvard.edu/blog/sss/ - my expertise in statistics is in engineering and science. The social sciences are the other part of the world and I'm trying to learn more about how statistics are used in that arena - as well as finding papers and documents that I can get my kids to look at.

Teaching Statistics http://statteacher.blogspot.com/ - this is a blog from an AP stat teacher. I'm teaching grade level statistics, but she has some of the same problems I do - late homework for one. She also teaches geometry and she's trying some of the same ideas with her stat kids.

c. What made you chose those blogs?

I chose those blogs because they were in areas that interested me.

Janet Rice

Sunday Night Blog - Showing off Quilts

2008-06-22T19:18:00.001-07:00

Summer is going so fast I can't believe it. My guys are watching "When We Let Earth" - which I remember as current events, not history. So I've decided to play with my blog and try posting pictures. My first love is needlework, but lately I've taken to quilting, so let's see if a few pictures can get posted here.

This first quilt is one that was done or my church. I did the design work, but the embroidered blocks were done by a whole bunch of people that I coerced into stitching. I learned how to write instructions doing this project - and that's helped me in writing things for my students. I also learned that elderly dogs will eat anything in baggies - the project squares were packaged in baggies and one stitcher's dog decided the embroidery had to be a snack.

This next quilt is a mosaic quilt from an 1857 pattern in Godey's - even though it does look like a tessalation exercise for a geometry class. This is the quilt top before it was put together, taken Nov. 2006. I finished the quilt just this spring. That's me holding the quilt and grinning. Ok, I'm really proud of this one - it is completely hand pieced and hand quilted. What I learned doing this project was that patience attains all things. It is quilted one hexagon at time and if a large task is broken into small manageable bits it can be accomplished, no matter how daunting it seems at first glance.

That's enough showing off for the moment. Since this is summer I've got about 4 projects lined up - a hand sewn apron, a new 1860's dress (in the most beautiul blue plaid I've ever seen), another quilt for my church - and a quilt for my own bed at home. And this class.

Janet

Week 2 Reflections

2008-06-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

So we're into the second week of this class - RSS Feeds. This one wasn't as easy for me because I'm fighting hardware (I think)

What did you learn?
I've learned what is meant by an RSS feed -which is something I didn't know before. But I've also learned that it isn't as straightforward as it first seemed. First, at least some sites don't have a "subscribe" option or the RSS button. I've figured out several work arounds - primarily using the "discover rss" tool in explorer. But then (and this I think is where I'm fighting my own hardware) asking to subscribe takes me to MS explorer's feed set up (which acts like bookmarks). I don't like that because it seems to be computer specific and I use several different computers (school desktop, school laptop, home desktop, computer in any public library when I'm on the road). Ok, so I exported the feeds for explorer to google, but as I had more stuff I'm going to use google and just cut and paste the feed url.

Something tells me there is a better way to do this, but right now I don't know what it is. And I do need to try subscribing using the laptop, which seems to behave differently.

How will you use what you have learned?

The question is how might I use this. First I need to figure out how to add the "Subscribe" Icon to my blog page. Right now it has some sort of "subscribe (atom)" which makes little sense. Then I could set up a blog and send out a note asking parents to subscribe - or if I were clever enough do this before school starts so the information could go home on my first day papers. On the other hand, I'm not exactly a passive person - I think for class communications email is still better because it is a push mechanism rather than a pull ("don't tell me you didn't get the word, I know you got a note"). Have to think about this one.

How did you feel about this tool?

This one I'm not so sure about. I've got so much information coming in anyway, that I'm not sure a new source is needed. If I found a blog I really really wanted to follow I could see using it. I don't like that it takes fidgeting and figuring out what to click on the subscribe and the lack of commonality.

What do you not want to forget about this tool?

I don't want to forget the things I figured out about how to subscribe (even when it isn't clear cut) and how to finagle google and explorer.

How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?

Hum, I'm not sure about this. I can see using it to communicate, but I'm not seeing a clearcut advantage over email right this moment. On the other hand, I've got smart kids - maybe come Fall I should ask them. I am curious as to how this is used in a collegiate setting. My job is to get my little weasels ready for a college math class and getting them familiar with tools they will see in college is part of my job.

Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?

Again the should question. How much should we depend on technology that isn't universally available. In particular most of us can look at our rolls and TAKS failures and figure out the economically disadvantaged often seem to go together. How much technical savvy can we expect from our parents - both in general and for our at risk kids in particular? I'm going to feel my way through this one. But my stat class this fall with start with a class survey and I'm adding a question on internet access to it. One, I'll find out who has access and two, it just makes a good survey question ("how many different ways can we display this information")

What questions do you still have about this tool?
Still have questions about making it work. What do you do when there isn't a button or a subscribe? How do I stop my computer from defaulting to explorer when I subscribe? How do I put the pretty button on my blog page so subscribing is easier? I'll be working on those as the week goes on.

Janet

Week 1 Reflections

2008-06-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

What did you learn?

This week I learned about basic tools for establishing a blog - and how basically user friendly and easy it has been made. I also some ideas for using blogs as a method for communicating with a class or with parents, as well as a way of communicating with other teachers.

How will you use what you have learned?

I will likely use some of the tools I found looking at other math teacher's blogs. Currently I use TeacherWeb - and I'm not sure if a blog would be a better tool or not. I need to assess this as time goes one. For example, in statistics, the powerpoints are posted on teacherweb. Would it be better to post them day to day on a blog? I use email extensively - and again, I'm not sure if a blog could replace that - also, what I might do is make the Blog Page in teacher web my main page since it is easy to update.

How did you feel about this tool?
Blogging is a nice tool - I just have determine if it fits my applications. A hammer is good tool for pounding nails, not all that good for turning screws. Blogs can be a good tool for communication, if they are used properly. I just have to see how it will fit in my overall scheme. I am also deeply concerned with the digital divide. As we depend more on computer communication, do we risk further disadvantaging economically disadvantaged students. If we depend on blogs and email, what are we saying to kids whose families can't afford internet access. I know the kids can access the internet at school, but then what am I saying to their parents - and I automatically excluding them from participating in their student's education.

What do you not want to forget about this tool?

What I don't want to forget is how easy it was to set up a blog. It really didn't take much work at all - and I even liked the first template I used (since it has a certain 19th century look).

How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?

Now those are good questions, aren't they? My answer right now is that I'm not sure. I'll be interested in what others think and how they might use this tool. Precalculus is a college prep math class - it is not the sort of class where math journals and so on are appropriate - my kids need to survive in college classes where how they feel about anything is not relevant. Statistics on the other hand is a writing class as much as a math class. Perhaps blogs could be used to get kids to discuss problems, perhaps giving each teenager a chance to have their own student blog might be worthwhile? Perhaps there is a way to have them establish a blog on a particular topic as a project might be worthwhile?

Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?

And that questions goes back to the question of the digital divide. How do we use technology in the classroom - and teach kids to use the available tools themselves - without giving further problems to kids from families where money is tight and internet access is a luxury? Also, how do I use computer tools without making them just tricks - to truly enhance learning. My students will be in college classes in the next year or so - so I'm hoping to see how blogs and other tools are used at a collegiate level. Perhaps someone whose collegiate experience is more recent than mine can help me on that one.

What questions do you still have about this tool?

In terms of the practical application, blogs seem fairly straight forward. I like the ease of use, I like the ease of uploading pictures and videos. But use I have lots of questions about how to use this in a classroom setting to help my kids learn.

Some Blogs I Found

2008-06-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

Looking over the list of blogs for education, the supportblogging link, I found two that were particularly interesting.

Higgy's Blog was set up by a high school math teacher. He has some great ideas for using videos in class (at least as a way of getting the student's attention). I also like the idea of having a class scribe post notes for the day - hum, maybe this is a way to use the camera feature of the intelligent classroom - designate a notetaker, have them photo their notes and upload. (On the other hand, how do you handle a kid with disgraphia in this setting?) But I hadn't thought about using videos in precal.

"So You Want to Be A Teacher" is a blog on teaching by a Texas middle-school band teacher (who is having classroom management problems with his percussion class - who would have thought?) I particularly like his compilation of 50 reasons to teach, compiled from his readers. It's good to know that reasons like "I get to mess with their heads" and "I'm not in a cubical" are not unique to me. I do see this type of blog as a way of getting around the isolation of teaching. We are all so busy, there is little time for interactions with adults - particularly adults who understand the challenges we face. The blogs seem to serve the same purpose that the old time discussion lists (before the spammers discovered them) served - a place where people with similar interests can discuss things.

Second Post

2008-06-11T10:09:00.001-07:00

What I've learned so far is that I should use the spellchecker feature on this blog editor. I really can type, and I really can spell, but sometimes the fingers get sideways.

I've added the picture of myself that I use on my TeacherWeb page. No, I do not dress like that every day. But yes, I am a Civil War reenactor, and yes, that is a hoop skirt I'm wearing. And yes, I'm properly dressed for a 19th century lady - corset, bonnet, and all. No, it isn't that hot - you can only get so hot in any century and then you pass out. Anyway, I decided that I liked this picture as well as any that I have of myself.

First Post

2008-06-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is the first day of the rest of my life...... well, at leat the first day with my name out in the blogosphere. I've spent the morning reading teachers' blogs for the Web 2.0 class and have seen some interesting things. In particular the idea of finding other knowledgeable people to steal - oops - borrow from is intriguing.

On the other hand, I've got a lot of questions. For one, how can a blog be useful in a hardcore math class like precal? Precal is a college prep math class - sorry to say it, but no one cares how you feel in a class like that (other than the normal human interaction). How does blogging facilitate learning in such an environment? I like the idea of interactive discussion, but how well can this work without the specialized symbols we need for mathematics?

For my statistics class, I can see how a class blog might be useful - statistics is as much English as Math in some ways and anything that would get kids talking is a good idea. Since they are used to blogs, the idea of asking them to write something might come naturally.

I worry also about how one can protect children's privacy and confidentiality on an open forum. I can see a closed blog, where one can make mistakes, but the idea of taking risks in front of the whole world is off-putting to say the least.