Final Reflection

The timing of this class could not have been more perfect. I am dabbling in flipped instruction next year and was honestly SO behind in the basic technology tools that were becoming used often. At the end of this class I feel so much more confident with using the tools I learned, but also about how to find and learn new tools when there is a need. Blogging has opened up a whole new world and I see it as a great way to share information and have online discussions. So many tools now are saved on the internet, and a blog gives everyone easy access to see your creations! Being able to follow each other and getting emails when someone makes a comment, makes it easy to keep up and know when updates have been made. I also have enjoyed learning some new presentation tools like prezi and SpicyNodes. I have been putting together the lessons for our Robotics class and using Prezi since it is dynamic and makes it easy to add videos, links, and even Powerpoints. I also made a blog for this class and am able to have a post for each week and put the week's Prezi at home so that students and parents have easy access. This class has completely changed the format of this class and I am excited about it. The main obstacle I ran into were some of the limitations on web tools when using the free versions. Most of the time, however, they were adequate for what I, and my students would need. I also noticed that people could not comment on the blog unless they had a google account, so I am glad that all students will have an account next year. Overall, this was a great experience!

Assignment 10: Choice

First I tried Animoto to create a video slideshow. It is very cool but I was really disappointed that you were limited to 30 seconds unless you wanted to pay! This really makes it not very useful in my opinion. If you wanted to pay $5 you would have a lot more possibilities... I just put together a few photos of our road trip to Black Hills/Yellowstone/Grand Canyon to try it out.

Try our slideshow maker at Animoto.

Since Animoto did not seem a great way to share pictures I tried flikr. It was easy to use and not a bad way to create a slideshow of many photos. Videos can be uploaded but can only be 90 seconds long. Not sure how I would use either of these in the classroom, but good to know about!

Assignment # 9 Creating a poll

I will be trying flipped instruction for at least the first 2 chapters with 6th grade this year, hopefully more if all goes well. :)  I thought that I could ask this poll question on Friday if I wanted to get a feel for where people were at in the chapter.  I think that I want everyone to take the quizzes and tests the same day, so they have a goal for when things should be done.  Exceptions could of course be made.  I would leave extra time for those that are slower and that would give the fasted students time for challenge activities twice a chapter.  Anyways...  I could have the kids do this poll every Friday to get a feel for how much time people are spending at home on flipped lessons and see how that correlates with how far they are in the chapter.  This could be a good discussion tool to talk about the importance of at home time if they are going to be ready for quizzes and tests.

Assignment 8: Creating a Graph

I used infogram to create a double line graph. The graph I made is an example of how students could graph their pre-test / post-test scores on tests and checkpoints. It might be interesting for them to create this and submit it at the end of the chapter and then share electronically or print to turn in with a reflection. I did have trouble getting the data in until I did it in Xcel and loaded it in. There are obviously a lot of ways you could use an easy graph creation program in math. This is easier to use than just Xcel. I could also make graphs for students to answer questions about.

Assignment # 7: Cloud Computing

One big way I will be using cloud computing this year is for my lesson checkpoints. Instead of a paper copy like last year I want to try having them as a google quiz. They must score 80% or higher to move on to the next lesson. I get immediate feedback to share with them. This one is for the first lesson in our 2nd chapter on solving expressions.

Assignment #6: Study Tools 2.0

This was my first attempt with Quizlet. I think that it would be a nice resource when I want a practice for students before a test or a quiz. It would be great for those who are doing extensions to practice and evaluate how they are doing. I liked that there were so many sets already set up that others created that I can browse and borrow! Here is a quick set I created on number properties so that kids can practice which property is which. This is a great activity to go with a flipped lesson before they take a checkpoint. The first attempt I switched them around, so make sure you put the terms in the first column. :) I also liked that you could import pictures or copy and paste number sentences from other sites easily.

Choose a Study ModeScatterLearnFlashcards

Study these flash cards | Study math flash cards

The 2nd tool I used was Spicynodes. I created a mind map overview of 6th grade's unit 2, an intro into algebra. It gives vocab, examples, etc on the chapter's main points. It help me as the teacher see what needs to be covered, and gives them a preview of and study tool for the chapter. I liked that I could embed in images I found on google to use as examples. This looks nicer and saves me a ton of time creating examples. I think I would like to do this on each chapter if the kids find it useful.

Assignment #5: Youtube Channel

Since I will be trying out flipped instruction next year, I created a YouTube channel at a training at the end of the school year. I have been creating folders for each chapter and our Robotics class. It is a great way to organize everything and makes it so easy to upload videos to blogs, websites, etc. Here is a video that I have saved on my channel that is a great, and cheesy song, from Square One (one of my favorite math shows from the 90's:) about tessellations. If you want a blast from the past, then watch and enjoy!