More Mathematical (and other) Resources

While I was working on my lessons for the blackboard project, I felt it was necessary to include resources for students. Everyone has been providing such great resources, but I’m beginning to wonder: If we provide our students with so many resources, will they use them or will they be overwhelmed? I narrowed a list to six resources for mathematics and included a quick statement about what they include. Then if students want to add more, they may. For those of you that would find mathematics resources (there are other subjects in some as well) of use, here is my list:
http://www.mathwarehouse.com – provides interactive tools for practicing prerequisite skills (algebra, geometry, etc.)
www.purplemath.com – includes examples and easy-to-understand explanations on a variety of mathematical topics.
http://www.hippocampus.org/?gclid=CM6l65_gw5YCFQNfFQod3Wt1wg – multimedia source for calculus topics (lessons to watch and listen). There are other subjects at this site as well.
http://mathforum.org/math.topics.html - from Drexel University, this encompasses a wide range of mathematical topics at a number of levels. All sorts of goodies in this resource.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ - “ the web’s most extensive mathematics resource”. This site is a bit more technical and may be hard to understand at times, but it really does have almost everything.
http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=186&toplvl=33 – breaks math down into the five areas that the PSSA tests on: Algebra, Data Analysis, Geometry, Numbers and Operation, and Measurement. Calculus IS on there! You have to search around for what you want, but Algebra will lead you to a calculus application. This is a really comprehensive source. Not all of the links are equally engaging, so again, hunt around. This site also provides other subject lessons and activities.
I hope you find these useful! I’m actually going to use a few of these and other topic-specific sites this week in my calculus class. These resources are free, so we only need technology that will support it – and we have that.

Time Intensive...Planning Intensive

Over the past few years, I have developed a much greater awareness about the use of technology in the classroom. Educators have become really good about adding technology to the lesson, but we are still in the process of mastering effective uses of technology. Mastering effectiveness seems to really be hitting home this semester! I thought I would be able to integrate good instructional practices through the development of an electronic course, but I have realized that I am far from mastering the effective practices of online instruction!

As I begin to develop my blackboard course, I realize that it is really difficult to incorporate the many instructional strategies I use as a classroom teacher in order to engage and enhance the learning of my students. My instructional strategies are not the only thing that goes by the wayside as I develop an "online" course. The ability to plan a few days with a degree of flexibility is completely gone! To sit down and develop an entire course that will keep my learners engaged so that they learn is a much more difficult task that I thought it would be. I must admit that the process requires me to really identify the objectives of the course and the main points of information that I MUST get across to the learners. I need to know the end before I really begin!

I can truly say that getting a grasp of developing online courses has added a new dimension of insight to the roles of the teacher in traditional learning. The concept of planning is something that is done in traditional schools, but it seems to take the back seat in most cases. Most student teachers long for the day they graduate so they no longer need to write the lengthy lesson plans as units, but maybe this is something that should be forever written in my book!

Literacy & Technology

Just returned from the KRSA Reading Conference in King of Prussia. I heard a great speaker Dr. Donald Leu from the University of Connecticut. He spoke in depth about the need for a connection between literacy and technology. He spoke about how our country is far behind the times in preparing our children for future endeavors in the world of technology. Please take a moment to check out the website related to Dr. Leu and the University of Connecticut. There are many useful links depending on what you are interested in reading about.

http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/littech.htm

Great Site - Classroom 2.0!

I found a great website for those people who are interested in breaking out of the boundaries of a classroom and collaborating with other teachers, students, administration, and integration technologists in transforming education. It is a supportative, social community with suggestions, experiences, and stories on how they use or want to use technology in their classrooms. There are wikis, blogs, online meetings, many different groups (ArtTeach, MAC Classroom 2.0, Distance Collaborations, High School Math Teachers, Implementing Instructional Technologies Innovations, Second Life, etc) that you can join, and a ton of other extremely interesting videos, photos, and chats to join and see. Check it out…you won’t be disappointed! http://www.classroom20.com/