Technology Alert - Week of Feb. 19th

            A new online tool has been developed to help math teachers assess the numerical reasoning and conceptual understanding of students. The Math Reasoning Inventory (MRI) serves as a web-based formative assessment. During the 10 minute process, students solve math problems and explain how they arrived at their answer, an indicator of deep understanding.

            MRI was developed and created by a team of master teachers and financed by a $2.2 million dollar grant from the Gates foundation. The best part is the tool will be available online and free of charge to all teachers. The tool itself is intended for incoming middle school students but could prove very useful for high school teachers that want to ensure that their students have a proper mathematical foundation. See the links below for the full article and the MRI website.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/its-not-only-the-answer-its-how-students-solve-the-problem-that-counts-in-new-math-assessment-for-the-common-core-139218279.html 

https://www.mathreasoninginventory.com/ 

Meaningful Learning WITH Technology

Meaningful learning asserts that “the nature of the tasks best determines the nature of the student’s learning” (Howland, Jonassen & Marra, 2012). Therefore, the five major components of meaningful learning engage students in tasks or activities which are active, constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative (Howland, et al., 2012).

Likewise, when incorporating technology into learning, technology must foster the components of meaningful learning by engaging and facilitating students’ thinking not by delivering information (Howland, et al., 2012).

The intentional and constructive component of meaningful learning can be fostered using simple technology such as weblogs. For example, my geometry lessons begin with an essential question that students must be able to answer by posting a blog. This task makes students, not only accountable for their own learning but makes them deliberately reflect on their knowledge to assess their learning and require that they articulate what they understand not what the teacher understands. Students can personalize their blog which further engages them in the learning process.

Click the following links to see blogs posted by my students.

                        http://deborahsgeometryblog.blogspot.com

                        http://swisschels.blogspot.com

                        http://bianqaadenisee.blogspot.com

References

Howland, A., Jonassen, D., and Marra, R. 2012. Goal of technology integrations: Meaningful Learning fourth edition. San Francisco: Pearson.

Technology Alert - Week of Feb. 12th

The state government of Kerala, India will launch an open educational web portal which is free for students in the state. The web portal will serve as an “online multimedia virtual classroom”.

This project, the first-of-its-kind in the country, targets high school and higher secondary school students. Students will have access to “interactive multimedia modules” (IMMs) for math and science classes on the state website http://www.sietkerala.gov.in from anywhere, at any time. Modules for vocational classes¹ will also be available via the portal.  

All of the IMMs include animations, graphics, text-overs, and voice overs. Informative games, designed for the students, and reference links to other educational websites will also be available on the portal. Babu Sebastian, director of State Institute of Education Technology (SIET) Kerala, says this about the portal:

“A multi-sensory learning process is being offered to make the studies perfect as the traditional model of learning by hearing is getting obsolete … It is a leap that we are making through this project in the educational system of Kerala. We hope that this project would later lead to a text book-free system.”

Endnotes

¹     The vocational classes will include subjects such as like agriculture, clothing and embroidery, civil construction, domestic nursing, office secretaryship, travel and tourism, and medical lab technician

Technology Alert - Week of Feb. 5th

This is the first post in a series of weekly updates that explore the use of the Apple iPad and web tools in the math classroom. Be sure to check back every week or just subscribe to my blog.

Early this year Apple introduced iTunes U for the iPad. Of course iTunes U has been hosting educational podcasts for seven years for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple iTunes U has been the main site, playing host to educational podcasts since fall 2005. Educators from more than 1,000 institutions worldwide have provided their instructional materials in the form of video or audio lectures and/or lecture notes in pdf format on the iTunes U site. Users from more than 124 countries have access to the podcasts and can download them for free.(Pauline Chow)

The significance of such technology for the math classroom is the availability of quality instructional materials. Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), an iTunes U provider since 2007, has developed six complete math and science courses which are now available for download as Apps for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch on the new iTunes U. The courses, selected for their broad appeal to students and the public, are Differential Equations¹, Intermediate Algebra², Principles of Mathematics³, Trigonometry⁴, Statistics⁵, and Astronomy⁶.

Endnotes

¹   a sophomore-level math course required in engineering, mathematics and science.

²   a developmental math course.

³   a college math course for non-science/math students.

⁴   a math course required for calculus.

⁵   a math course required in many disciplines such as psychology, business and computer science.

⁶   a core requirements science course