Lesson: I love the music videos I find on YouTube that help to explain mathematical concepts in a simpler (or more colorful) way. I've wanted to assign such a project in my classes as a final assessment tool (as opposed to a traditional), so I created a rubric for such a project. This particular rubric is for a music-video project about exponent rules; however, the rubric could be adapted for any mathematical concept/topic. I love the idea of project-based learning experiences because often times a summative assessment does not give students an opportunity to fully demonstrate what they know. Teachers should provide their students with alternative assessment opportunities to creatively show what they have learned in a specific unit (or throughout a course).
Objective: Students will be able to create a music-video that demonstrates what they have learned about exponent rules.
I could incorporate project-based learning into my classes by developing projects that further explore the mathematical concepts we discuss every day in class. I actually prefer to do projects because I feel as though the students learn the content better when they explore it on their own and make connections about the content to the real-world. In the past, I have done univariate projects which involved surveys and analyzing data, but I hope to do more projects in the future.
Factors that could influence the success of my implementation of project-based learning projects are time available in the course to do such projects, technology available at the school in which I work, and technology available to the students outside on school. (Not to mention that some classes just can't handle projects of this nature... some groups of students need more structure than others.)
Application:
This week the design principles for instructional multimedia align with project-based learning in the way that the STUDENTS must be aware of the principles this time (as opposed to the teacher being aware of them for his/her lesson). The teacher should be aware of the principles when designing the project, and I think it would be beneficial if the students read the article before starting the project themselves. (Maybe the class could have a whole group discussion about the principles and brainstorm how they should be incorporated into the project.)
Reflection:
I wouldn't say that my thinking about technology has changed this week, but learning more about project-based learning experiences has definitely reminded me of the importance of providing students with multiple ways to express their understanding of a topic. Implementing project-based learning experiences takes extra time and planning, but I want to be better about doing just that in my current and future classrooms.
I REALLY enjoyed learning about and using playposit this week! I think that technology is awesome, and I plan to use it in my classroom very soon! I also enjoyed using poll everywhere! I will be using the survey I created for this week's assignment in my class next week as we review for our upcoming test on polynomials.
Lesson: I think concept maps work well as introductory activities to a unit. Students can brainstorm what they know about a topic, and their original map can (and should) be referenced/modified throughout the unit. There are so many mapping sites and applications available these days that allow for creative collaboration among students, and since these maps are created through technology, it makes modifications extremely effortless and easy. Not only are mind maps a great introductory tool, I think they work very well as a review tool too; the class can work together to create a mind map about how ideas about a specific topic relate to one another before taking a final assessment about the topic.
Objective: Students will be able to collectively brainstorm what they know about polynomials and update their mind maps throughout the unit.
In the education field, collaboration is super important! Teachers collaborate about lesson plans and projects within their departments (and hopefully among content areas too), and it is our job as educators to teach our students how to work/collaborate with each other. Learning how to collaborate with others and defend/support an idea are important life skills for young people to learn, and what better place to learn these skills than inside a classroom. Asking students to create mind maps about a specific topic (or ideas related to a specific topic) is a great way to get their creativity flowing and demonstrate how ideas/topics are interconnected.
I can develop a culture of collaboration in my classroom by asking my students to collaborate in small groups and prepare to share their ideas with the rest of the class. Hopefully the whole class discussion will allow for more collaboration and reveal connections between the small group's ideas.
Application:
I feel as though the majority of the design principles for instructional multimedia support the idea of making ideas/topics more simple, clear, and concise. Although concept maps usually use single words or short phrases to describe an idea, I feel as though the connecting links/arrows can become very complicated and messy. Most of the connections made in a concept map need further explanation otherwise the connections may not make sense (if the concept map is referenced at a later date). As much as I love the idea of mind maps for student collaboration, I think the topic should be chosen with caution. Do not pick a topic that is so complex that the map will be become too complicated to understand.
Reflection:
My thoughts about technology use have not changed much this week. I love concept maps, and I think they offer great opportunities for collaboration. I also think concept maps work well as a way to show steps for a process (i.e. steps of factoring) or categories that support a main idea (i.e. different types of shape or families of functions).
I enjoyed creating a concept map about the topic we are currently discussing in my Algebra II class (polynomials). This will be a great talking point when we review for our upcoming test.
I grew in the way that I learned about different types of concept mapping technologies. It's always nice to know multiple sites that ultimately do the same thing (in this case concept map technologies) just in case one of the sites is down when you need to use it.
Artifact: Concept Map of Polynomials
The following concept map about POLYNOMIALS was created using Bubbl.us.com.
Lesson: I created a poster that displays the five methods of solving quadratic equations. I would put this poster up on the wall of my classroom and encourage my students to use the Aurasma app on their smart devices to further explore the five methods of solving quadratic equations.
Objective: Students will be able to use Aurasma to explore the five methods of solving quadratic equations in a virtual reality.
For the purpose of this assignment, I only created one artifact with the requirements for the assignment. However, as I explored the abilities of Aurasma, I think I would implement the technology differently in my classroom.
First of all, I can see myself using Aurasma as a classroom management tool to explain classroom rules and procedures. I would create different artifacts and display them around my classroom; and I would give students an opportunity to explore the room using their smart devices.
Secondly, I can see Aurasma being a great tool for cooperative learning activities and station activities. I would create an artifact for each station, and the artifact would describe the purpose of each station and what the role of each group member should be. I think my students would LOVE this!
I can also see myself assigning projects to my students that require an element of augmented reality. Students these days are so tech-savvy and creative, and I think projects are a great opportunity to allow the students to show what they know and create something really great! An augmented reality project would be a great alternative to the traditional test/quiz assessment.
One of the main things that keep me from creating assignments/activities that use technology (specifically smart devices) is that students are not allowed to use/have them during instructional time. They are considered a distraction to the learning process (which I agree with to an extent); however, I do enjoy learning about these different technologies and applications, so if one day the rules change I'll be prepared.
Application:
Augmented realities can be as complex or simple as you want them to be. For the purpose of the classroom, I personally think the simpler the better. Students love being able to use technology, so if teachers try to "disguise" education with a cloak of technology, some learning may actually take place. The students will be having so much fun in their augmented reality (assuming the activity is created with student engagement and learning in mind), that they hopefully won't feel as though they are doing "work". In regards to the design principles,
I intentionally kept spatial contiguity in mind when designing my artifact. I purposefully placed the "auras" over the methods that they are related to. I think this helps to organize the information and directly relate the topics on the poster to the auras/artifacts they are describing.
Reflection:
I personally have never thought about using augmented reality techniques/technologies in my classroom/lessons because I did not know much about them. Now that I have explored Aurasma this week, I can see the endless possibilities the application has to offer. As mentioned before, I can see myself using the application as a classroom management tool as well as a supplement to my lessons.
I also think Aurasma would be great for welcoming people to a new place. My school offers a freshman transition program and "Curriculum Night" for parents to give them an opportunity to explore the high school. This year (during the freshman transition program) we used QR technology for a scavenger hunt throughout the building. The QR readers worked great, but I think auras would hold the students' attention a little better and be more descriptive about the building. I think Aruasma would also be helpful for parents on the Curriculum Night while they are exploring the high school that their son/daughter will be spending most of their time in.
I very much enjoyed exploring the world of augmented realities this week. Other than the fact that my school does not allow the use of smart devices during instructional time, I see no tensions/issues with the use of augmented technology in the classroom.
Your artifact:
Augmented Reality Poster (artifact)
How the Artifact looks through the Aurasma application
This augmented reality provides links, videos, and extensions activities for the five methods of solving quadratic equations.
The following is a list of those resources:
http://district.lindsay.k12.ca.us/view/8333.pdf
Copyright 2016 Kuta Software LLC. All rights reserved.
Lesson: In Algebra II we spend a lot of time on solving quadratic equations by various methods (graphing, factoring, square roots, completing the square, and the quadratic formula). The content can become dull and repetitive fairly quickly, so showing videos is a great way to keep the students interested and engaged in the topic. WSHS has a math channel on YouTube, and the math teachers have created multiple videos related to various math topics. Their videos are AWESOME! The content is accurate and creatively presented, and I absolutely love showing their videos to my students as part of my lessons.
Objective: Students will be able to solve quadratic equations by factoring, completing the square and the quadratic formula after watching a YouTube video that describes each method of solving quadratics.
As much as I love showing these videos to my students, I understand they take a lot of time and effort to create that a teacher may or may not have to dedicate to their lessons. I can't always create videos, but I appreciate those who can/do. As opposed to creating a full-blown video, I often times make up little songs/rhyme to help my students remember mathematical concepts/processes. I hope (in the future) to offer movie making as an alternative to taking a traditional assessment for my students.
When assigning a mathematical movie making project to my students, I would have to consider the technology/materials available to them as well as the time it would take to create a quality video. These videos could be produced independently; however, I think it would be easier to assign this as a group project. There are other things to consider when assigning a group project such as their ability to meet outside of class and which students work well (or do not work well) together.
Application:
The simple application of videos is showing them in class when they apply to a specific lesson. I personally do this all the time, and I know many teachers who also do the same. They really help present educational content in a creative way, and they help to keep the students engaged in the lesson.
If I were to assign a video project to my students, I would encourage them to think about their audience when creating the video. I would remind them that people all of over the world will potentially see this video, and they may or may not be familiar with the content. I would encourage them to create the video with the idea that their "audience" has no idea what they are talking about: "what's the simplest way of explaining the information?" My goal would be that my students present the content/information in a coherent and simple way. I would also remind them that rapid moving images or complicated terminology can be confusing, so simple is better. I absolutely love the idea of my students creating their own math videos because it gives them an opportunity be creative and show what they know.
Reflection:
I wouldn't say my thinking has changed, but this week's assignment has reminded my to provide opportunities for my students to demonstrate their creativity. Math classes tend to be extremely structured, and I need to remember to break the routine sometimes and change things up.
Having the opportunity to explore various movie making cites was a great resource to keep in mind for future reference. If I plan on assigning video projects in my classes, I'm glad I have resources to offer my students in terms of sites/technology they can use to make their projects.
I did not notice any tensions between the content and design principles for multimedia. I feel as though tensions exist principles depending on the content, but I also think some principles work better than other depending on the content. I enjoyed this week's assignment because I love showing videos in my classes.
I
teach Algebra II (15 to 16 year old high school students), and one of the
biggest topics we discuss in our course is solving quadratic equations. There
are 5 methods that one can use to solve
quadratic equations (graphing, factoring, square roots, completing the square,
and quadratic formula), and this video discusses the three most popular
methods: factoring, completing the square, and the quadratic formula. I love
that the teachers chose to focus on these three methods because they work for
all quadratic functions as opposed to graphing and solving by square roots which
only works for special cases of quadratic functions. Our district encourages us
(teachers) to find creative ways to present our content, so I enjoy showing
math related videos to my students. I personally will be showing this video to
my students next week when we learn about completing the square and the
quadratic formula, and I showed another video closely related to this one last
week about factoring (Teach Me How to Factor).
The
content in this video is 100% appropriate for my content area and student age.
The information is accurate, well organized, and presented in an interesting way.
I would consider this video to be a credible source because it is created by certified
math teachers from a school in Ohio. Although the video creators chose to use a
popular rap song to make the video, I do not feel as though it is inappropriate
to play in a school setting. In my experience I have found that showing videos
in class enhances the lesson and engages the students’ interest because they
are familiar with the music. One of the many benefits of YouTube is that it
provides videos in a format that can be shown on various mediums. I personally
have a smart projector that projects anything that I can pull up on my computer
screen, so YouTube videos work perfect for me! As much as I love this video, I
would not consider it the best method for learning how to solve quadratic
equations; it is a great supplemental tool for a traditional math less, but I
think students would require a bit more explanation to fully understand how to
solve quadratic equations.
Lesson Outline: I personally had so much fun editing the images this week and creating a GIF. I think my students would love to do similar activities to help improve their math projects, and I also think these types of activities would work well as a review assignment. I love the mathematical music videos available (usually on YouTube), so I think image editing or GIF creating would work well in music video.
Objective: Students will be able to design/produce a mathematical music video of a topic of their choice. The music video must included examples of images that have been edited, an info-graphic and at least one GIF that could be used to demonstrate a mathematical concept.
Access:After creating their mathematical music videos, I would ask the students to upload their final projects to YouTube, and I would post the links on my class website, so that the students have access to each others' video projects.
During the creation process, I would provide example of sites/software that may be beneficial during the video production process.
There will be the case where the students are unable to view the videos; hopefully, the verbal explanation/audio that accompanies the images/video will help those students who have trouble viewing the images.
Application:
Prior to beginning the mathematical music video lesson, I would have a conversation with my students about how they learn best, and together as a class we would brainstorm different types of strategies they use to review a topic. We would have a conversation about whether or not these would be good things to consider/include in their projects, and I may even have them read the design principles for instructional multimedia article to support their understanding of the purpose of their music videos.
While creating my digital images, I kept spatial contiguity, personalization, and voice in mind. I wanted the artifacts to speak to a variety of people, so I tried to keep them as simple as possible while still being educational.
Reflection:
Often times I think of technology as a way to present information or supplement/assist with students' assignments (i.e. calculators), and I forget to think about technology as a way to asses understanding or review content. Since there is so much pressure to address various standards throughout the school you, I forget that I can assign projects that promote creativity while still addressing those standards.
In terms of access, I think some districts/teachers take technology for granted. We have become a society that is so heavily dependent on technology that me often times assume that technology is going to be available to us and our students. Just because the school has access to certain types of technology does not mean the students have access to them, and we (teachers) need to be aware of these restrictions when designing lessons/activities. On the other hand, technology also opens many doors to provide assistance to those students who may need a little extra help.
I love that I now know how easy it is to make a GIF. I think this could be a very useful tool in my class, and I can wait to start using it in my classroom and on my class website! I also enjoyed learning about different photo-editing sites that I can use as alternatives to Photoshop. (As great as Photoshop is, it can be a bit pricey!)
Your Artifacts:
Photo collage with edited images -- Geometry
GIF -- SPHERE WARS: When you show up to class and find out there is a quiz!
The first chapter we discuss in Algebra II involves quadratic equations and various aspects related to them. I created the padlet shown below with this chapter in mind, and I chose to include resources that could be referenced throughout the chapter. Some of the resources are more educational (serious) while others are to be used as a means to gather my students' attention at some point during the lesson/unit. (I would post this padlet to my class website, so that the students have access to these resources outside of class.)
Learning objective: Students will be able to solve quadratic equations using one of the five methods explored during the unit. (graphing, factoring, completing the square, quadratic formula, or square roots)
While presenting the resources included in my padlet, I will also talk about copyright laws with my students. I will ask what they already know about copyright laws, and we will further explore copyright laws together as a class. (I will also keep copyright laws in mind while conducting my lessons and choosing supplemental materials for instruction.)
Application:
The readings from week 1 align with my lesson and padlet in general very nicely.
I feel as though the padlet technology itself is an excellent multimedia tool for instruction because it allows for the teacher to provide various types of resources that relate to the content material, and it allows students to explore the resources in a creative way (at their leisure).
The padlet technology is extremely easy to use and fun to explore, so hopefully it will appeal to a variety of learners and their learning styles/needs.
While creating my padlet and gathering my resources related to solving quadratic equations, I tried to keep the 12 Research-Based Principles for Designing Multimedia Instruction in mind.
Although I intentionally tried to pick resources that were as coherent as possible (and did not include extraneouse material), some of the resources on my padlet are a bit redundant. I think this is sometimes difficult to avoid when working with online resouces because they tend to be as detailed as possible in order to reach as many viewers/learners as possible.
The resources presented on my padlet can be used as pre-training tools because I could ask my students to explore some of the resources prior to starting the unit in class.
I feel as though the majority of the resources included on my padlet follow the segment and modality principles because many of them break-down the information into smaller pieces, or they provide videos with spoken words (and printed words) that can be paused/rewatched at the viewers discretion.
Reflection
I really enjoyed creating a padlet this week because I will actually be able to use it in my Algebra II class this year. I've never used padlet before, and I loved how it was an electronic "bulletin board" to gather resources for a particular topic. I can see me using these resources (and padlet) more in my future lessons, and I hope my students will enjoy using it as much as I have.
Even after exploring copyright laws, they still make me extremely nervous! I don't feel as though copyright laws have ever been properly explained to me in the past, so the laws tend to get messy and confusing. Since most of what I use is for educational purposes, I feel as though they are fair game, but I understand that this may not always be the case. This padlet activity has helped me to learn more about copyright laws, but I still feel as though I have more to learn about how they work and how to properly cite copyright rights.
Hello Everyone! My name is Kayla Hagel, and I am a high school mathematics teacher. I graduated from CMU with a bachelors of science in education for secondary mathematics and speech (broadcasting, theater, and communication). I'm very excited to be continuing my education and completing my masters degree in educational technology through their global campus. This fall will begin my second year of teaching; I teach pre-algebra (freshman) and algebra II (juniors) in a high school (located in Macomb, MI), and my students are wonderful! As sad as I am that summer is over, I am eager to get back to work. I don't have any questions/concerns about this course at this point in time, but I'm looking forward to learning more about instructional multimedia techniques and tools that I can use in my class this year! Can't wait to get started and begin collaborating with all of you! :)
