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
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