The technology in the classroom course has introduced me to many new technologies and ideas. This website contains a collection of some of the work I generated for the class, as well as items that I believe I will be able to use as I enter into teaching.
My favorite new technology is Fathom: Dynamic Data Software. This software is such a powerful tool that can be used to teach most any high school math concept. The statistical analysis is excellent, especially when coupled with the ease of use. My technology review project contains a full write up of this tool. I continue to use this tool daily and have already begun to develop lessons that use fathom as a teaching tool. I am particularly examining ways that I can use it in a classroom where I might not have enough copies for each student to use. The best scenario would be one copy per student, however even if I only have one copy of Fathom, I plan to project the images, so everyone in the class can see it – even if they can’t touch it!
I have benefitted from the exposure to the numerous web resources that have been pointed out to me in class. I doubt I would have considered using a digital story, until I saw ways the tool could be used in a math classroom. I think the most valuable part of this awakening was that any tool that encourages students to express their understanding should be considered. Wordle was another one of those items I would have not bothered to explore, but I created a math vocabulary wordle and now see that such a tool can have an enormous value in a math class.
One of the technologies I featured in my digital video project was a wiki. I have just begun to tap into this resource. The wiki I created with my project cohort, Sarah, has already expanded far beyond what was needed for the assignment. We chose to theme our wiki around exponents as that was the topic of the experiment we chose. As Sarah and I began to develop the wiki, the strength of this tool became more apparent. I can see developing wikis to use in every class as a way for students to collaborate and share their understanding of a topic. The wiki can be used to express the personality of the creator which is a great motivator. Each student or group of students can have an opportunity to explore ideas and share them with others. Not only is the tool useful for capturing classroom information, but it is an excellent opportunity for the students to develop skills that will carry into their future workplaces.
This course has exposed me so many ideas that I have not had enough time digest everything that has been sent my way. I also realize that until I enter into the classroom I will teach in, I cannot know what I will truly be able to use in my class. The technology class has given me hope that no matter what the classroom environment is, I should be able to find some sort of technology tool to assist me because there are so many tools available.
