Monitoring My GAME Plan Progress

So far, I have set Goals (G) and took Action (A), now it is time for the M in the GAME plan which is to Monitor my progress towards achieving my goals (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). I am satisfied with the steps that I have taken towards accomplishing my two goals. I am finding useful information and resources through online searches, from colleagues and in the course materials. I would not say that I have met my goals yet, but I am making progress. I am still working on my action plan since I have not yet finished learning and exploring my topics. At the same time I am continuously monitoring what I am learning. “In reflecting in action, you’ll continually think about and modify your current behavior based on the thought processes that occur simultaneously with the action. This relates to the monitor component of the GAME plan” (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009).

Monitoring Goal #1: Learn more about WebQuests and how to create my own that will support my high school math curriculum.

So far I have searched and explored existing WebQuests. I have also looked at suggested links from fellow classmates and read portions of the course text. The table 4.1 on page 56 which describes how to develop a WebQuest was helpful (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). From all of these resources, I have learned about what WebQuests are, how I could use them and I become familiar with typical layouts, designs, and features. I have also learned that most of the existing WebQuests are not what I am looking for so I would definitely need to design and create one of my own.

I have located sites that offer templates to make the creation of a WebQuest easier. I have not yet created one myself (which was part of my action plan) but I plan to try it on one of these websites. I have modified my original action plan slightly. I think that I am going to try to create my first quest using a very simple topic just so that I can go through the steps of the actually creation. My second attempt is when I will really think about the details more in depth. I originally was going to use one of my real units but I think that may be too ambitious. There is a lot of planning for what I am going to include and expect students to do which will take some time. For now, I am going to focus more on learning the WebQuest itself. Once I successfully create one for a dry run then I will concentrate on creating one for my class.

Thirteen ed online had a great site about WebQuests http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index.html
I even found a WebQuest about WebQuests http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest-es.html

Monitoring Goal #2: Learn more about digital portfolios (electronic portfolios) and how to use them to assess my high school math students.

I have an idea what digital/electronic portfolios are because of our ePortfolios here at Walden and I would love to set one up for my classes. I took some time to explore the features of our portfolio, how it is laid out and what is included. I also searched online and in the course text for more information. Chapter 1 had some useful information and I looked through the portfolio exercises throughout the book (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). From this information I got some ideas about what I would like to have students include and I started to think about how much freedom I would give them about choosing work themselves. One of the sites that gave me some useful information is http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech111.shtml.

I searched for sites that host portfolios (not very thoroughly yet) but what I think I decided was that I would have students save their work to a CD or a flash drive instead of online. I was unsure about which ones online could be trusted and it would take more research to find out. If anyone knows of a reliable portfolio site, I would appreciate any suggestions and advice.

References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Carrying Out My GAME Plan: Taking Action

My intended learning strategy would be to search, locate, read and use models (or samples) to acquire as much knowledge as I can through both the internet and colleagues. I also think that I would learn best by trying it out for myself or as the saying goes “just do it” (especially with my first goal).

My goal for my first game plan is to learn more about WebQuests and how to create my own.
Resources I will need to carry out my plan include the following:

1. Reading information that I find through internet searches about what WebQuests are, what they include and how to create them
2. Reading information in our course text and other course resources
3. Samples of existing Webquests that could serve as a model or guide for me
4. Web sites that will allow me to create my own WebQuest
5. Colleagues with experience using them/creating them in order to get a quick tutorial and suggestions from them on what I could do

Additional Information I will need includes the following:

1. HS math unit that I would like to use to make my own
2. Internet links and resources that I will use inside of WebQuest that I create
   

Steps I have been able to take so far include the following:

1. Internet searches about what and how
2. Located sites where I can create one
3. None of my “local” colleagues have used them so hopefully some of my colleagues in class will have some suggestions and advice to offer me
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My goal for my second game plan is to learn more about digital portfolios and how to use them to assess my high school math students.

Resources I will need to carry out my plan include the following:

1. Reading information that I find through internet searches about digital portfolios
2. Colleagues that have used them to give me suggestions
3. Possible web sites that manage digital portfolios
   

Additional Information I will need includes the following:

1. HS math curriculum and standards to make decisions on what I could include in a portfolio
   

Steps I have been able to take so far include the following:
Internet searches

My Personal GAME Plan (App 2 Educ 6713)

I have identified 2 indicators in the National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) on the ISTE website and I have developed a personal GAME plan to strengthen my confidence and proficiency in each of these areas.
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GAME Plan 1:
Using the computer as a tutor: WebQuests

NETS-T #2a: design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Goal:
Learn more about WebQuests and how to create my own that will support my high math curriculum.

Action:

• Locate existing WebQuests and review them for layout, content, etc.
• Locate resources in books and online for more information about how to design and create a WebQuest of my own, including sites where I could create one.
• Ask a colleague for a lesson on how to create a WebQuest
• Pick a unit and try to create one using the acquired knowledge

Monitor:

• Did I learn how to create a WebQuest?
• Did my attempt at creating one work? Identify any problems or areas for improvement
  

Evaluate and Extend:

• Keep a record of resources and procedures for future reference
• Did I successfully create my own WebQuest that addresses my high school math curriculum and technology standards?
• Have colleagues and a small students sample group test out my quest to evaluate and critique it.
• Identify other units where I could also use a WebQuest
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GAME Plan 2:

Using technology in assessment: Digital Portfolios
NETS-T #2d: provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Goal:
Learn more about digital portfolios and how to use them to assess my high school math students.
Action:

• Research online resources for guidelines and suggestions.
• Identify math standards and possible proof of student work to include for each unit.
• Ask colleagues with experience for assistance
• Locate websites that manage digital portfolios

Monitor:

• Did I learn about how to use digital portfolios in my math classes?
• Will this meet the needs of my class in math and technology?

Evaluate and Extend:

• Keep a record of resources and procedures for future reference
• Reflect on what I have learned and pick a class to test it out on for a shortened amount of time.
• Keep notes on what happens and any adjustments. Once it is refined, use it in a semester long class.

If anyone has knowledge or experience in these areas (especially in reference to HS math) I would appreciate any suggestions.

Reflection Educ 6712: Supporting Information Literacy and Online Inquiry in the Classroom

The most striking revelation I had about the teaching of new literacy skills to my students as a result of this course was that I need to consciously embed the teaching of these skills into my lessons and that these skills need to be explicitly taught. The reason this was a revelation for me is that many of these skills I would have never thought of integrating so deliberately into my math courses. I have learned as a result of this course that it doesn’t matter what content area I teach, it is part of my responsibility as a teacher to teach these skills within the context of my math curriculum content.

The knowledge and experience I have gained from this course will influence my teaching practices from here on. I have learned how to help my students not just use the internet but how to use it effectively. By exploring the new definition of literacy, I have learned new ways to model and teach them to my students. While developing any future lesson plans, I will keep in mind the new literacy skills that could be embedded which include: questioning, searching, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating. The course project to develop an inquiry based unit that integrated content (math), 21st century literacy skills, and technology was a new experience for me. I have never taught a unit using these strategies before and I now plan to develop more in other units of math.

My professional development goal would be to continue to develop my own 21st century skills and literacies so that I can reflect them in my teaching practices and lessons. I want to continue to gradually redesign my classes, lessons and strategies to consciously incorporate the new literacies and technology.

Reflection: Final Blog (Educ 6711)

If I reflect on my personal theory of learning that I developed in week 1, there is a modification that I would make based on my learning from this course. While I still lean heavily towards the Constructivist and Cognitive learning theories, I realize that I need to adjust my learning theory to incorporate more of a mixture of the other learning theories as well, such as the Behaviorist and Social learning theories so that my approach is more well rounded. I think that the best personal learning theory that I could have would integrate a little of all 4 of the theories we’ve explored in this course. I think that each of the learning theories is best for a certain instructional strategy or situation and my job is to be able to identity which one to use for each the learning experiences that I design. I was happy to see many strategies that I already use but also learn a few new ones. With all of my new knowledge from this course, I can consciously make informed decisions about instructional strategies, learning theories and technology tools. I think that this was the point of the course so I feel like I have achieved the course objective.

An immediate adjustment that I will make to my instructional practice regarding technology integration as a result of this course is to make sure that my technology tools are learning tools that make my classroom more student-centered. Until now, most of my technology use has been teacher-centered as an instructional tool. Two technology tools that I would like to integrate are the wiki and voicethread. A wiki sounds like a great way to have the class collaborate on a semester long project from anywhere and at anytime. Voicethread is a great way to integrate multiple representations of information, students can use visual images and verbal sounds while collaborating with each other.

A long term goal that I am making for my instructional practice regarding technology is to integrate more technology. Since my integration at the moment is very little (other than the use of the graphing calculator), I plan to slowly incorporate technology tools into my lessons. I plan to accomplish this by gradually re-writing or re-designing my lessons with possible technology integration in mind. If I start changing a few lessons at a time, I can eventually re-vamp my entire collection bringing it into the 21st century.

A second long term goal is to keep myself current with technology. This program has made me realize how far behind I have fallen when it comes to technology that is available. I have learned about many things that I never knew existed. Now I plan to make sure I continually update my knowledge on technology that I could use professionally and personally.

My First Voice Thread

Here is the link to my voice thread about a situation in my school that I am confronted with.
http://voicethread.com/share/530014/
I knew immediately what I was going to talk about, however, the images, documents or video was a little bit harder for me. I wasn't sure what type of images or documents to use to be a visual representation of my situation. From this exercise however, I realize the potential for the use of voice threads in my math classroom which I think was the point. I like that I can have a math problem up on the screen, my voice can be explaining it and I can doodle to show what I am talking about at the same time. Then the class can add comments about what they did and add any additional information.

Social Learning in Practice

In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, a strategy that aligns with the Social learning theories is “Cooperative Learning”. We have had the chance now to correlate a few different learning theories with strategies and this pair seems like the most obvious fit so far. The Social learning theory is based on the belief that people learn while working with others in a social setting. As cited by Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007), “The instructional strategy of cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups in ways that enhance learning. When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others”. By definition, cooperative learning is working with others in a social setting for the purpose of learning which is exactly what the social learning theory says.

There are many ways to implement cooperative learning in the classroom and now with the use of the internet there are even more. “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not face to face” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Some technology based cooperative learning ideas presented include, creating videos, webquests, keypals, web site creation, blogs and wikis. All of which require students to work together towards the same learning goal while helping each other and learning from each other throughout the process. At the same time, these strategies bring cooperative learning into the 21st century.

References
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructivism in Practice

Constructivist learning theories focus around the student forming their own understanding of new ideas and it is suggested that the creation of an artifact should be part of the learning process. According to the constructivist’s view, knowledge is “actively constructed in the mind of the learner”, “they investigate, create, and solve problems”, and “the instructor acts as a facilitator” (Orey, 2001).

This week, in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, we read about an instructional strategy that incorporates technology called “Generating and Testing Hypotheses”. This strategy correlates with the principles constructivist learning theories. The process of generating a hypothesis and then testing it helps the student form their own understanding of the information which is what constructivism is about. “Typically, students research a problem, form a hypothesis, and collect data to confirm, deny, or revise their last hypothesis” (Pitler, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I think that this is a great way to learn, let the student take an educated guess based on prior knowledge and then either they will be proven to be correct or they will learn from their mistakes—they are forming their own meaning and understanding. The examples given in the course text incorporated technology such as teacher-created interactive spreadsheets, data collecting tools (such as probes and the internet) and web resources (such and games and simulations) to make this strategy even more effective. It “allows students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data” (Pitler, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). All of the ideas presented as suggestions for guiding students to generate and test hypotheses required them to think analytically and critically.

The Project Based Learning (PBL) tools that were explored through this week’s resources offer many ways to use projects as learning experiences. I also think that they are effective because they integrate technology and multiple academic subjects. “Constructionism is reflected in PBL by
*Creation of a student centered learning environment
*Emphasis on artifact creation as part of the learning outcome based on authentic and real life experiences with multiple perspectives” (Orey, 2001).

References
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Cognitivism in Practice

The Cognitive learning theory focuses around how a person thinks. Learning is based on how the brain works when it comes to processing information, organizing it and relating it to something they already know. This week’s resources presented instructional strategies that used technology as a cognitive tool. There were examples where “students learn ‘with’ as opposed to ‘from’ computers” (Orey, 2001). This is an important difference between the behaviorist and cognitive approaches. In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, there are two strategies that use technology and correlate to cognitive learning theories, “Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers” and “Summarizing and Note Taking”. There were ideas for using technology such as word processing, spreadsheets, organizing software and multimedia to give students a way to sort through, organize and process information. Many of the ideas used graphic organizers (such as concept maps) or cognitive tools that “allow students to interact with information in order to acquire, synthesize, create, and share new knowledge” (Orey, 2001). These strategies help to show students how to pull out important ideas, how to make sense out of it, and how relate them to prior knowledge, in other words the strategies help them learn how to think which is a major part of the cognitive learning theory.

In addition to considering how the brain processes information, designing learning experiences is also important in the cognitive learning theory. This week’s resources discussed using virtual field trips which can be a very effective way to allow students to experience what you are trying to teach them instead of just hearing or reading about it. Virtual field trips are a way to bring students places where they may not have been able to go and to become part of the learning experience.

References
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Behaviorism in Practice (EDUC 6711 Week 2)

This week we explored instructional strategies that incorporated technology and we had to consider how they relate to the behaviorist learning theory.

I would like to first mention that I was very happy at the level of math in this week’s resources. The ideas and examples presented were finally using high school level math. It has been rare for me to get examples from class and in books that are in my subject and level. There were ideas presented this week that I could actually take and use exactly how they were described and use them tomorrow in class, no adjustments or modifications necessary, this usually doesn’t happen for me and I am very excited.

The Behaviorist learning theory focuses on rewards/punishments, stimulus/response and stresses the need for reinforcements. One of the strategies that was discussed this week was in the area of practice. The tutorials or guided learning/practice, either on-line or with software, was described in the examples and in the links provided in the resources this week. Not only does this integrate the use of technology but it relates to the behaviorist learning theory. Dr. Orey describes an important part of behaviorism, “As with all teaching methods, success depends on each student’s stimulus and response and on associations made by each learner” (Orey, 2001). The use of multimedia for guided instruction accomplishes this by allowing each learner to work at their own pace, on their own level, use different learning styles and receive immediate feedback and reinforcement. This correlated closely to the behaviorist approach.

Reinforcing effort using spreadsheets was another strategy that used technology and relates to the Behaviorist learning theory. This example allowed students to learn about technology (spreadsheets), content (for me, Statistics), and their own behavior (benefits of effort). Reinforcement is a major idea in behaviorism, if you reinforce a behavior it is more likely that a person will learn it. When a teacher does an activity such as this one, they will be reinforcing effort and the students will see that if they put in the effort then they will succeed. The use of spreadsheets to organize, graph, and analyze the effects of effort on achievement is integrated effortlessly and really enhances the learning experience.
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References
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Reflection: Final Blog Posting (for EDUC6710)

On the first day, when I skimmed through the course syllabus and outline, I only recognized the word “blog”, otherwise, I felt like I was reading a foreign language. I didn’t know what any of the web tools were. What is a Wiki, RSS, podcast, etc? I was a little nervous. Now, eight weeks later, I am so excited that I got to explore what these things are, experience using them and learn ways to bring them to my students. I got to experience what my students would experience in a technology rich classroom. I think that my students will feel the same way I did, it was interesting, motivating and a great change of pace from traditional assignments. I was excited to learn and curious about what came next. I loved that I got to learn each tool by actually using it myself in a class application so I was simultaneously learning about the technology and with the technology.

Before taking this class I had a completely different idea about the ways to use technology in my classroom. I think one of the major insights I have had from this course is the difference between what Dr. Thornburg describes as “doing things differently” versus “doing different things” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Before taking this class I would have thought that using technology to do the old things differently such as for links and research would have been enough. I would have never thought about doing different things such as collaboration with students and teachers globally or using wikis, blogs, etc. At the end of this course, I feel like I am leaving with a new bag of tools and ideas for using the web to improve my students’ learning, for my own professional growth and for my personal interests.

My perspective on being teacher-centered to learner-centered has changed drastically. I have always been more of a lecturer and explainer and I know that I need to re-design my lessons to be more student-centered. This course showed me the importance of doing this and ways to accomplish it. I look forward to transforming my role as a teacher to becoming the guide and helping my students help themselves and one another learn.

This course not only gave me new insights, it has sparked my interest to continue to learn about technology. I plan to continue to do more reading, research and exploring on my own. I also look forward to learning more from the other specialty courses involving technology and education. I will also continue to use the web tools not only for my classroom but for my personal and professional growth as well. I plan to use it to connect with other teachers and participate in on line communities.

I have set many new goals for myself as a result of this course for ways to transform my classroom. I would like to gradually re-design my lessons and curriculum, unit by unit, to incorporate some of the things from this course. I feel like I could integrate the use of technology so that my students will learn the technology itself while also learning math content and 21st century skills. I am also excited about getting some projects started that would involve bringing professionals from different fields and students from around the world into my classroom through things such as blogs and wikis. Another goal would be to become more involved with my school as a whole when it comes to technology use. I would like to share what I have learned with my colleagues since many of them are in the same situation that I was before starting this degree. Many of them don’t know how to use technology or they are self-taught. I think they would all benefit if I share my new insights with them through workshops on staff development days. I would also like to try to push to expand access to the computer labs in my school so that more teachers and students could take advantage of the technology. I think that if we think about a different way of using the resources the school has, it could be much more effective.

This course has really opened my eyes to what technology has made available for teachers and students. I have a completing different mindset about how I look at my lessons, my students, and my role as the teacher. From now on, whenever I plan and implement lessons, I will be thinking about the technology I could use, the ways I could make it student centered, how I could model 21st century skills and how I could take my class outside of the school building and into the real world. Learning about the use of web tools has made me excited to make my classroom a technology rich environment. “The idea that the relevance of student work no longer ends at the classroom door cannot only be a powerful motivator but can also create a significant shift in the way we think about the assignments and work we ask of our students in the first place” (Richardson, 2006).

References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wiks, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Evaluating 21st Century Skills--Blog Assignment(Week 4)

I spent some time exploring the website of the Partnership for 21st century skills in order to learn more about what they have to offer. This is the first time I’ve heard of the organization and I was impressed with the collaboration of education, businesses, community and government leaders to provide information and resources to teachers and students about 21st century skills. I looked at the list of board member organizations that were teaming up and was pleased to see some very well known businesses getting involved with education. I found the sections titled Route 21 and the Resource Database as a potentially useful and helpful for me to use. There were many resources and links provided for a teacher to learn how to incorporate these skills into their lessons. I also found the Mile Guide very interesting and a great tool to help schools and teachers evaluate their effectiveness in teaching students the 21st century skills.

What surprised me about the site was the list of states that are part of the initiative and even more so, the states that were not. I was surprised that my state, New York, was not yet a state partner. Since New York is known to have many job opportunities and is considered to be a financial district, I thought they would have been one of the first on board to prepare students to become successful parts of the business/working world.

I think the teachers and educational leaders of today (and of the future) will have a difficult task of adapting education to align with the 21st century skills. An implication for me as a classroom teacher is that I will be responsible first hand to provide my students with an education that reflects these 21st century skills. This means that I will need to reflect on my current teaching strategies and make adjustments to how and what I teach. It is great to learn about and have access to an organization like the one that is trying to assist in this process of change. I look forward to re-visiting the website to spend more time reading the informative articles and start taking advantage of the great resources available.

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

How can I use blogs in my high school math classroom?

Since I don’t have any computers in my classroom, most of what I would incorporate would have to be done outside of class time as assignments or projects. I like the idea of creating a class portal as described on page 21 of our course text. “In this vein, a great entry point for Weblog use is to build a class portal to communicate information about the class and to archive course materials. From a teaching standpoint, having a place to publish the course curriculum, syllabus, class rules, homework, assignments, rubrics, handouts, and presentations makes a Weblog a powerful course management tool” (Richardson, 2006). Since I have never used blogs before, I think this is a good place to start and not only will it help inform students and parents, I could even have the students help create and update it so that they were not just receiving and using the information but they were involved in designing and making it.

I would also like to incorporate a collaborative space where students can each add information which by the end of the year could result in the creation of a useful resource around a particular theme. One idea I had about a theme is math in the real world. I feel like a huge part of my job as a math teacher is showing the students the connection and importance of math to their lives because they usually don’t see why the need to learn it, especially high school math. Instead of me feeding them examples, I think it would be great to have the students do the research or stumble upon them on their own. As they are discovered, students could post them on the class blog that could be called something like, “I Found Math………”. They would have to give a full explanation and the specific area of math it relates to. This may take a little research on their part to find the proper math terminology. They should even include links to more information they found on the internet. They could mention math they have come across in their daily lives, on the news, jobs that involve math, or even interesting trivia type math found in movies or TV. A great example I like to use is a quote from the Wizard of Oz. When the scarecrow gets his brains at the end of the movie, he starts reciting a statement about triangles. In case you don’t have the entire movie memorized like myself, he says “The sum of the square roots of any 2 sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side”. Now a student might recognize that it is math and want to post it to the blog. They may or may not need to look it up to be able to say that it is the Pythagorean Theorem, or I should say supposed to be, this is actually an incorrect math statement and I would be overjoyed if my students were able to find this one and notice the mistake. It would be great to watch the list of items on the blog grow over the course of the school year and read reactions and comments from others. Maybe other people from outside our class would add a few interesting places where they found math or maybe we could solicit people in math careers to share their experiences with us. I think it would help my students make connections and realize the importance of math or like the scarecrow mess up, it could just be an interesting trivia fact. It would be great if it could also help students beyond our classroom that read our blog.

References
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wiks, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

What does work for me #1 ~ Hidden Notebook Check

I teach high school and I don't require my students to use a specific type of notebook, I leave that up to them. I do, however, require that they do something that will keep them organized. After a full year (2 semesters) of math, they are required to take a Regents exam in order to graduate so it is very important they save all their work and stay organized. I have found that the students hate to get notebook checks, especially at the high school level, they think it is immature. Also, I feel like they need to learn how to start taking responsibility for keeping track of their own work without me having to go through their entire notebook. Something that I tried a few years ago that worked well and I still use all the time is a kind of hidden notebook check where I can make sure they have all their important work without them realizing that I am checking up on them. I set it up like a scavenger hunt game with a list of things they need to recover. I set a time limit, sometimes it is short (only a few minutes at the beginning of class) and sometimes it is a long period of time (like over winter break). The list also varies based on time allowed with only a few items on the list to a quite extensive list. Some of the things I put on the list could be as follows: the notes from a specified date, test #2, homework #15, the worksheet on solving equations, the formula sheet from coordinate geometry, etc. The students must find and hand in whatever they find (usually in a folder with their checklist) before the time is up. The more the students find and hand in, the more points they accumulate. These points are then used for a number of different things from points towards individual classwork grades to rewards such as an extra 5 points on the next exam, to entire class rewards such as a no homework night. The students seem to find it fun and they don't realize that I am making sure they save and organize their notes.

What doesn't work for me #1 ~ Homework System

I have heard of many websites for homework help for students, but I am a teacher in need of homework help. I have been teaching for a while now and I thought I would have figured this one out by now. However, I still have not found a good homework system that works for me and that I am willing to continue using. I am constantly trying new things hoping to find something that will make this part of my job a little easier, but it seems that no matter what I try each semester, I am still overwhelmed with homework--how to assign it, collect it, mark it, keep track of it, and use it to compute part of the final grade. I normally have about 150-160 students and so the amount of homework that comes in is tremendous and I am still trying to figure out a way to stay on top of it. Anyone have some suggestions? Thanks.

Sharing a teacher story ~ I Know the Easter Bunny

As a teacher who works at a school in the same neighborhood that I live in, it is inevitable that I will run into my students everywhere. I am often someplace like the mall and hear someone yelling my name, when I turn around it is one of my students running over to say hello. For some reason, they always seem to find it funny to see you outside of the school building and in "normal" clothes. After my first few years of teaching, I thought that I had gotten used to bumping into my students everywhere I went until one day, I was caught off guard. My son was only 3 months old and I was talking him to have his first picture taken with the Easter Bunny. When it was finally my turn, I leaned over to place my tiny baby in this giant Easter Bunny's hands and was suddenly very concerned how he was going to be able to hold him properly with that giant fake head on, he couldn't even see what he was holding. As I put my son in his arms, I heard, "Hello Mrs. M". I was so surprised--the Easter Bunny knows my name. I was so curious who was in there but I didn't want the other kids on line to hear me asking so I leaned in close and whispered, "Who's in there?". The response I got was, "It's Andrew from math class."

Introduction ~ What should I post about?

This is my first time creating a blog. I am creating this as an assignment for a course towards my master's degree. I have to admit that I had a hard time trying to come up with an idea of what I should be posting here. As a high school math teacher, I thought that this could be a great opportunity for me to collaborate with other teachers that I would normally not have contact with. As a result, I have decided to make my blog be a place were I could share (swap) teacher ideas and experiences with other teachers. I have been teaching for about 11 years and have found many things that I feel work well for me, so why not share them. On the other hand, I still have some things that I am constantly changing and consider them things that don't work for me, so why not ask for some suggestions from fellow teachers. Finally, in addition to swapping ideas, it is also great to share teacher stories, whether funny, sad, stressful or inspirational, so I plan to have some of these too. So, while completing a course assignment, I hope that someone will stumble upon my blog and share some of their great ideas or stories about teaching with me or maybe they will enjoy one of mine.