Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Revising My GAME Plan

I've come to the conclusion that the biggest obstacle to my integrating technology into my classroom is not having the time to research how other teachers are using technology in their math classes. It's very easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. Many times I'm unable to think of a way to use a given technology in my class because I don't fully understand its capabilities. Unfortunately, technology use is pretty basic in my school; power point and internet resources, so I have no colleagues to ask for help. As a result, I have set a new goal for myself which is to start a Web page for my class. I've gotten the necessary permission and password from the Web committee and have begun to put together a list of things I want to include on my page. We had a very brief (15 minute) demonstration at the beginning of the year on how to set up a Web page but fortunately another teacher in my department has set one up so I can ask him for help. The next technology related goal I have is to investigate a the math program Geogebra to see if it would be useful in my classes. I don't know any one who has ever used it so I'm on my own. I need to take a more formal, regimented approach to learning about new technologies and set aside time during breaks from school for this purpose.

3 comments:

  1. Brenda,

    Perhaps this is an area where this week's technology resources can help. Social networking in education does not have to involve just projects involving our students with other classrooms. Teachers can use it too to connect with each to discuss ideas and different activities and programs they use. Maybe go back to the list of educational networking sites in the "next step" section under week 5 and set up an account on one of those sites and see if you can find other math teachers to network with regarding technology integration in math classes. You could gain ideas as well as open the door towards future multi-classroom projects such as what was described by Ms. Davis in this week's video resources.

    Laura

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  2. Erin to Brenda,

    I was curious about Geogebra...I looked into it just a bit and it looks neat. I understand your frustration about not having enough time to research all of the resources such as this one that are out there. I wonder if you could have your students evaluate the GeoGebra site and provide feedback to you in the form of a small presentation. If you set up a brief rubric of the things that you would want from this resource, the students could delve into it and compare your needs as a teacher (and their needs as students) with what the site actually offers.

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  3. Laura, thank you for the reminder. Networking can be a great form of professional development. I'll make sure to save that list of sites.
    Erin, who better than my digital native students to evaluate a technology tool. I'm sure they can figure out how to use it faster than I can.

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