First Podcast

This is my first podcast.

This podcast is on a questionnaire that I gave to a few of my high school Algebra students regarding technology that they use inside and outside of school.  I found that my students are very technology efficient but a lot of their homework is still pencil and paper applications.  They very rarely need to use any technology for school work outside of school.  

Resources

Richardson, W. (2010).  Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

21st Century Skills

Technology has become so advanced and is constantly changing that as educators we have to learn as much as we can in order to help benefit our students to the fullest.  The workplace depends a lot on technology and the way classrooms are set up now is not based on that.  Technology is slowly advancing into the classroom but not only should the teachers change the way information is presented, the students also need to be able to practice and learn this new technology in a way that will help build their skills, like their 21^st century skills.

 Incorporating 21^st century skills into our classrooms are extremely important and as educators we will have to start doing this sooner than later.  I found the website on Partnership for the 21^st century very informational.  These skills that they consider 21^st century skills are what our students need to become successful in not only school, but the workplace as well.  I definitely agree with the six skills that they believe our students need, core subjects, 21^st century content, learning and thinking skills, ICT literacy, life skills, and 21^st century assessments. (Partnership, 2012)

 One thing that surprised me when exploring this website was to see that Michigan has yet to jump on board with this yet.  I guess I just assumed that they would be a part of this partnership because education is such a high priority of our state, not that it is not in other states as well.  Our district is already implying that we need to incorporate more technology and build our students critical thinking skills by doing more of a project based math than the normal math classes which ties in with what this website is all about. 

 Along the lines of project based math, I did find information on a 21^st century math map that has just been created.  In this brochure it shows several lesson plans for projects targeted toward 4^th grade, 8^th grade, and 12^th grade.  Even though I do not teach any of those grades, I know that I can still incorporate some of these ideas into my grade levels.  I would love to be able to work with my colleagues on this and try to incorporate more.  A lot of these projects I can see my students getting excited over and would interest them, not only because it is not just pencil, paper work but because they are able to actually use the skills that they are taught in real life situations and use technology in order to do so.  I am very excited to try and start doing this because I know how much more my students will benefit from it in the long run especially when these are skills that they need to be successful.  I did not find anything that I disagree with on this site. 

 The way we teach our students in school is slowing changing and the needs of our students are also changing.  In order to compete with other nations, our use of technology in the classroom has to increase, especially when so much of the world around us is based off technology.  These 21^st century skills are definitely a start and I will begin incorporating these skills into my classroom for the benefit of both myself and my students.

References

Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  Retrieved May 13, 2012, from  http://www.p21.org/

Using a blog in my classroom

Currently I teach 9^th grade Pre-Algebra and Algebra along with 10^th grade Honors Geometry.  Having a blog for my classroom is such a great idea the more I am learning about them. 

 I have begun thinking of different ways I can start incorporating them into my classroom.  Initially, I thought I could start by posting daily assignments, that way if a student is absent, they will know the assignment before they return to class.  I can also post different websites that will allow the students more math practice if they need it or even post different worksheets for extra practice.  I could use it for posting announcements or upcoming tests and quizzes, which would cut down on me having to send out weekly emails to parents stating all of this.

 However, I do not want just a blog where I do all the posting; I want the students to become involved as well.  I think having the students be able to communicate with myself and each other is a great learning experience.  With this in mind, I thought about requiring the students to respond to different blog postings I would post that way they are able to interact with myself and each other online.  Or even having them write their own blog after each chapter stating different things that they learned, what they liked best, or suggestions on things that I should change or that would make it more interesting, that way I am also learning from them as well.  This is a great way for me to enhance my lessons each year by implementing their recommendations and once again allows for new things in the classroom.  Allowing the students this interaction allows students to have their own voice and increases room for creativity within each student.    

 I look forward to implementing some of these changes in my classroom next school year.

References

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Integrating Technology into the Classroom

I am looking forward to learning about new technologies that will allow me to do different things with my students in the classroom.