Blackboard Notes

Tis the season to be resourceful!  has become my motto for this month. As I continue to do work with Online Teaching Associates,    Sophia , and SOCRATES online , I'm amazed by the progress and quickness of change that happens within each of those environments.  It also seems that the quicker the change, the more time I need to respond, train, and be able to adapt. As I reflect on that, I wonder how students are adapting to the tools that can be used to help them; it also makes me wonder "Are we training them with the right content to respond to the needs of the 21st Century?"  In many schools, I still see a production-like template of the class.  A creative teacher will create a creative lesson...sounds redundant but true.  If you've been following Will Richardson 's blog (and tweets ) then you'll get the same impression that we're tacking on, not really innovating.  Students who strive will continue to strive in life; students who cheat will continue

Wow, one can definitely get overloaded with the stuff that's out there.  If you are a beginner blogger, for example, I would follow Will Richardson 's blog on how to read and write blogs.  If you are big into education and want to keep on top some of what other's in tech ed are doing, check blogs out like Sue Waters (and now Ronnie Burt) Edublogger.   If you want free stuff to use in the classroom (or for students in general), goto Richard Byrne's Free Technology for Teachers . Now like Richard comes clean with disclaimers, as should I.  Lately I've been working with a group called SOCRATES (South Central Regional Area Telecommunications System, whew!), providing educational consulting in Mathematics.  Also lately, I'm doing some work with Sophia.org as a Math Reviewer.  I'm not being paid to write the following.  So with that said, I have some stuff to "say about that." This blog is about communicating math, right?  So equally important is comm

Before I start, let me really, really, (did I say really?) encourage you to go to this article A New Age for Algebra , by Lindsay Oishi.  Sure it's got some of the same stuff that you have heard already, but it really hits home how much we NEED to support our educators, and not reduce them to budget cut decisions, or "not right fits" because of personality or pedagogical differences. In the monthly newsletter, Summing Up , NCTM President J. Michael Shaughnessy addresses in his editorial, Let's not Forget Geometry! , that Geometry is just as important as Algebra, but tends to get shoved to the side.  Though not necessarily in favor of a CORE+ style delivery of mathematics, I do think that the Integrated Mathematics approach helps balance this load. I have to say I agree with the comments Shaughnessy makes. Even as an Algebra teacher, I was not hog wild about math until I took Geometry.  That cued me into my other areas of learning, as I am very much a visual (and t

I know what your thinking . . . and you're right (borrowed that from Thomas Magnum, for you eighties fans).  When ever someone starts off with those three words, it's about whatever the Writer feels is the coolest thing, sometimes not the audience. But recently I just test drove a new web based app called Knovio .  It works similar to some of the more expensive apps like Echo 360 (minus a window).  The power of this app comes from the ability to video record the presenter while slides are being presented.  It's assuming you have a power point file to upload, so make sure all your slides are in a .ppt file or maybe save your Google present as one (I never tried that functionality yet). Here's how I did it:  I used a template of slides from PresenterMedia (comes with Office 2010).  I put in my info on the slides with a picture I took of a library door.  Then I set up a script board using topics I wanted to talk about for each slide, basically using a piece of cardb

I've taken a break from my normal "webbing" activities to get a focus on what I want to do next.  It seems that my skills don't match up with the archaic designs of our current school system structure (plus my turnover doesn't help either).  It seems like the schools NEED someone like me to get their own districts up to the current 21st century, but there's both overhead and infrastructure barriers that prevent them from doing this. Many animal activists groups call it "inhumane" if we were to let a dying dog live in suffering if no remedy can elongate its life.  Yet in our current society, the powers that be are quite willing to let the suffering of the current system go on.  My personal opinion on that rests with those that have a "gravy train" of funds or income which would disappear when the system gets a reboot, and trying to ride that train for as long as it will run.  My other reasons I'll leave for you to guess because it'

I've realized I provided a gaping hole in the post line from last month.  It is because I have been working furiously on my APP for my Ed Tech degree.  I'm told I need to have four (not 4) chapters and keep revising them until they're sound, proper, formal academic writing. As a math teacher, this is an incredibly daunting task.  I remember getting a C+ on a paper for mouse trap specs when I took a technical writing class in engineering school.  Yes, I realize the importance of objectivity, logical flow, and proper citation (and diagramming if you're in engineering), but to me this isn't something that a 13-18 year old would spend 5 seconds (yes 5, not five) on.  To look beyond this though are the teachers who would understand my formal writing, reconfigure it and incorporate it into their own pedagogy and classroom routines. So no weblinks today, or words of wisdom, but you may have to step out of your comfort zone (more than once) in order to help build a bett

I decided to go with a "homemade" look to my final project, because I wanted the focus to be about making the connection, not the technology, although technology has ALOT to do with making the online learning environment.  It's interesting because I feel life is 2% what happens to me and 98% how I react to it (@Bill Britt, if I didn't learn anything else, that was The GOLD nugget to take with me). Therefore I submit to you my final project for my master's class, Enhancing the Online Learning Environment.  I've rattled my brain (ouch) the best way to put this presentation together.  I envisioned making Paramount Pictures quality movie, and it could be streamed to be watched.  Then reality set it in, and I realize that there are people who could benefit, could see the humanness of the effort, the "aw, I could do better than that" people, and decided if anything else, to follow my motto:  If you could build it once, you could do it again.  Sadly that

For those of you following my blog, I found something that I'm really happy with in terms of a learning management system (LMS).  It's HaikuLMS, found at http://haikulearning.com/ . A colleague recommended it to me some time ago, but I shoved it away in my bookmarks and procrastinated about accessing...I am sure glad I did.  Currently I'm developing an online learning environment class devoted just to intermediate algebra.  It's not published for public viewing yet, but you can get a sneak peek by going here .  I totally love the controls, very easy to see (once you've acclimated to the system), and I think tops Desire2Learn as far as interface goes. I've not explored largely the whole system, still playing with assignments, scheduling, and what not, but I hope to incorporate an active rubric that I can just click on the squares as buttons to give a total for a grade.  To my understanding, "Home" is relative as it largely depends what you put your ti

As you may be aware of my recent developments, I've been working earnestly in my business and in my education classes, as well as slowly developing my wiki .  What I am to do for my technology class, "Enhancing Online Environments" this week, is to make a special post here about Chapter 4 of Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, 3rd edition. I'm already sold on the concept, however I failed at promoting it to my students last year in my Intermediate Algebra class.  The only way I could sell it to them was make it extra credit, or specifically make a pass/fail assignment to add wiki content. I agree with Richardson that the shift of what's credible is already happening.  If you would like to follow him on twitter, he's an avid poster, which requires some time to sift all his comments!  His username is willrich45, so if you have an account on Twitter , be sure to add him!  His website is also fantasti

I've neglected my post (literally and figuratively) by forgetting to put in my thoughts for this month.  After all, I've started Spring semester for my Ed. Tech degree, carting 4 kids around with a near full time job (which will be changing, because I'm still yearning to fill my schedule with tutoring coast to coast).  With that, my laptop acquires a virus impossible to eliminate with AntiVirus Software (don't worry Microsoft and Norton I won't tell anyone, hehe), and I haven't gotten the books I needed yet (but now do as of this writing).   My wonderful professor, Dr. G, has this policy about technology awareness...you have no excuses for not submitting your homework, even if Desire2Learn chews up your post and spits it back out as a non-published draft. The point here I make, one which Will Richardson, Scott Mcleod, et al. bring up, is that we live in a digital world (at least surrounded by one).  Therefore, we need to develop habits of backing up, saving, f