This week in my Graduate course “Fundamentals of Technology for Educators” we were to create an example of a project we will be asking our students to create. While I started creating my own example of what I expect my 6th and 7th grade mathematics students to create I came across two problems. The first problem was that I did not provide enough links in my curriculum page from the week before for my students to find the answers to all the questions I provided for them to answer. I will have to go back and add some of the sites that I used to create my example that I saved in my Diigo account. My Diigo account is an online place for me to keep track of the different websites I have visited by bookmarking them by title so that I can revisit the sites at a later time.
The second problem that I came across was that the comments that were connected with some of the amazing and professional YouTube videos were very inappropriate. In the future, I feel that unless I know how to embed these videos into the curriculum page, it is not worth being called into my administrator’s office because parents and students are reporting all the inappropriate comments that Ms. Garver led them to for an assigned project.
After reading chapter seven from our textbook “Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom” by Shelly, Gunter, and Gunter, I realized how important it is to evaluate the different sites that I am providing for my students, so that they are getting the correct information from reliable sources. Although the content on the website is the most important in evaluating the site, I feel it is also important to see who is writing the information on the site and what companies, schools (university or school district), and organizations are affiliated with the site you are evaluating.
I am very excited for you to view my example. The question that comes to mind that I would love your input on is…Do I allow my students to see my example with all the answers to the questions that I provided? I don’t want them to just view my example and get the answers. Isn’t it important for them to do the research on their own?
Resources:
Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., & Gunter, R.E. (2010). Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom Sixth Edition. Boston, MA: Cendage
Well here it is The Golden Ratio Prezi
I really like your Prezi! I think your project is outstanding! Tricia said "Do I allow my students to see my example with all the answers to the questions that I provided? I don’t want them to just view my example and get the answers. Isn’t it important for them to do the research on their own?"
ReplyDeleteI do not think I would show them the answer since your topic is a specific answer (as most math is). I think I might put blanks in the certain places to make them do the research. Especially the gifted kids, they love a good puzzle. You could always have 2 one to show the kids with blanks before and the one you completed above for after just in case they had a hard time with it they would see your answer.
I think this is a wonderful project for gifted kids (as I also am gifted cert.) The students in my class hate when I have to scaffold something for them. They would rather get the main idea and dive right in. Good luck!
I really enjoyed your Prezi. I did however have one suggestion which is definitely personal preference but has to do with the path of your Prezi. I thought that in the part about explaining how the “Golden Ratio” was in Nature, Architecture, ect. to me would have been better to focus on the word, zoom out to the picture, and then zoom one more time for the name of the example, in order to better link it all together. Also I think you could just have one path on the credits. I think moving around the references started to lose the audience. Again this is just personal choice.
ReplyDeleteAs for your curriculum page, I too found Diigo very useful. I know that I will need to use this resource as students will plan to have me scan pictures that they create and pictures from their books. I found it immediately useful once I started getting into this project. The ability for the students to have a page to just go to the sites id perfect and I think will be less confusing to them when they start creating.
I was afraid of the whole YouTube situation, and even some of the pictures that came up on the Google image search. I required each student to have a permission slip signed, that stated of course that they were allowed to participate and two they must have a adult guardian or parent with them the whole time and were not allowed to work on it by themselves. I suggested no to use YouTube but use Teacher Tube since it is in theory supposed to be made by educators for education.
I went over the credible sources as a separate lesson because as you stated it was relevant. I also went over the differences between their own work, plagiarism, and paraphrasing. I think they initially understood it but, as they are fifth graders, but I’m sure I will have to continue to remind them. I would make an example that wouldn’t be able to be an acceptable project. It can be on anything, remember not only the curriculum is our focus but the technology.
Hi Tricia,
ReplyDeleteI really like “The Golden Ratio” presentation you created with Prezi. I think your 6th and 7th grade students will like it as well and it will be a fun and meaningful learning experience for them. That topic is a particularly good choice for students in those two grade levels.
You asked a very good question about whether to allow your students to view your presentation or not. I can understand your dilemma. I believe if you give them enough good examples of well created Prezis, and if you could do a little in-class demonstration(s) how to zoom, move around, add text, upload images, resize images, etc. with some group discussion(s) that could also help the light bulbs go off in their heads. Basically it won’t be until they literally “get their hands” on the program that it will come together. My answer would be not to show them your example just because the answers are specific and their Prezis may end up looking too much like “copies” of yours. You should be able to locate some really good examples of well-made Prezis to share without giving away the answers by showing them yours. Yes, I agree that it is important for them to do the research to locate the answers on their own!
I was wondering about the number of examples you included. Maybe you could add a couple of more for each of your categories (nature, architecture, and art). That is basically the only constructive suggestion I can give you. Great job, and the topic should be very interesting for the age groups you are teaching.
Best of luck with teaching your students about the Golden Ratio and how to create their own Prezis. They will be so excited that it isn’t (yawn…) another PowerPoint assignment.
:-) Ruth
Hello Tricia;
ReplyDeleteIn your post, you mention "I did not provide enough links … for my students to find the answers." This reminds me of my decision "to link, or not to link??" I use Blackboard to manage my courses at Valencia. I began using Wikis. I can link the Wiki tool right “into” the instructions. After a little deliberation, I decided NOT to link. I was concerned students would go straight to the Wiki and not finish reading the instructions. (No, it cannot be true, not read instructions, that never happens in college--does it?)
I have an experience that relates to your question, "Do I allow my students to see my example ... Isn't it important for them do the research on their own?” Last semester, when I was not as technologically capable as I am now (LOL), I created a scavenger hunt. Sometimes my links worked, sometimes they did not.Therefore, I included URL addresses in the document they used to answer the questions. Come to find out... they were not even looking at the power point. I decided to take the URLs out.Finding the balance is a challenge. What works one semester may not work in the next semester. However, isn't it incredible we have the ability to change something with a few clicks of a mouse? Sometimes between classes!
I enjoyed your video very much. I learned math in the 1970s. Geometry is responsible for the death of my mathematical confidence. No one told us geometry was very different than other math courses. We were allowed to believe geometry was difficult because females were not competent in math. I often said "If they would have showed us how math relates to ..." You have done just that! You have shown how math is related to multiple aspects of life.
6th and 7th grade are crucial years in adolescent development. "Make It or Break It" years on many levels: social, academic, extra-curricular activities, fast crowd/slow crowd, etc. You have come up with a great idea to help them make connections between subjects. Therefore, they may have a little more respect or interest in learning their "less favorite" subjects, (whatever they may be), if they can see the relevance.
Middle school is also, an extremely complicated time in their life. As you know, probably better than I do these tweens can be selfish, need instant gratification, and have short attention spans. If you haven't considered this already, you might want to relate the assignment to their everyday interests. For example, you could send them on a mission to discover current examples of the Golden Ratio.
I'm so glad to see great and interesting math teachers for today's students.
Techknow RhondO
I love how you indicated where you got the photo by including stylized text over the image. Mind if I steal this idea?
ReplyDeleteGreat Prezi, by the way. In terms of content, you really covered the whole history of the golden ratio. I'm not sure if it really fits in your lesson objective, but I have to admit that I am curious: how does the Parthenon and the Mona Lisa exhibit the Golden Ratio? I'm not a math person, but I would love to see that included in your presentation.
You asked, "Do I allow my students to see my example with all the answers to the questions that I provided?"
In my opinion, no. This may be more work for you, but is there a way to create a similar presentation about a different topic to show the students what you expect? I'm coming at this from the English perspective, but when I had my students do a project on a novel, I did the project myself as an example using a book I was fairly sure they had read. The students were then forbidden to do the project on that book. They had an example, but they had to do the thinking on the project themselves.
Have you thought about coming up with several math terms for them to investigate? That way, every student wouldn't be researching the same topic. You could even have them work in groups. They could present the information to the class so everyone would learn!
Those are my two cents in any case.
Thanks for showcasing your talent in Prezi-making!
Kelley