Thing #23 Final Reflection on the 23 Things

I am very glad to have participated in and completed the Clovis 23 things . I learned about the vast array of Web 2.0 tools and resources that are available. While it is not practical to attempt to incorporate all of these into my personal life and classroom, I have found several of these tools to be quite beneficial personally and professionally. Personally, here are the tools I am now using or planning on using in the near future:

1) Diigo is my favorite tool that I learned about thanks to the 23 things. The first aspect of Diigo that I like is being able to store and access my bookmarks from any computer using any browser. I can also choose which of these bookmarks to share with others and organize them using tags and lists. What sets Diigo apart from other social bookmarking sites is the ability to highlight text on any website and add sticky notes to any website that can be seen when revisiting these websites. I am almost done transferring all my bookmarks to Diigo. The only problems I have encountered using Diigo so far is that their server is occassionally down for brief periods and their Facebook app doesn't work yet. I also upgraded to an educator account for free, which allows me to create student Diigo accounts for my classes so that useful and relevant bookmarks can be shared among students in the same class.

2) Google Docs provides the free online equivalents of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. While it also allows for the sharing and collaboration of these types of files, I plan to use it primarily in order to access files that I frequently access and edit. For example, I currently have a Word file where I keep my favorite quotes and an Excel file where I keep a list of books that I would like to read. Previously, I just kept these files on my home computer and only accessed and edited them from there. With Google Docs, I can access and edit them from any computer.

3) Google Reader allows me to efficiently read online articles on topics that interest me by organizing all my favorite RSS feeds in one place. I like how it allows me to place a star on articles that I particularly like and want to easily find again. I also like how it keeps track of which articles I have read and which I have yet to read. While I consider this primarily a personal tool, it also allows me to keep up-to-date on the latest developments in education and technology which help me develop professionally.

Professionally, here are the tools I am now using or planning on using in the near future:

1) Weebly offers the best way to create a free website that I have seen thus far. I am in the process of changing my classroom website to Weebly from Google Page Creator. The layouts of Weebly look more professional and like Page Creator, it also allows for the use of html code. Weebly also offers a great deal of free storage for files and allows for the creation of blogs as well.

2) The blog for the 23 things is the first one I have ever written. It opened my eyes to possibility of using a blog to assist in my teaching. I used Blogger to create my blog for the 23 things and I found it very easy to use and customize. I also like that you can use Blogger with your Gmail account without having to create another username and password. This upcoming school year I am planning on creating two blogs, one for each of the classes I teach. Each school day I plan on posting on my blog the topic(s) we covered in class along with providing links to the following: my graphic organizer notes, the video of the notes created with my new Livescribe pen, other classroom handouts, real world applications, and supplemental resources. I hope that in conjunction with my website, these blogs will help my students more easily catch up when they are absent, gain a better appreciation for how the mathematical content they are learning is useful in the world, and further assist students who are struggling with understanding the material. I am still undecided on whether to use Blogger or Weebly to create these blogs.

3) I found some good online resources with relevant mathematical content using Curriki and Thinkfinity and I plan to continue monitoring these sites to for more content and ideas that can benefit my students. I really like the format and idea of Curriki and how it allows teachers to pool their resources and ideas.

It has been exciting to see how these Web 2.0 tools and resources can positively impact student learning. I plan to continue to stay informed of the latest developments primarily through the Classroom 2.0 Ning and the Free Technology for Teachers blog . Hopefully, by incorporating these technologies and the ones to come in a well-thought-out manner, I can continue to improve as a teacher and help my students to reach their potential.

Thing #22 Copyright and Creative Commons

With so much free information available online, it is important that copyright law be respected by teachers and students alike. This Disney video is an entertaining and informative discussion of what could be a dry topic. I think it could be used with students to spark a discussion on why copyright law exists. Here is another informative article titled 10 Big Myths about copyright . This would also be a useful article to share with students to clear up confusion about copyrights. For teachers, this website, Copyright Laws for Teachers, is very comprehensive in answering questions related to materials and educational use. Here's a blog that discusses Creative Commons, a way for creators of materials to choose to share it with others. In teaching about copyright law or other ethical issues, it is important to provide accurate materials to give students background information. As a teacher it is also important to be prepared to ask and answer difficult questions. Students should be encouraged to develop opinions that have solid reasoning behind them and to address the weaker points of their position as well.

Thing #21 Online Games

Searching for online games was definitely one of the most enjoyable things of the 23 things. There are lots of online math games to choose from. However, the majority of math games are geared toward elementary or middle school level mathematics. Some games are very entertaining but not that beneficial while other games are very beneficial but not that entertaining. My goal was to find the games that are both entertaining and beneficial. Here are the top three that I found:

1) Solving Systems of Equations Battleship is a game on Quia that requires students to solve a systems of linear equations for each time they hit one of their opponent's ships. It also includes problems that have no solution and those that have an infinite number of solutions.

2) Algebra vs. the Cockroaches is a high quality game that asks students to write the correct equation for the line that the cockroaches are crawling along in order to eliminate them. It gives students good practice with writing the slope-intercept form of linear equations.

3) X Detectives has a series of games of varying levels of difficulty that help students practice and understand solving systems of equations, graphical transformations, working with positive and negative numbers, and graphing linear equations.

Thing #20 Digital Storytelling

I have always loved listening to or reading a good story so the idea of digital storytelling sparked my interest. However, I did have a difficult time tracking down digital stories that applied to teaching high school level mathematics. Here are the best five that I found:

1) This digital story gives a brief history of the Pythagorean Theorem along with some practical applications of it. It could easily be incorporated into a lesson about the Pythagorean Theorem.

2) This digital story shows how specific equations of parabolas have been used to build numerous arches in architecture. It is fantastic for showing students how useful parabolas are in the real world.

3) This digital story titled A Day Without Math is a clever and powerful story about what the world would be like without math. It provides a great way to show students how many of the things that they take for granted would not have been possible without mathematics; it's very helpful in showing why math is so important to everyone.

4) This digital story is more interactive. It shows students how to write linear equations using the graph. Students can choose from three animated characters to give further explanation and hints. This is a good tutorial for students who are having a difficult time writing linear equations using the graph.

5) This digital story provides some good applied probability problems for students to solve along with two animated characters that students can choose to give them additional assistance. This story could be used as assessment or practice assignment for students who have just completed a unit on probability.

Thing #19 Video and Audio Tools

This is the first time I've tried to make a video using an online video tool. I was trying to decide on whether to use Animoto or Big Huge Labs Slideshow . In the end, I chose Animoto since it allows you to upload photos not just use photos that have a hyperlink. I created a video slideshow of my son. You can view it at this link. Animoto worked well but I still prefer using the non-online software Windows Movie Maker which I learned to use earlier this summer at Tech Bootcamp . Movie Maker easily allows you to incorporate audio, video, and images in a very adaptable and user-friendly interface.

Thing #18 Podcasts

I've been listening to Podcasts through iTunes for a few years now. The ones I like the best are A New Beginning with Greg Laurie and Just Thinking with Ravi Zacharias. This is the first time I've searched for podcasts related to mathematics. After listening to several math-related podcasts, my favorite by far is Dan's Math Cast. The author, Daniel Bach, started this podcast in November of 2005 as a way to share his love of mathematics and help others to understand and appreciate mathematics. His podcasts contain a variety of components including reviewing topics in algebra and trigonometry, answering listeners' email questions, debunking mathematical myths, presenting challenging mathematical topics, and demonstrating how math applies in the real world. I plan to continue to listen to Dan's Math Cast and share it with my students who may be interested. Since many students in Generation Y love listening to their iPods or other mp3 players, perhaps they would be open to listening to educational and engaging podcasts such as this. I could have my students listening to this podcast and share what they found to be the most interesting, helpful, surprising, etc. With the vast number of Web 2.0 tools available to integrate into the classroom, I don't think creating my own podcast is a top priority.

Thing #17 Online Videos

I am very familiar with both YouTube and TeacherTube. There are numerous instructional videos related to math on both of these sites. Some are entertaining; some are humorous; some offer quality instruction; and some aren't so great. These are great supplemental resources to provide to students during class or on a classroom website or blog to allow viewing outside of class. Here, I've embedded a video from YouTube that is a very creative song parody that discusses some of the uses of derivatives in an amusing and perhaps a bit dorky manner.