Final lesson this semester

I taught my final lesson of the semester today. It was over box-and-whisker plots, so not the most exciting stuff. BUT, I think the kids actually enjoyed it! :) I had a cool anticipatory set planned where the students created a human box-and-whisker plot, and I was nervous that it would be a little chaotic.  It went over much better than I thought it would! The students were very engaged and seemed to understand the concept.  This lead to a fairly smooth class period.  Ya, I didn't get through everything I wanted to, but that's part teaching. You have to be able to adapt and move to plan B if necessary.  We'll pick it up again tomorrow, so I hope my students are as ready and eager as I am.

What does it feel like learning about computer materials on the web?

Learning about computer/internet based concepts on the web is convenient, but it can also be quite frustrating. When no one is there in person to answer your questions and point out important things you otherwise might miss, it seems like you're not really getting the full experience. I like investigating new things to a certain extent, but I also enjoy the company of other people. So, I personally prefer for someone to teach me about something new (especially technology) in person because I just seem to understand it better that way. I do like the convenience of learning on the internet, though.

Blog List

Blog lists are a good way to keep resources organized. We as teachers will not have a whole lot of free time to go searching for our favorite blogs or blogs we use in the classroom every time we want/need to read them. With a blog list, you need look no further than your own blog to find your favorites. Yay convenience! :D

Ohh iMovie...

My partner and I have thought quite a bit about what we will be doing for this project, and I think we have our main idea and even film ideas nailed down. All we have left to do is to start filming and editing. I think we are well on our way with this project, and I'm excited to see how it comes out.

iMovie in the classroom

iMovie is a great way to allow students to get creative in any subject.  A number of individual projects, as well as group projects, could be developed using iMovie.  I think it would also be a cool way to document the change in my classroom throughout the semester/year. Students can have a lot of fun with iMovie, and so can I!

The importance of video

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If one static picture can say so much...imagine what a moving picture with sound can do.  That is what I think of when I think of the importance of video.  Video allows the eyes and ears to work together to form a story in the viewer's mind.  Video makes it possible for someone to become engulfed in a new world and attached emotionally to a character within seconds.  This can be done with books too, and while it is true that reading stimulates your mind, I believe that videos not only stimulate your mind, but your world.

Pixlr

Pixlr is a very fun website. I would probably use it in my classroom as a reward or something students could do if they finished their homework or a test. Something like that. Otherwise, I don't really know how it would be used in a high school math classroom. I can definitely use it to make cool posters and graphics for my classroom at least!