Chapter 4 review

This is a verbal review that I would do with my students.  Chapter 4 is about reflections and how they are used in geometry, and how they are used in the real world (not a mirror).  I have tried 3 times to get Audioboo to save my recording and all three have failed.  I even tried the non flash set-up, what ever that is.  i will be posting the the no problems just answers part of BB.

how to do Ken KEN puzzles

This is a video that I put together about how to solve a KEN KEN puzzle.  They are a lot of fun, and I would encourage everyone to try them.
http://screencast.com/t/yQbQBEM8

Class introduction

I have recorded an introduction onto my computer and am trying to upload it to Youtube.  I would have though this would have been a faster process, but even after waiting 15+ minutes, it says that it will take another 30+ minutes. :(  The next time that I do this, I will try the direct recording to Youtube.   So here is the video.

Social Sites

1. What was the target audience for this social networking site?

      This site targeted people of all ages.  It was intended to increase the rate at which people could expand their network of friends compared to f2f

2. How long was the site in existence?

      This site is still in existence, but is falling fast in the states.  It has gone from #40 to #800 in about a year’s time; although it does continue to grow in Asia

3. Why was it popular? What was its demise?

      It was popular because of it’s ability to see friends and friends of friends. I think that is has not kept up with current designs, or has left the current U.S. market for the Asian market

4. Is/was there another competitor in the same market that was more popular?

      There was and is Facebook, Myspace, and others that Friendster is competing aginst

5. Would you ever consider creating an account and using it?  Explain your reason using a personal experience as an example.

I would not create an account using this site for two reasons.  One, I don’t like social media sits and try very hard to avoid them. Two, all of my students use Facebook, so for this class, and to keep in touch with my students, I have created a Facebook account.

You don't really know which social networking sites you create will take off or succeed.

I chose the first point, about creating social networking sites.  The main idea about this point is, that you never know what kind of social networking site will work. The two supporting ideas are: there is no real investment into the start up, and you can make something that you like and not what you think the public likes.  While the main idea of this point is a good one, I think that the two supporting ideas are what need to be considered.  When we have the freedom to try anything we want with out having to invest anything more than some time and effort; then we are free to be as creative and open as we want.  This leads me to the second part, when you are able to make things that you feel passionate about, it can lead to designers creating greater pieces of work, what ever it is. 

Wikis in the classroom

I think overall, that my wiki speaks for it self.  As far as the types of pages, I have a home page to welcome people and to give any updates, there is a page dedicated to math videos for students to watch, and there is a page for the power points that I have made for my students to take notes from. Since I teach at a boarding school, I would invite the parents of my students to come to my wiki so that they can see what the students are learning when test are, and have a chance to add anything of their own to the site, as I have found that parents can be a good source of random information.  This also gives the students a place to put things that they feel is good for the class and other classes that I will teach.   

Do you learn with online learng??

In the article entitled “Online learning isn’t learning online,” I agree with every opinion of the blogger.  All of the online classes that I have completed were either pre-made so that the instructor didn’t (seemingly) have to do much of anything (self grading multiple-choice tests, discussion boards that meant little to the class, ect.).  Or the teacher didn’t care enough to correct thing that needed to be corrected when the problem was raised.  When I completed my degree from a college back east, they nicked and dimmed me for every little thing; that I felt more like I was buying my degree than I was earning one. 

            As far as the student’s comments about liking their online classes, I think most of them see it as a way for them to TRY to have the best of both worlds. I mean that, the student can please mommy and daddy by “going to college,” but then they get what they want in the sense they have all of the free time that they want. That is until they have fallen too far behind in the class and they are trying to make get enough point from the few remaining to pass; or the end of the semester comes in an online class that didn’t have deadlines, and they think that they can do 4 months of work in a week or less.  Then when grades come out they have to try to explain mom and dad where their money went, way they have such a great tan when they spent all their time in the library. 

            I think it is clear where I stand with online classes.  I take them because I have to at times, but I would much prefer to have a good in person teacher standing in front of me using technology and imparting knowledge unto me than sitting in front of my computer screen, were I play game and listen to music most of the time, trying to complete an assignment.

            This is in now way meant to reflect my feelings about this class. If you promise not to tell I am really starting to like this one; might have something to do with the fact that I can see the need for. Maybe??

My first philosophy of teaching

    Being a first year teacher, and having no formal training to be a teacher, I have had to lean all that I know through trial and error.  Some of the best advice that I have received was, “don’t only know what kind of teacher you want to be, but also know what kind of teacher you don’t want to be.” This is good because, as a math teacher, I have had many math teachers, some great, others not.  From this wide range of teaching, from a student’s perspective, I know what a teacher  has done to help me be successful, and what has not worked. 
    Encouragement, motivation, and left to struggle the right amount is what I have found to help me best. Using the same strategies, I hope to be able to provide my students with the same support that my best teachers showed me.  By encouraging my students to do the best that they can, the student should be more willing to take chances that otherwise they may not be willing to take.  I motivate my students by ensuring that they   receive credit for what they do correctly and identify the point where the mistake was made.  Above all I will purposely leave my students to solve problems above the level that I teach to, in order for them to gain a sense of pride and mastery over the concept that I am teaching them in that lesson.  These three concepts plus the use of humor, technology, and some entertainment allows me to present information to my students, most of whom have major mental blocks against school in general, and math specifically.
    I’m not sure if this is a “REAL” philosophy of teaching, but this is what i think about it thus far.  I have read that this document is a work in progress through out the career of a teacher, and I am sure that this summery will change drastically and often as I continue my own teaching career. I look forward to being able to look back on this and seeing how my outlook has changed from time to time.

My test blog post

Look at me, this is my first blog post EVER