MathsNet and NRich Maths 3D shape resource heaven MathsNet have a wonderful collection of 3D shape resources at this webpage. There are a variety of interactive applets that cover 3D shape topics including nets and 2D views of 3D shapes. My particular favourite is ‘Building Houses 2′ where pupils have to build the 3D shape by using the 2D views given. They score maximum points by using the minimum number of blocks possible. By clicking and dragging on the 3D view pupils can spin their construction around in real time to help them with the task. Building Houses 2 Interactive Applet NRich Maths have a superb and challenging activity based on 2D views of 3D shapes called The Perforated Cube. UPDATE: MathsNet seems to be history, but the same links are available from this site:
Students Learning From Their Blogging Buddies Posted by Mrs Kathleen Morris on Tuesday, March 27th 2012 I seem to be continually uncovering more and more benefits to educational blogging. Aside from the advantages that I’ve shared here and here, having your class involved in the educational blogging community allows students to learn from and with their peers from all around the world. In my class we often use our blogging buddies’ posts as inspiration for classroom activities, and as role models for high standards of work. One such example was the readers’ theatre activities that we were doing last week as part of our CAFE reading program. Throughout the week, we read a range of readers’ theatre scripts and used the posts on Mr Salsich’s Classroom Blog and 4T’s Classroom Blog as inspiring models. We published one of our own performances on our class blog here which hopefully continues the cycle of sharing. There have been many other instances when my students have learnt from their blogging buddies.
How Do We Know When Students Are Engaged? (Updated 11/2013) Educational author and former teacher, Dr. Michael Schmoker shares in his book, Results Now, a study that found of 1,500 classrooms visited, 85 percent of them had engaged less than 50 percent of the students. So, how do they know if a student is engaged? Teacher-Directed Learning You will see students... Paying attention (alert, tracking with their eyes) Taking notes (particularly Cornell) Listening (as opposed to chatting, or sleeping) Asking questions (content related, or in a game, like 21 questions or I-Spy) Responding to questions (whole group, small group, four corners, Socratic Seminar) Following requests (participating, Total Physical Response (TPR), storytelling, Simon Says) Reacting (laughing, crying, shouting, etc.) Student-Directed Learning You see students individually or in small groups... Activity and Ownership I believe that the majority of teachers pick up on the audience cues as they direct-teach and can tell if a student is not interested or not engaged.
1:1 implementation This week I will have the opportunity to work with a school that has implemented a pilot 1:1 program while simultaneously focusing on implementing inquiry based instruction. Last year I had the opportunity to work with a group of their teachers as they planned to make this change to their learning environment. According to early reports, things have gone successfully thus far. Their implementation was different than the ways that many schools implement 1:1, but it is a model others should consider.
Search, Collect, and Share | SMILE Professional Development for Teachers with PEBC Professional Learning Online Maths Activities Posted by Mrs Kathleen Morris on Friday, August 31st 2012 We had a numeracy curriculum day at my school today and I was asked to present a workshop on online maths sites. The audience was diverse with teachers from all grade levels as well as CRTs (casual replacement teachers) and student teachers. I began by giving a few tips for using online maths sites. 1. Think of the learning intention first. 2. 3. 4. 5. I shared one or two examples of maths resources that could be used for all four areas of our maths lesson structure. 1. A + Click: This site has quick activities for all age groups to develop logical reasoning and creative thinking. 2. Virtual Manipulatives: A simple alternative to using the maths tools on the IWB software which I know many teachers find frustrating. 3. Sqworl: A great visual way to put together a collection of maths activities for students to use on their computers. 4. Participants were given time to play and find resources that would be useful in their classroom.
Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa A Must-Have Model For 1:1 Success In Schools Easier as it would be to pretend otherwise, the truth is that integrating mobile technology into a school is not a ‘one size fits all’ sort of thing. That said, there are some basic principles which I think probably stand true for all schools going on this journey. This graphic illustrates the model which I think any school would benefit from understanding if not following. Why? To explain it briefly I believe that there needs to be a vision for WHY you are embarking upon this project (I will discuss this briefly later). This WHY will be different for each school and that is how it should be. Necessary Collaboration The Principal and the Lead Teacher need to share this vision. I have deliberately labeled a ‘Lead Teacher’ and not ‘Head of ICT’ and to me it is absolutely essential that the Network Manager and the Lead Teacher are different people as the roles are ridiculously different. Training The next step is to train up a core set of teachers who will fly the flag for you.
12 Ways To Integrate (Not Just Use) Technology In Education There are a couple dozen ways to ‘use’ technology in education. There are also a couple dozen ways to integrate technology in education. Think those two things are the same? Think that throwing a few iPads and a few Edudemic blog posts into a classroom is the best way to launch a 1:1 initiative? In case you couldn’t guess, it’s not. Situation 1 You’re a school principal and decide to make the Apple iPad a cornerstone of your school’s curriculum. Situation 2 You’re a school principal and decide to make the Apple iPad a cornerstone of your students’ learning. Weigh In Which principal would you want?
4 Stages: The Integration Of Technology In Learning The 4 Stages Of The Integration Of Technology In Learning by Terry Heick For professional development around this idea or others you read about on TeachThought, contact us. Technology can be used in the learning process in a variety of ways. Some are supplementary, serving the original design of the classroom and usually automate some previously by-human task or process–grading multiple choice assessments, searching for a source of information, or sharing messages and other data across large groups. But fully integrated and embedded in the learning process, technology can be transformative–and disruptive. Scaffolding the learning of anything unfamiliar–somehow–is a way of supporting the learner and setting them up for long-term independent success. Should elementary school be stage 1, middle school stage 2, and so on? Should all learners begin a school year at stage 1 and move as far as they can towards stage 4? Can a planned learning experience be evaluated using this framework in mind?
Dissecting a K-12 Technology Vision My committee has finalized a vision for our school district’s technology plan. This was an effort of about 15 people representing district staff, members of our Board of Education, teachers, students, parents, and a token technology industry analyst. I’d love feedback and comments. Let me also share some of the thinking behind the vision (some of the background pre-discussion is here). Our school district recognizes that technology is vital to prepare students for lifelong learning and workforce readiness. We fundamentally changed our view of technology compared to the previous technology plan vision. There were five specific elements to this vision: Integrating Technology and Curriculum: Integrate curriculum and technology to inspire a collaborative learning community that can effectively find, evaluate, use, and create content. We put a lot in one bullet – this bullet encompasses the 21st century skills that we identified: We also purposefully used the term “learning community”.
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