Ipod Touch Reflection

After reflecting on my experience with my Ipod touch in the classroom, I have mixed feelings.  I really liked the opportunity to explore and test out new and fun ways to integrate the Ipod Touch in the classroom, but I found this harder than anticipated.  In a previous post, I had mentioned that I felt unsure how to utilize the Touch in older graders verses younger grades.  This opinion might be skewed though because of my experience with my own younger child and all the uses I have found for him. As a result, I have thought a lot about this, and realized that it might have been easier if I was told exactly how to use the Touch. I generally like the freedom to explore and find solutions without directions, but in this case I feel that I was unable to fully take advantage of this technology because I did not know how to integrate it into my 5^th grade classroom.  As a university class, we discussed some of the issues that arose for us, and someone brought the idea of using the Touch with only one student and not the other 25.  Our professor made the good point that many classrooms don’t always have class sets of each resource such as dictionaries; therefore, the argument of using this technology when not every student had access at the same time needs to be disregarded.   Overall, I still feel that I would have benefited from more instruction of best practices and uses for this amazing and potentially helpful form of technology.   

Reflection

             After reading through all my blog posts from the last quarter in addition to my own reflection over the last few months, I believe that I have gained a lot of useful ideas when working with children in mathematics.  I understand that as a class it would be impossible for us to cover the curriculum that is taught in the intermediate and middle school levels, therefore I appreciated the conversations that we have had in regards to dealing with teaching a diverse group of students.  What I have also come to internalize is that manipulatives MUST be used in the classroom.  Students need a concrete understanding of why a concept works, then students can move into the abstract; manipulatives offer students the concrete.

                This quarter I have also reflected on teaching by not merely telling students the answer or showing them short-cuts; real learning occurs when students are able to explain and make sense of their own ideas.  One of my favorite quotes from our readings this quarter stated; “my definition of a good teacher has changed from ‘one who explains things so well that students understand’ to ‘one whom gets students to explain things so well that they can be understood” (“Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say”).  I have interpreted this to mean that students need the opportunity to explore and discover the answers themselves allowing them to actively think and become engaged; therefore students are able to help each other and share their thinking.      

                The last big idea that I have reflected on this quarter is the use of technology in the classroom; technology can offer curriculum a fun and interactive way for students to learn. By engaging students into the world of  computers, students experience math virtually which then allows them the potential to enjoy exploring and playing with different concepts while they discover and make connections to their learning. 

              

               

Math Blog Feb. 28

In class tonight we were introduced to the online tool, Tinker Plots.  This tool allows students the ability to manipulate data on a graph and allows the user the ability to explore all the different attributes on a graph and how they can change when one variable is manipulated.  I love the idea of children making connections through their own exploration.  I know that as a student of math, I solve problems and understand equations at a pace different than many other people; in addition I enjoy learning on my own terms.  What I have learned from this is that by offering my students the tools that they need to explore a problem; chances are they are going to learn.  I have realized that math isn’t just standing in front the classroom telling students different concepts; it’s about group work, collaboration, exploration, and connecting to the real world.  I have also learned that teaching in this style is not easy and it takes a lot of planning and creative thinking on the teachers end, but I know as a student myself, this style of learning is much more fun and relatable to real life. 

The implications for this style of teaching in the classroom is huge.  Aside from student’s engagement through fun interactive means, I think that students will remember these concepts better.  One of my biggest struggles as a new teacher, is that I have never taught before, and aside from what I have been taught recently, my other frame of reference comes from my early schooling in math where there was a lot of plug and chug; as a result, I still struggle with the why question when students probe me for more.  Therefore, I have learned that it is important to educate students with the why explanation and through methods that allow students the ability to manipulate and explore new concepts introduced to them.