As I try to meet my goals for my GAME plan, I am finding that time is the biggest resource that I need. It is rather difficult for me to keep up with the day to day activities as well as planning ahead. I realize that striving to meet the goals I have set is very important. Not only do I personally have a hard time finding extra time but time in class is also scarce. My Algebra class is fast approaching the end of course exam. With three weeks before Christmas break, we still have an enormous amount of material to cover. We will have one week after break and then the exam. With such limited time, the ideas that I incorporate have to be meaningful to my content.
Next week we will be studying systems of equations. The cell phone idea is a wonderful way to represent systems that would have real meaning to my students. I have 45 minutes of computer lab time reserved for next week and I am hoping to check out the laptop cart for another 90 minute class block.
Another obstacle that I have is learning the software. I played around with Excel a little bit. As a colleague suggested, I will be visiting the computer teachers at my school for help. I can also use the graphing calculators for students to investigate the graphs of the systems. They just would not be able to save the graph on a presentation tool. I do not have the technology to print or save the information on their calculators.
I have learned that taking action is not always easy. Sometimes we have to make changes along the way. Having more than one option is always good, just in case I have to make adjustments.
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I am also feeling as though time is an ever present obstacle. As I set aside an hour to research for my GAME plan, I often come away feeling like my internet searching did not produce enough product for the time and I think, why didn’t I just grade the tests instead. As we enter the holidays and the end of the course crunch, I imagine it will be worse.
ReplyDeleteI am also not finding what I had hoped. Rhonda mentioned she felt like she was looking for a “needle in a haystack”; I am feeling the same. But I am trying to keep two things in perspective.
1) Sometimes knowing what isn’t available is helpful. In my searching I have found some beta online spreadsheets and will quickly investigate them as they become available. So I am not giving up, just waiting for the technology to catch up to my students’ needs; and technology changes quickly.
2) Right now we are in the middle of a stressful time crunch; both in school and with the holidays. But we are also in course 8 of 10 in our masters. Walden is giving us the skills and the motivation to continue our research well past our courses. We may not find exactly what we are looking for today, but I know you aren’t going to stop looking just because this course or masters ends. Perhaps next summer we can re-group and find the technology is available and we can get it in place for next year’s Algebra class.
Just keep moving forward!!
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteVery true, I will continue to research and come up with new ideas. As quickly as technology advances, I know that there will be many new ideas and opportunities to come. As long as we take the time to use them to our advantage, our students will be better prepared for the 21st century. Thanks for all your help and encouragement.
Lisa
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ReplyDeleteLisa, I also think it's very difficult to find time for something that wasn't initially planned for!
ReplyDeleteAs for the software, I had to literally take a day to learn how to use certain programs, especially Excel! It's a difficult program if you really know nothing about it. I find that if you decide what you would like your students to do with the program, you can look up step-by-step instructions on how to use that one function. Learning the software one step at a time will help with your time constraints! Good luck!
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you on the time issue. I always feel pressure to get everything taught (especially right now with the end of the semester approaching so quickly!). I really like Bethanne's suggestion to you about just learning the programs a little at a time. I think I will do the same thing because I would really like to incorporate Eecel into my classroom as well. Good Luck!
Sally
I understand both your concerns, time (where does it go) and curriculum. As a high school math teacher where content and testing is constantly a factor. We need to expose our students to the necessary elements in order for them to do well on tests. I know that I want to be better teacher who serves all my students and sometimes we are pushed to teach so much content that I feel overwhelmed and straight lecture or having them do force-choice assessments constantly to get them used to the testing format. As a math teacher and an Applied Math major in college, I know that seeing math in real world situations and experiencing them through digital tools and interactive programs would definitely benefit all my students, especially in their attitude and engagement level toward math. I don't like to see the faces of my students when they come into my class expecting to not enjoy it. They have experienced the stress of getting all this material down and I know that I am losing or have lost students because they have become so overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteBecause of funding issues, our school has removed remedial math classes and the extended Algebra A-B series and just started every student in Algebra 1. This is where technology has helped me with my students who need extra help with “catching up” and just having more practice. With the online math software, they receive interactive tutorials that are self-paced and broken down for them. Until our schools get back to serving the individual students needs instead of the testing scores they are required to take in order to meet funding goals, we can thank those teachers and professionals who develop and test these online resources for us to use.