Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Integrating Interactive Software in the Classroom; a Useful Tool or a Dangerous Crutch?

            I remember back in the days of my elementary education occasionally using computers that had a cathode ray tube monitor to play educational math games. There were games that involved representing fractions and identifying geometric shapes. We were allowed to play these fun games during recess if we would like, or occasionally they were part of an assignment. Throughout current classrooms, whether it be an elementary classroom, an 8th grade intro to algebra class, geometry, or even Calculus classrooms, these games and interactive applications are becoming a more popular tool. This has several students, teachers, and parents posing the following question. Are these games and applications a useful learning tool, or are they a dangerous crutch with the false perception of educational value? A strong argument can be made for both sides, but the fact of the matter is there are far too many variables to consider for a blanket case of both. To answer the question, one must examine these variables.

            First, the quality of the application must be examined by those who plan to use it. This also ties in with another variable, the effort that a teacher is willing to commit to incorporating an application in their classroom. Teachers must be willing to learn the program they are planning to use in depth, before they can successfully integrate it in their classroom. Sometimes these applications can become a crutch because a teacher sees something they think might be fun to use, but they don’t do enough research themselves. This can result in a couple of problems. Primarily, the quality of the application, and its usefulness might not be as good as intended or believed. Second, if a teacher doesn’t research the software enough they may not be able to answer any questions their students have, which halts learning and turns what could have been a productive lesson into an hour of fiddling around.

            Additionally, teachers must implement the application into their classroom in a manor that supports and fosters learning, rather than using it simply to fill an hour. This isn’t to say that using technology for an entire hour isn’t a good thing, but if a teacher just does this for the sake of killing a class period, then the lesson is a waste. The key component is finding ways to tie it into relevant curriculum. For instance, there is a game on Desmos in which students must plot two points that form a line, in a way that allows a set of balls to travel through a course and eventually reach a hole. This game could certainly take up an entire hour but at some point, it becomes repetitive and depending on how it is integrated, it might not be entirely useful. To maximize its effectiveness, consider the case of using it as a supplementary tool in an introduction to Algebra I classroom. In this particular case, the students might have just finished working with plotting points to form a line or creating a slope. If a teacher were to have students play this game after a lesson involving something like that, the learning becomes more enhanced and students benefit for a few reasons. The first is that students get to explore hands on, how their plotting of points to form a line manipulates objects. In other words, they get a hands-on experience of a real application to material they just learned. Activities like these also involve critical thinking, which is an incredibly useful thing for students to learn and practice. Lastly, it makes learning fun, which is something that can be taken for granted in a math classroom. This might be one of the most important aspects, because when something is fun, or relevant it becomes a great incentive to learn or practice more.

            The success of integrating games and software in a classroom is dependent on several variables. The most important variable however, is the teacher. A teacher’s willingness to research and practice with an application, find a way to incorporate it in their classroom that enhances learning rather than distracts from it, and make learning fun and applicable is the primary determinant of whether an activity can be beneficial or detrimental. So, is the use of interactive software and games a useful tool or is it a dangerous crutch?

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Useful Technology in the Classroom

            Throughout high school classrooms, technology is being integrated more and more. In my education classes, we are learning about the do’s and don’ts of technology. The main point that I have taken away from this Technology for Math Educators course is that you need to make the technology you use in your classroom actually useful.
            Although technology can be a “fun” thing for your students to use in your classroom, if it is not challenging them, they will eventually just get bored. As a teacher, you need to incorporate technology that will be useful in your classroom. During our class time in this course, we have been assigned to teach about different mathematical apps that could potentially be used for our classrooms. Before taking this class, I might have said that it would be an okay idea to use most of them in my classroom. However, when I took a step back and actually thought about what the apps could do to help my students learn a subject I had a different thought on them. Most apps that I have reviewed wouldn’t actually benefit my students at all.

            Most of the mathematical apps that I have looked at for this class are apps that would just be “time consumers” in a class. What I mean by time consumers is that they are apps that won’t teach your students anything new, or even allow them to discover anything new. However, I have found some great apps that I intend on using once I become a teacher. Some of these apps include: Desmos Graphing Calculator, Geogebra Classic, and stats!. If you have never looked into these apps, I would encourage you to research ways that would allow your students to discover new things that you might not be able to cover in your lecture time as a teacher.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Flipped Classrooms

              Many teachers are experimenting with the idea of flipped classrooms. Studies show that this type of structure causes more help to the students than harm. I have mixed feelings about flipped instruction but exploring new methods are important, especially when they hold proof of being beneficial to students. Flipped instruction is basically the opposite of the traditional lecture style of teaching. The lecture portion is done outside of class and the activities and homework are completed in class.

              I have some concerns about flipped instruction but overall think it is a step in the right direction. Many educators assume that every student has access to technology outside of the school setting. While this is true for most students, there are still some without access. Having flipped instruction would make it difficult for these students to watch lectures or other videos and online readings outside of class. Also, students already spend a large chunk of their time in class and may be unwilling to watch lectures made by their teacher on top of that.

              On the other hand, the flipped classroom method has many benefits. In the traditional style, students’ number one complaint is homework. When students are left to work on their homework at home without any aid, they tend to become frustrated when they come to something they don’t understand, resulting in them giving up. In flipped instruction, the students are with the teacher when working on homework and can ask for assistance when they get stuck. This keeps students from becoming discouraged and helps the teachers get a better idea of what their students are not understanding. Teachers can also give immediate feedback to students and can reteach material if needed. This style of teaching also allows for more discussion in class. Students have more opportunities to ask questions and the teacher can ask more thought provoking questions to expand learning.

              As with any teaching method, flipped instruction has its pros and cons. With our advancement in technology, this method makes more sense than the traditional lecture style. Having students watch lectures outside of class at their own pace eliminates the one size fits all idea. Students learn better through activities than through lecture and incorporating technology outside of the classroom allows more time for activities. Flipped instruction is the step in the right direction of reevaluating old methods and forming better ways to advance and support student learning.