Lightspeed

Lightspeed Systems is like a second Facebook; it allows students to share information with each other and their teachers safely. This is an outstanding invention; Facebook is often blocked at schools because of "safety". With Lightspeed, students can communicate only to each other, not strangers. It seems like a great portal for teacher-student communication and student-student communication.
My Big Campus is a safe portal that allows teachers to post videos, assignments, and set up classes on it. This is a great way to share information between teachers of different school districts. It's also a great way for students to talk to each other if they are working on a project together. It is great for students to get in touch with their teachers if they have a question about an assignment or project assigned to them.
Students like using Facebook so it is good that there is a Facebook like program for them to use. There needs to be more safe programs for educators and students to use. For example there is a teacher's Youtube that won't be blocked on school grounds. Technology is a great invention and I believe it should be utilized anyway that is possible. Students need safe sites and educators need to be able to access sites on school grounds. I know more safe sites will pop up in the future.

Instant Messaging

We have continuously heard about instant messaging affecting the way students these days write. They do everything shorthand while instant messaging and it seems to rub off when they do their papers for school. What happens when students get in the work field and type "I luv 2 do paintin" on their resume? It's going to cause them their job unfortunately. If people do not get out this bad habit now, there are going to be many consequences in the professional field later on in life. I know as a student that it is frustrating to be typing a paper and have to constantly fix spelling errors because I am so used to typing shorthand while texting or instant messaging.
It has it's disadvantages as well as it's advantages. At least students are typing more and getting some help in spelling other words that they do not make shorthand. Students are learning the keyboard more so they can easily find the keys when typing a research paper etc. Lets face it; no one wants spelling errors in their professional papers so students should try to keep shorthand to a minimum and be cautious when typing important papers. This will make life a lot simpler for students as well as teachers and business associates.

Convenient Cognite

There is an awesome program called Cognite; it is so extraordinary that a library basically isn't needed anymore. It brings the library to the classroom and can be used at home. It allows teachers to talk to teachers and students! There is no need to go to a library because tons of books and databases can be accessed through Cognite. Cognite is a downloadable program that I think is well worth buying for a school district. It has the opportunity to open up so many doors for students and teachers and will make finding articles a lot easier.
The down side that a lot of people might think of is the librarians position. Would librarians at schools lose their jobs? What if the program made libraries all the country shut down? I think if school districts or libraries got this program then librarians could still have a job showing people or students how to use the program to find information. Then writers would still have a job but not necessarily with books, but rather with e-books perhaps.
This program can do pretty much everything; from finding a book to allowing students to do their homework etc. through the program. It is definitely worth looking into for school districts and probably will be bought to use in many schools in the next year or so.

What's the point of technology?

Why has technology become so important in classrooms today? Why is it so demanded and needed? What is the point of it? The most important reason to use technology for school is Research. Technology makes research so incredibly easy to find and utilize versus sixty years ago, even ten years ago! If students today had to go to a library and spend hours looking through books to find information on a subject they would never do any assignments. Students today are already lazy enough; technology makes it easier for them to find info quickly and accurately.

Another important reason for technology to be in the classroom is because of its ability to enhance learning. It can help teachers visually show students the inside of a heart instead of just talking to them about it. Tech helps to allow students to have full advantage of knowledge out in the world today, unlike the old days when they could only learn what their teacher knew.

A third important reason for technology to be used in school is for outside teacher-student communication. Tech allows teachers and students to be able to e-mail each other about questions a student might have on an assignment. It also allows the teacher to communicate with parents easier. The teacher can use tech to assign assignments online if they wanted to. Overall tech opens up a whole new world of opportunities for students education.

Math and Smartboards

How can Smartbords make math (a subject not liked by most people) more fun? There are endless possibilities when it comes to Smartboards... that is why they have the name they do. Math can be one of the most boring subjects because you are constantly solving equations; at least in science you can do different experiments and in social studies you can learn about different countries. I think out of all the subjects Smartboards could be beneficial too, Math is probably the highest on the list.

Some things you can do on a Smartboard to help make Math go smoother is: make a chart to graph on, use a table to have a matching game, use the protractor to show different angles at the drop of a hat that are perfectly correct, Smartboard has a ton of symbols ranging from derivative signs to matrice tables. There are algebra, derivative, statistics, geometry, matrices, trig, and sets categories filled with different things to pull up to help make a lesson easier.

The Smartboard can really be helpful to the teacher because it will display all these symbols neatly and properly without a lot of effort. This way the teacher doesn't have to take up thirty minutes writing equations on the board; it can be pre-made and laid out exactly how the teacher wishes. It makes a lot of sense; teachers should at least give it a try to see if it helps the students pay attention and learn better.

The Troublemaker is Gone

The troublemaker that I mentioned in an earlier post will not be returning to the high school. After numerous situations with him, my cooperating teacher gave me a note on the last day I was there that said the troublemaker has now been enrolled in a behavioral school. It' is really a sad situation; he was a very smart student if he would have just applied himself and stopped acting so immature. He was constantly causing scenes and getting in fights with students. This probably is the best option for him and I hope he now realizes how good he had it at his high school. My cooperating teacher was happy about his leaving and I'm sure the students will be too once they find out he's not returning. There are just some students that cannot be helped or changed. They have to realize that they have a problem and they have to want to get help.

Students these days do not try to act their age; they try to make school as bad as possible for their classmates and teachers. This troublemaker has a long road ahead of him now; I feel bad for him because I honestly do not think he had a proper upbringing and that is why he is the way he is. Hopefully this new school helps him and maybe he will even be allowed to return to his old school after a year or so.

This is a Math Lab sheet that hangs in my cooperating teachers classroom. Math Lab is an awesome thing that I never had in high school and I think every high school should offer this. This paper shows the teacher and room that math lab will be held in every period. Math Lab allows the students to go to this particular teachers classroom during their study hall or lunch and get math help. In math lab students can have review sessions with the teacher, work on their math homework and ask questions, work with partners to help each other understand etc. It is just an awesome way to offer extra math help all day long to the students who need it.

On Wednesdays I come into the math lab and help out the students as well. A lot actually show up and its more relaxing for them to be able to do their work at a leisurely pace. My cooperating says he notices an improvement in the grades of those who come to get help. I am very pleased with this system; it allows the students to work with the teacher of their choice (unless class conflicts). I like that it's offered all day long and it's not just one teachers responsiblity; all the math teachers work together to help out. I would recommend this to any school if a lot of the students are doing poorly in math.

Care in Education

Is it right for teachers to care more about the students grades than the students? Should teachers be stressed out when they see a student who doesn't care if they fail the class? I know that today my cooperating teacher was very upset with his students. He only assigned four homework problems which took a matter of five-seven minutes to complete, and most of the class did not even attempt them. He was very frustrated at them and gave them a nice lecture. He actually took a lot out on this one girl who said she did not know what she was doing. He really cares a lot about their education and wants them to do well in his class. When he sees no effort being made, it disappoints him. I think it's sad to see that he cares more about the students education than the students do. Maybe it's just because it's math and the students think they will never use it in a career but it makes me sad also when they do not do their work and get yelled at. I must have went around and answered a million questions that they had today on slope-intercept form. My cooperating teacher actually told the class to ask me questions because I was a lot more friendly today than he was. I really hope my students do their homework and care about their grades because it would be extremely hard to spend time preparing lessons just so everyone decides to put forth no effort and fail all the tests.

Troublemakers

There are a few troublemakers in the 3rd period pre-algebra class I observe. Two students in paticular are the worst; two boys. They always pick on this girl and make her feel bad. I really cannot stand it and usually end up yelling at them if my cooperating teacher doesn't get to it first. My cooperating teacher is absolutely fed up with the class, especially these two boys. They give him a lot of attitude and make a lot of smart remarks. I personally would punish them more than my cooperating teacher does. He is too easy on them and usually just gives them warnings. The boys also are very disruptive to the class and try to get attention from everyone. My cooperating teacher says he feels bad that I have to come in and observe during their class; also he states that he does not want to even teach that class anymore and I don't blame him. I feel bad for him honestly; he is so nice and gets treated so mean in return. These boys mis-behaving is actually a good thing for me to see. I need to know that teaching is not going to be a bed of roses and that I will also have students that are hard to handle. These boys behavior is absolutely uncalled for and is inappropriate. They are not elementary kids and should have enough sense to act their age in the classroom.

Students in the Classroom

The classroom I observe is pretty much arranged the only way it can be; so that all the students can view the board. I wasn't there when seats were assigned but I'm guessing my cooperating teacher let them choose where they wanted to sit; it has not been changed since I've been there. When groups are created it's usually only two people working together on homework or an assignment; groups do not happen often. I definitely notice some students raise their hands often and some students never ever raise their hands. The teacher tries to get everyone involved as much as possible and let everyone have a chance to answer. Males seem to dominate more in the classroom; they usually are the most outspoken in pre-algebra, but I notice in geometry girls seem to dominate more. Students usually pay attention for about 15-20 minutes; the lessons usually last about 30 minutes. The students do listen to each other but do not really talk academically about it. When the students get to talk, they usually talk about their friends or things going on. There is one girl in geometry that is a total attention getter. My cooperating teacher does not really do anything about it; he pays a lot of attention to her and is fine with giving her a lot of attention. Students mostly ask the teacher for help; occasionally they will ask another student but it usually results in them asking the teacher anyways.

Math Matters

The Pre-Algebra class that I observe for uses the text Math Matters 2. The book is organized very well and gives clear examples for the students to follow for their homework. The book is easy to teach from, has a nice layout, and gives a good mix of homework problems ranging from easy to hard for the students to try. My personal experience with the book was teaching slope to the students; the book laid the lesson out in easy steps for me to teach and for the students to follow. My cooperating teacher really likes it and from what I can tell, I would recommend it to teachers also.

Not only is this book excellently outlined, but a computer program comes with it that can be projected onto the board. The program has every page that is in the students book. This allows my cooperating teacher to pull up the homework page really quick and the whole class can view it (good in case a student forgot their book). By using the Mobi, my cooperating teacher can do the problems really efficiently. It is so much easier to look up at the board, where the problems are being done, then to keep looking down at the book to see the problem. This computer program seems to work great for the students and the teacher. It is definitely a good addition to the book.

The School Enviornment

The building that I observe at is one huge building constructed for the elementary school, middle school, and high school. The arrangement of the building is set up fine; it's just two long hallways with classrooms on both sides for the high school part. I believe that my cooperating teacher does do student-centered teaching; he always pays attention to how much the students are learning and will take extra days to make sure they know the material if needed. The buildings windows are in weird places; they are way up high so the students cannot see out them. Administrators and teachers do greet students; my cooperating teacher always goes out in the hall during class changing times and talks to students. The outside appearance of the building is pretty normal; it's all brick, no landscaping, small windows, and weirdly shaped. The building is very clean; there are no papers in the hallway's, the floors are clean, and the desks are clean. The halls are extremely loud during class changing times; the kids are talking to each other and there is a lot of shuffling going on. My cooperating teacher usually greets his students when they walk in, if he does at all. There is definitely teacher-to-teacher interaction; my cooperating teacher is always talking to the teachers next door and I do as well. I have never seen any showcases or bulletin boards except for in the classrooms but it could just be my fault for not looking close enough. Overall it's a normal school with a normal set up.

A Different Type of Students

The students in the school that I observe are primarily all Caucasian, I actually have not seen one African American student or Asian student yet. The school is a mid sized rural farm school with lots of cornfields surrounding it. My cooperating teacher said that there is a separate location for the gifted students and even some of his students go to get help with testing, but not many students are bilingual (due to lack of diversity). The dress code is pretty normal: no flip flops, skirts/shorts two inches above the knee, or revealing tops (tank tops) but the dress code does not really seem to be enforced that much. Out of class language is absolutely horrible and it seems like the teachers just ignore it unless it gets said straight to their face. My cooperating teacher coaches jv boys basketball, so basketball, baseball, volleyball, swimming, track and field, and football are available for students to play; it seems like most students take advantage of the sports offered and choose to participate in them. The student handbook is similar to mine when I was in high school; there is a section about academic honesty, dress codes, a schedule of days off, an everyday class period schedule, and the grading scale, it's a very standard handbook. The school does have student recognition programs, it just had a banquet for the seniors and there is also an honors program award ceremony. Overall the students are different from what I'm used to but in other ways they are a lot like the kids I went to high school with.

Manuvering the Mobi

The Mobi is an excellent device for a math class. The Mobi can be hooked up to the teachers computer and then projected onto the screen for the whole class to see. The teacher can use the pen along with the program to draw triangles or numbers or even type text. It can do anything and it makes it very neat for the students to see. My cooperating teacher loves it because he can sit at his desk in his comfy chair and teach the whole lesson. This way he doesn't have to stand up at the board and get in the way of some students view. He also likes it because if he draws a really bad triangle the Mobi automatically makes it look nice with straight lines.

It's a lot to figure out and I know the first time he used it, he took up a lot of important class time to draw and label three triangles. Now that he has the hang of it, I can see how useful it is and the class also really seems to pay attention to it more. Now it takes less time to do a lesson instead of taking time to erase the board etc. You do not actually ever write on the Mobi, it just senses how you move the pen on the screen of the Mobi and then puts it on the computer so it's really funny to see him writing on it because his hand moves so fast and it makes no sense. The kids enjoy making fun of his bad writing and it makes math more fun to do. I would definitely consider using it in my classroom when I become a teacher, it is an amazing invention.

Not An Easy Day

So the day before spring break the class was taking a math test and I thought it was going to be a nice easy day. Boy was I ever wrong! My cooperating teacher caught this boy, whose about 16 years old, chewing tobacco while he was taking his test! I had no idea what was going on, I thought the kid might have gotten ill. I'm really proud of how my cooperating teacher handled the situation, he never got upset or yelled at the student in front of the class. He simply took the student out in the hall and when they were done talking he calmly walked in and acted like nothing happened. I only knew when the class left and he came back and told me that he caught the kid. I'm really not used to that kind of stuff happening, I'm from the city and hardly anyone chewed tobacco, especially at school. I do have to realize that this is a rural school because my cooperating teacher was not surprised like I was. I would have never caught it, I probably would have thought that the kid was chewing gum.

Cowboy Day?

It was very intersting the first of my observation. I walked in and all the students were wearing cowboy boots (some with spurs), cowboy hats, plaid shirts, and belt buckles. I understood that this was a rural farm school (I mean it's surrounded by a cornfield... really?) but I never thought that the students would dress like this. It was extremely weird for me because I went to a city school and there we would probably be suspended for spurs on our boots. I also went to a school in a very rich community so every girl had a coach purse and ugg boots, but here no one has anything like that, so it's an adjustment. My cooperating teacher saw me look at this kid like Why are you wearing boots with spurs on them??? So he finally explained to me that today was cowboy day but he assured me that the kids do not always dress this way. I was very relieved to know walk in the next day and see them all dressed normally. It was definitely a weird start to my student observation, my school would never have cowboy day, i can guarentee that only a handful of students (like 5 maybe) own a pair of cowboy boots. I do like it there though, the kids are a lot less snobby then at my high school and appreciate what they have.

The Classroom

The classroom that I observe is for Math, it is an average size I would say but has a lot of clutter in it. My cooperating teacher cannot even reach his window easily because of all the math books and calculator boxes lying around. The desks are arranged the only way possible because of the board and there is little walking room. The teacher's desk is overflowing with papers and is very unorganized. There is a projector that was put in just last year which is very nice for notes and homework review. In the back of the classroom where I sit is four computers for Math Lab, that's where kids can come in during their study and do homework with the teacher. On the walls is a bunch of sports stuff, he put up the Cavs, Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Cleveland Indians, etc... There are no Math bulletin boards or posters; there are also no rules anywhere. The classroom is the very last room on the left of the hallway on the second floor. It is very inconvenient for running to the copy room or teachers lounge or office, but is very convenient for the girls, because it is right across from the girls bathroom. All in all the classroom would be alright but it's definitely not anything special and could be improved a lot.

Do Student's Care?

On the first day of my student observation, the teacher gave each student their interim grade. I am observing a Pre-Algebra class and the students really seem to not enjoy math at all. Based on their interim grades, most of them were not doing so well in the class. At the end of the class, my cooperating teacher asked me if I had any questions so I asked him if it discourages him to see his students doing poorly in his class. He replied "At first it upset me, but after a while you realize that it's not your fault and some students just don't care". This hit me hard, I just couldn't imagine not caring about my grades, especially in math which is a very important subject. Right as he finished telling me this a student came up to his desk and he asked the student to explain to me why he was failing math. The student replied that he doesn't do anything and I didn't know what to say. When the student came back for his interim grade not only was he failing, but he was failing miserably.... he had a 29% in the class. So what I'm getting at is do student's care anymore? What can be changed to make them care? This is a huge problem that is just going to keep getting worse if nothing changes. I'm very interested to know other people's perspective on this issue, so let me know!

Introduction to Creative Math

I am so excited to be making my first professional blog! This blog will include my thoughts and experiences as my first time doing Student Observation. I read an article on teaching Math creatively. This article basically opened me up to a whole new way of thinking about how to teach Math. Most people have an "oh no" reaction when I say that I'm majoring in Math. This makes me think that they probably had a bad experience in school while learning Math that makes them not like it so much. My take on this is to find a way to make Math fun and exciting, make students want to go to Math class. I know that personally I had a really bad eighth grade experience in Pre-Algebra. I had a horrible teacher that did not care about if we were learning or not, he wanted to stick to his schedule and never offered outside help. My goal is to change my student’s way of thinking, actually make them care about Math and see that it can be enjoyable. Hopefully when I become a teacher, my students leave my feeling differently than when they walked into it on the first day.