This site allows you to create flashcards. I like that you can browse through others as well as create a group for only your class if you wish. I think this would be a great tool to use for students to create their own flashcards to share and study with. I would talk with students about what makes a good flashcard as well as how to best utilize them. Students can also create their own to use on their own. What a great tool to have at your fingertips. So much easier and more environmentally friendly then the old days of index cards. I am excited to share this site with my friend that teaches Spanish. She was struggling with the print shop this year; they didn’t want to spend the money on cardstock for her. With these cards they can be created and used by many students for years to come.
The cards can also have graphics, audio, video, math equations along with plain text.
The textbooks we use have a website where students can use their premade flashcards. They are great but I like that these are user created so that students can add more to their deck and concentrate on what they are struggling with.
I think that these could also be used as a whole-class activity, the flashcards can be displayed on the projector for the entire class to review, like we do when we play Jeopardy. Students can also quiz each other or themselves very easily by just using them on individual computers.
The Hot Potatoes freeware includes six applications. You can create interactive multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and gap-fill exercises. These can then be posted to the web.
I like that this is a different way for my students to practice their vocabulary, something that they struggle with in Geometry. This year we have added more matching vocabulary to each chapter test. I think that having the matching practice before hand will give students a much better grasp as to what they will need to know and help them prepare. So much of geometry is tied into understanding the terminology.
This software was difficult for me to work with at first. They have begun working on a new version so they made this older one free to all. Free is great but it doesn’t have much support for slow learners like myself. I am certain that when I bring this to school on Monday and ask my students for a bit of help they will be able to figure it out immediately. Giving my students the opportunity to create these activities will also be a great learning tool.
I teach Geometry. During the first unit my students completed a project in which they were required to look for and find math in the real world. They were allowed to draw pictures, take photos or find media online to use in their project. Students were given the option of creating a poster, PowerPoint, book, brochure, or video to present their findings.
The students did a great job of finding math in world, but many of them did not do more than a quick google search, choosing the first image shown. I received many repeat photos. I think this would be a great project to do using Flickr. Students will be responsible for taking unique photos to show math around them. I can create a Flickr group, have my students join and share photos. Students will be able to see what others are doing, build off of each other and be held responsible for creating their own unique work.
I think this will be a lot better than having them all work alone on their own projects. They do a good job of keeping each other accountable for their own work. Knowing that I am not the only one that will see their pictures will help to increase the quality of work that they do. I believe this will also give them more examples of points, lines, planes, rays, and angles so that they begin to understand these terms more.
Some of my favorite students have been the loud ones. These are the students that are not afraid to ask questions. They are not afraid to inquire as to how I know what I say is right. They haven’t been taught that the teacher is always right and not to question. They have a desire to learn and have taken control of their learning. I like these free thinkers, these students that aren’t afraid to ask questions, to challenge take risks and to dive into things on their own…
I get frustrated with the students that sit and want the information spoon-fed to them. I joke that many of these state standardized tests are forcing us to not only spoon-feed but also chew for the students too. I joke, but it saddens me. I want to teach in a world where the students want to learn as much as they can. Where students are able to guide their own learning, students are able to get exactly what they need and go at their own pace.
Today I met with each of my students and talked with them about their grades and what they need to do to increase them. I showed one of them the book website again, had him go to it and complete a practice test. He began asking me questions about how to do different problems, it was one of his classmates that said to him “hey, just look it up online”. Finally, someone realized that they can look beyond our textbook, beyond me as the teacher and beyond the classroom to find information. They are so good at looking up videos, songs, lyrics, the latest piece of gossip but looking up how to do a math problem seems so awkward to them.
I plan on doing more of this in the coming semester. I have already begun planning a new set up in my classroom. I want to get far away from full class teacher led lectures. I plan on using my 6 classroom computers everyday, adding smaller group instruction, hands-on stations with manipulatives and games. I hope to have students work on adding material to the class wikispace. I want them to find information, create information and build a better curriculum. I think that by having them find, create and do more they will buy into it and hopefully want to learn the material.
Ugh, I understand your frustration and the budget cuts are only going to get bigger. I like the plans you have use Flickr as a way for students to take a virtual field trip. Using Flickr will actually allow them to see more, and go to far off places that even without the budget cuts isn't possible, until we discover time travel.
I really like that you can tag up the photos themselves and add comments to different parts of the pictures.