Look at Me

Look at me!

Here is my avatar.  What an innovative way to add content to a class. Voki is such a neat tool.  I definitely will use this in my classroom.  I might actually spent more time with this app and create a better avatar using some of my personal graphics.

Here is the text I used for my avatar. Below are my readability statistics.  And look at that.  I didn't use any passive sentences.  I think that is a first for me.

Readability Stats

Any creating avatars are fun.  I used to have a Kim Jong Il avatar for the Wii and my Xbox Live avatar now has a 10 year helmet.

As always let's look at where this assignment aligns with ISTE-NETS-T standards.  Well, again, it looks like we are aligning up with Standards 2 and 3 again.  Using avatars we align with standard 2 by designing and developing unique learning experiences.  We create learning experiences student can enjoy watching instead of the typical lecture.  Avatars align with Standard 3 by modeling digital age work and learning.  Here we are creating new ways to demonstrate knowledge and communicate with students, parents and peers.

Words

Words clouds are pretty.

I never used Wordle before, but I have seen it.  It is a neat little app which takes words from a document and places a ranking on the words.  Words with greater impact are seen in a larger font.  Words with a low impact are seen in a smaller font.   I made three word clouds.  The first cloud we will look at is from the Iste-Nets-T Standards for 2000.

ISTE-NETS-T Standards 2000

As you can see in 2000 the "learning technology" were key aspects of the standards.  After the 2000 Standards I created a word cloud for the ISTE-NETS-T Standards for 2008.

ISTE-NETS-T Standards 2008

Here in 2008 the standards were changed to emphasize "student learning."  This is a major change in the standards in the eight years, but a necessary change due to our changing student knowledge.

For my third word cloud I created one for an Algebra I class.  I found some worded directions on adding and subtracting signed numbers and this is what I got.

Adding and Subtracting Signed Numbers

Now, Wordle is not a great teaching tool for a math class, but it does show some highly needed vocabulary, and is a unique way to review key terms.  Obviously there should be better ways to use the Wordle app in a math class, and I will eventually find it.

This exercise clearly aligns with the ISTE-NETS-T 2008 Standards 2 and 3. Standard 2 emphasizes digital learning experiences.  Wordle is another unique way to design and develop digital age learning experiences.  By highlighting key terms we can teach and students can visualize important terms and understand their significance visually.  Standard 3 looks at modeling digital age work and learning.  Clearly Wordle and word clouds communicate important information to students, parents, and peers in a unique and visual way while modeling innovative communication techniques.

RezlabMath

So this isn't the first time I have thought about building a web site for my classes.  Sites are so easy to create, especially with all the free site builders and templates available.  But of course I need to be unique and really like to use my own graphics, and that is where I have my issues.  I am really terrible with graphics.

 I picked a simple template as I know from experience that one no wants to read any thing so pictures are key and the top, bottom and side margins are rarely looked at.  Everything on a web site needs to be easy to navigate and not a lot of extra wording.

You can see my full site by clicking here.

Again,  this exercise exemplifies the ISTE-NETS-T standard 3:  Model Digital Age Work and Learning.  Web sites are excellent forms of communication.  All types of information can be placed on a site from classroom assignments and quizzes to professional blogs and presentations to personal information and interests.  We can easily link our descriptive statistics from exams to our site.  You can even set up chats with parents and students using the Google Gadgets tools.  I really don't know why web sites aren't used more often.  Web sites are just an awesome way to communicate during non-class times.

Excel 2 - Scientific Notation

Well in this exercise we had to do a t-test in Excel. I was able to use the same data that I used in my last blog:  NAEP State Comparisons 2011 4th Grade Reading. With the power of Excel that is a simple task.  My only issue was the scientific notation.  I noted that some results of the t-test provided answers in scientific notation.

This little quirk made me look at my results carefully.  Just looking at the results makes one think that there is no statistical difference, but upon closer examination I notices the E-07 which told me about the scientific notation and the results were less than .05 for both the P(T<=t) one-tail test and P(T<=t) two-tail test.  With the results of both tests being less than .05 there is a significant difference between the national results for males and females.

Now if the results were greater than .05 we would accept the null hypothesis, that there is no difference, but my results show there is a difference.

In future class an interesting test would examine scores on the fraction test comparing non-traditional students vs traditional students.  We could look at who does better adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.

This assignment aligns with the ISTE-NETS-T standard 3:  Model Digital Age Work and Learning.   Here we are demonstrating fluency in technology, collaborating with others and communicating relevant information to others.

Excel

In this lesson we are learning how to use Excel.  Taking information from the NAEP website for the 2011 school year, I have discovered that West Virginia 4th grade reading programs do not perform well nationally.  We are well below the national average of 220, with only 9 states ranking lower than West Virginia.

These statistics for West Virginia actually surprise me, as from my experience in the elementary setting, reading is a critical part of the curriculum and is highly promoted throughout the entire school.

Below are the Descriptive Statistics I generated from the Data Analysis Tool Pack.  This is a very cool add-on.

In regards to the ISTE-NETS-T standards, this assignment aligns with Standard 3.  Here we are demonstrating our technical prowess which we can share with others.  We can show students how the entire class performed on an assessment.  I can look at the information and analyze what I need to improve upon.  Stats are always cool.

Rubrics

Rubrics are a very nice way to grade essays and projects.  They specifically tell the student what is expected to get an A and what grade you can expect if you don't complete the requirements.   So that being said.  I have never used a rubric.  So I was a little leery when asked to look at Rubistar.  Once I got on the site, making a rubric was too easy.  I also saw 15 pages of ready made rubrics.  Now most were English assignments, but there were a few math one.  The rubrics are also editable so if the standard fair is too much you can parse it down a little.

This is the rubric I created for an assignment on graphing.

Rubistar Rubric

As far as the ISTE-NETS-T Standards, this assignment easily falls into the Standard 2:  Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  Here we are designing a way to assess by using rubrics which allow students to see what is expected.  There really is no guessing as to what a teacher is looking for in the project.   Students have the open communication to choose how far or what grade they want on a project.

Google Earth

Yesterday we looked at Google Maps.  Today we look at Google Earth.  Below is my KML import of my Google Maps I create yesterday.

Google Earth - My Drive Home

The transition was extremely easy using the KML (keyhole markup language) function on Google Earth.  For those who are a little unsure of KML it is simply an XML notation specifically designed for geographical data used on computer maps.  KML was specifically created for Google Earth.

My map was automatically saved in Temporary Place, but it will need to be saved to My Places.  That step again is easily accomplished by a click and a drag.

Looking over the Google Earth for Educators site, I wondered how I could use Google Earth in the Math class.  I kept thinking this is more of an earth science app, but the more I think about it the more I realize that that there are many things a math teach could do with Google Earth.  Obviously distance is one way to utilize Google Maps and Google Earth, but the more I think about it the more things come to mind.  Simple things such as converting distance to gasoline needed for a trip to how much a trip would cost.  All of this plus a lot more would be useful in a math class.

Discussing the ISTE-NETS-T standards, Standard 2 and 3 appear to be the two standards that highlight this exercise.  Using Google Earth is a neat and modern way to develop relevant learning experiences in Math.  Math classes are always littered with "Why do we need to learn this?"  Well here is why.  Google Earth is also a unique way to model digital age work and learning.  Maybe just by showing this app in class someone at some point might find the app interesting and go exploring themselves.