Kristen+Cunningham

1201281692 toc =Biography=

Background Information: Year: junior Subject area: mathematics Level: secondary

Contact Information: kristenc@ku.edu

Technology: I do not have very much experience with technology other than everyday uses of computers. I did take EECS138- Web programing last year, and it was somewhat helpful, but I don't think I learned enough to actually program a web page. So far, I don't have any major technology horror stories, although I do hate it when professors only use Power Point so they can simply read the slides to the class. Also, I once had a professor use clickers on a midterm. Poor choice.

I think it is important to use technology in the classroom, because it gives teachers and students many resources to enhance their teaching and learning.

=Assignments=

Web Exemplars
Good: http://www.columbusnavigation.com/ I think this page is would be easy for students to navigate and unlike many of the websites I saw, it doesn’t have any ads along the top or sides of the page that would distract the students from the actual information. The information is organized into several different sections and has a site search, so students should have a relatively easy time finding the information they are looking for. Also, each of the links provides a sizable amount of information on the different topics about Columbus.

Bad: http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/c-Columbus/columbus.html This website is very is not very interesting to look at, with a white background, few pictures, and just blocks of text. There is not really very much information about Columbus, and the information it does have does not flow very well together. I do not think that students would get very much out of this website, especially since it does not even have a very good description of Columbus’s life and explorations.

I found both to of these pages by putting “Christopher Columbus” into Google’s search engine.

Talk 1
The most important criteria for choosing a website to use in the classroom are the amount and accuracy of the information, organization of the information into a manageable and searchable form for students, as little distraction as possible – meaning no advertisements or links to unrelated topics. I do agree with Sarah’s choices for her good and bad websites. Her bad page, http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml, is very distracting with ads at the top and a poor layout. The information doesn’t seem to be organized very well, and the site seems to be directed more toward teachers than students. Sarah’s good choice, http://www.columbusnavigation.com/ was mine also, so I agree that it is a valid website to use. It has a lot of good information and it is organized into categories which would be helpful if students were trying to find information about specific events. As we discussed in class, this website also has many negative aspects. The author isn’t particularly credible on this topic, and the information on the individual pages, have large blocks of text that may be overwhelming for students. This page is good, but probably not the best choice for a teacher.

Wiki Brochure
[|KristenCunninghamwikibrochure.doc]

Wiki Policy
[|KristenCunninghamWikiPolicy.doc]

Bad Wiki
[|KristenCunninghamBadWiki.doc]

Talk 2
It is important to design an instructional website is to make it simple to use and navigate for both students and parents. The link titles need to be both concise and clear. They need to have titles that make it very clear as to what the pages are used for and what information can be found there. Also, there need to be as few steps as possible to get to each page on the site. This makes the site easily navigable and accessible.

Erin’s site map looks very straightforward and simple. I like that the pages are organized in to as few categories as possible, that way it would not be too difficult for students to navigate. The page titles mostly seem clear as to what information would be found on each page. One thing that I would add would be to make some sort of archiving system for the Daily Summaries page so that students could easily find the summary of a class that they missed or needed to review. Also, I’m not sure what would be found under the sub-heading ‘Teacher Tips’, so I would make that specific, such as ‘Technology Help’ or whatever the teacher tips are going to be about.

Standards
[|KristenCunninghamStandards.doc]

Talk 3
I think the author of this article wanted to help the reader understand what a Luddite is, how the term “Luddite” came about, and how Luddites have interacted with society as it has continued to change. Pynchon says that technology has become so important in our society that even Luddites cannot refuse to use it. // I thought the article was challenging to read, so I would want to find a way to make it more easy to digest. I would probably use or have the students use a PowerPoint, some other type of presentation to define difficult terms used in the article and to break it up sub-categories. The students could use this to better understand that the chronology that the author wants to convey and give them a better understanding of what being a Luddite meant throughout history and in our society today.

//

Wiki
[|Kristen Cunningham Math Wiki]

Media
media type="file" key="KristenCunninghamSimilarity.swf"

I chose to use Flash ViewletCam to create a demonstration video of an activity for my geometry class. I did and activity //Geometer's Sketchpad// to help the students understand the relationships between similar triangles. While it was a little bit time consuming to create, I'm sure with more practice it would be relatively efficient. Also, the Flash video is a great resource for students, because it gives them a visual of what the activity is supposed to look like. If a student misses class, all they have to do is watch the video. Flash allows you to add notes, so it is possible to make each step very clear for students. This video could be used as a tool for a lecture on similarity, or it could be an example of an assignment for the students as they learn geometry concepts and also how to use //Sketchpad//.

Communities
The two resources that I would most likely incorporate in my class would be YouTube and Skype. On YouTube, I would have my students find videos that have to do with the subjects we are covering in class. The students would explain why they chose the videos and how they relate to the topics we’ve been studying. I would also have the students come up with three or four ways that they would edit the video to make it easier to understand, to make the information more clear, or to relate better to our topics. This would help students process the information that they have learned and put it to use on a project.

Skype would be an excellent way for students to connect to adults in the community while also learning more about math subjects. The class could contact people in fields that have to do with mathematics such as an architect, an engineer, or an actuary. I think this would be beneficial for students because it helps them realize that the concepts that they study really are used by people in the real world.

Talk 4 - Universal Design
Name: Electronic Remote Controls Problem: There are too many buttons, and programing or even performing simple functions requires many steps. They become more and more complex, and many people are unable to even watch a movie without a hassel. Modification: Redesign remote controls and make things more self explanatory and easier to program. Universal Design: Even people who do not have much experience with technology can understand and run a dvd player, sound system and other technology.

Talk 5 - Course & Wiki
I think the most useful part of this course was creating the wiki. It is a very useful resource, and I can definitely foresee myself utilizing it in my classroom. Wikis look nice, are easy to navigate, and are simple to use. This is ideal for a teacher who does not have a lot of extra time to program a website. I also enjoyed learning about the other technology resources, such Flash videos. I would never have used them, but now I know how simple they are to make, and I would be much more confident using them as tools in my classroom.