Maryah+Barna

Introduction
==== Hello! My name is Maryah Barna. I am a senior at Clemson University studying Math Teaching. I grew up in North Carolina with a large family that is always up to something. I am very involved with my family and love babysitting my two nieces. I love being active and either playing or watching sports. My favorite sport to play is soccer, and my favorite sport to watch is football. I love my Tigers and my Green Bay Packers. I currently am a member at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. I love living in Clemson. It is a beautiful area and has a lot of outdoor activities, which my two dogs love! ====

==== logy is a vital resource to excite and engage students in a way that will help the students learn faster and in a more comprehensive manner. My concern is that students will rely on technology for math rather than understand it themselves. Most of my teachers did not like using technology, even the calculator. They were big proponents of knowing how to do math in your head rather than relying on technology. I support technology in the classroom as long it deepens student's knowledge rather than stunting it. ====

What are the benefits and challenges of using this technology?
The benefits for this technology is the convenience of it. It is a way to assess all the students in a timely manner that actually grabs their attention while doing so. It also allows students to use their phones in class, which they will like. However, that can also cause problems if they start to text for something unrelated to class, becoming a distraction. Then the poll can become an online tool; which is then limited by the access to computers.

Using Technology in my future classrooms
====I would use this technology in my future classrooms, but not on a regular basis. I will not be in a computer lab often, so I would be limited to having the students use their phones to text in the answer. This is too problematic for the classroom at this point. ====

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3. Video Recording
====This is a [|math video about area and perimeter]. This video distinguishes what the difference is between area and perimeter as well as how to find it. The area is explained by breaking down the space into individual blocks in order to count the lengths/widths, but then also to show how multiplying the length times the width gives the area. This video covers the area and perimeter of squares, rectangles and triangles.====

1. I would definitely use Microsoft Mathematics in my classroom so that students are aware of how to use a calculator but also so that they see what the calculator is doing. I like that it shows the steps that the calculator does in order to arrive at the correct answer. It is free and rather easy to use, for teachers and for students. I would use it after covering a topic and then using the calculator to explore more difficult problems with more difficult computations. Also, to show the steps throughout the problem and its solution. 2. I would probably not suggest using this software for help on the students' homework, at least on a regular basis. From what I have seen, students are too dependent on calculators. So, only after the students have shown mastery of the concepts of the topic without the need of a calculator will they be able to use the calculator on their homework. However, if students are going to use a calculator, I would prefer them use this one so that the steps of the solution are able to be displayed. 3. The Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 program allows students to see the step by stem solution to problems, in addition to the correlation between problems of different topics. As a student, I would be able to see math in a new light. Most students forget certain steps or do not know why some steps come before others. This program will allow students the visual support that accommodates the teacher's curriculum.

5. Smart Board Math Tools
 MA.9-12.EA-2.7

Carry out a procedure (including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division by a monomial) to simplify polynomial expressions.

This activity is used to display polynomials by using tiles to represent each variable. It allows the teacher/student to drag each tile to the result slot, and never run out of tiles. The student is able to visually see where the polynomial comes from and how to create the final product given two original ones. There are also practice problems and examples for the teacher to distribute and cover. This lesson is different than the traditional lecture since it is interactive. The students can see the creation of a polynomial, and experiment with the program. Most students have not encountered algebra and polynomials in a visual sense, but rather just computational. This will help reach more students that have different learning styles. MS Mathematics is a great tool, but does not offer algebra tiles. MS Mathematics is better for computations than it is derivations. Possible problems that could arise during this lesson is frustration with the program. Most students are not used to thinking in this manner, and might resist it at first. This has negative implications on their learning if not overcome. However, once students allow themselves to see the polynomials through tiles, it is only beneficial to the students. This problem can be overcome through the teacher walking the students through problems if they are stuck. It can also be overcome with student's individual or paired exploration of the program and simply determining the answer on their own. The teacher could also allow the students to create their own problems, which will motivate them to learn more as well. ===

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6. Dynamic Math
Dynamic math environments are great for student learning. It has the ability to show infinite possibilities that would otherwise take hours and hours or even days. It allows the students to see the trends appear, disappear and change based on how they change the data. This way they can play with the graphs/lines/point/objects and see how each individual piece plays a role. The students can also see what happens when that role is altered or even eliminated. It is important for the student to not just see these characteristics but to explore with them. Dynamic math allows for that and encourages exploration.

The two dynamic math programs I've encountered are Geometer's Sketch Pad (GSP) and GeoGebra. Both of these have great tools to give students experience with dynamic math. However, I prefer GSP over Geogebra as of today. I have had more experience with GSP and learning more about how to construct different objects. Geogebra has a different set of tools that are more 'user-friendly' which would help students when they are first interacting with the program. However, GSP is easier for writing on the sheet in order to see measurements and also adding them up. It took me so long to figure out how to do that on Geogebra and that was only after I had help from my professor.