Jalonna+Kearney

=1. INTRODUCTION =

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My name is Jalonna Kearney and I am a senior Secondary Education (Math) and Mathematical Science major at Clemson University. Originally from Decatur, GA, I currently reside in Lawrenceville located in Gwinnett County, GA. I have attended Clemson for the last four years where I have also been a =====

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 cheerleader. After graduation this August I plan to apply my minor degree in Athletic Leadership along with my major by teaching mathematics to 9th and 10th grade students as well as coaching cheerleading at the high school or collegiate level. =====

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In designing my future plans as an educator, I am attempting to develop my philosophy about teaching especially the area of using technology. I absolutely plan to use technological aids when teaching mathematics in my classrooms and strongly believe that when utilized properly, such aids will no doubt increase the level of engagement between the students and the class. Allowing students to apply their common knowledge on technology including calculators and various programs found on computers will not only keep students interested in the material but it may even make it easier for some students to grasp concepts. =====

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During my elementary school years it seemed as though the extent of technology used to teach me mathematics ended at an overhead projector. Towards the end of high school, the use of PowerPoint and other aids to help enhance lectures was not uncommon. Entering Clemson, SMART boards began to became widely used and accepted as an appropriate aid to use with mathematics as well as throughout all curriculum. As demonstrated technological advances continue to be made and thus should continue to be utilized especially in teaching mathematics. =====

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Throughout my collegiate career I have had a few opportunities to use technology. Although most of my usage was for the purpose of completing various assignments, I have learned to effectively use a SMART board as well as Prezi, a nonlinear method of presentation. As a required component of one of my previous courses, a SMART board was to be incorporated into the lesson plan and ultimate teaching of a lesson on a mathematical topic. I, along with other members in my group, chose to teach a lesson on linear functions. We used the properties of the SMART board to graph various functions as well as have students display their own work in comparison to their classmates'. Overall, I am forced to use technology in today's society. It has become necessary to be literate in technology not only for communication purposes but for educational ones as well. =====

=2. Online Assessment =

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VOTE NOW!

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As with other forms of technology, using this form of online assessment has benefits as well as challenges. One of the benefits is the ability to visually see the thoughts of the classroom represented in the poll. A challenge for using this technology is limited use of characters. The inability to accurately display symbols and mathematical notations may prohibit the correct interpretation of the problem by the students. =====

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I would definitely use this technology in my future classroom because it is a way to display information about each specific class that my students have probably never seen before. The freshness of this program would grab the attention of my students and allow them to remain engaged throughout the whole class. =====

=3. Video Recording =

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I found a video about solving equations with variables on both sides that may be used in the classroom. In the video, An instructor is talking various problems out with the viewer. While he is speaking, the problem is being solved step-by-step. A word problem is even deciphered and solved towards the end of the video. Although I do plan on utilizing various teaching aids including videos, I am not sure I would use this particular video in my classroom. This is because I could just as easily represent this information myself. I would rather save the use of videos for topics I find personally difficult to explain. =====

=4. Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 =



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I think I would use Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 in my classroom because it would allow me to display multiple ways of representing the same problem quickly and with ease. I could display the graph for all students to see and inquire about as well as show how problems are solved via different methods. I would also recommend my students use this software as a homework supporter. Mainly because some students may not have access to graphing calculators and by utilizing this software, all students will have an equal opportunity to complete assignments required. I believe that by utilizing this software, students may begin to think that math is not as difficult as it may be perceived. With guidance, students would be encouraged to open their minds and see the different ways problems may be solved. In exploring various methods of solving, my hope would be that students discover a method that is easiest and appealing to them. Hopefully all the aids used within my classroom help build mathematical confidence in my students. =====

=<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. Smart Board Math Tools =

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I chose to review the lesson on Inductive vs. Deductive Reasoning which corresponds to the standard MA.9-12.G-1 which states that the student will understand and utilize the mathematical processes of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation.

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In this lesson students are challenged to differentiate between inductive and deductive reasoning using various methods of grouping geometric objects by size, shape, and color. They are given numerous examples and even utilize the recognition of patterns to define the terms //inductive// and //deductive.// This lesson is different from traditional lectures in the sense that it is driven by individual student participation. The lesson centers on student engagement and leaves much room for personal interpretation. In terms of MS Mathematics 4.0, the lesson is different because it does not involve performing operations. I determine MS Mathematics 4.0 to be useful in operation-heavy concepts. Topics such as reasoning and proof can be demonstrated using simpler programs and tools such as the SMARTboard.

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Possible problems that may arise from regarding student learning are the lack and overload of information. Some students who are more visual may find it difficult to grasp the concepts of reasoning along with students who prefer more kinesthetic methods. A way to overcome these problems would be to provide the same shapes in wooden blocks to use for grouping. Perhaps still incorporating technology by having students come to the SMARTboard and perform the grouping would also prove to be helpful.

=<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. Geogebra =

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What do you think about dynamic mathematics environment? Do they contribute to students’ learning? How?

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I believe a dynamic mathematics environment is very beneficial and definitely contributes to students' learning. Mainly by the use of interactive features such as digital construction, sliders, and other functions, students are able to explore how a change in variables may or may not affect the display of the graph. It is a quicker and more efficient way of exploring variable relationships to generic function equations. Students would enjoy creating and completing tasks involving dynamic mathematics.

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Compare GeoGebra with GSP regarding your experiences! Be specific with examples, tools and design features both have!

<span style="color: #7500ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Geogebra is very similar to Geometer's Sketch Pad. They have some of the same basic concepts such as the display of their home buttons however I prefer Geogebra's style of breakdown. Their home buttons have drop down menus where you can choose the option specific to what is required to accomplish tasks. On both programs, the construction of polynomials is simple because the shape is connected simply by clicking on where the vertices of the object will be, however when using Geogebra, constructing ellipses, hyperbolas and other conics are completed more easily as compared to GSP's method of tru construction using distance from points. One on the major differences as to why I prefer using Geogebra is its option to implement a spreadsheet into the page. Lists may be created easily which, as we discussed in class, can be useful when developing histograms, box plots, and other graphics which require data.