Ashley+Estes



Hello, my name is Ashley Estes. I am from Medfield, Massachusetts and this is my senior year at Clemson University. I have played on the women's club lacrosse team here for the past three years and I work at Wingin' It in downtown Clemson. My major is secondary education mathematics and I am really looking forward to student teaching in the spring. I am not sure whether I want to stay in South Carolina to teach or head back to Massachusetts, but I am looking forward to exploring my options come graduation time in May!

(a). I think the use of technological aids in the teaching of mathematics is not only important, but essential. Teachers have changed the way that they teach because students are becoming more and more familiar with different pieces of technology over the past years. I think technology can enhance the way a student learns and even engage the students more so than just a blank chalkboard wall and a piece of white chalk. I thank calculators are extremely important as well, and I think students should use them to learn, but I do not think students should depend on them. I think it is important for students to be able to do basic math in their head, and if they depend on calculators so much then that limits the students ability to do that.
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(b). When I was in the classroom most of my teachers used an overhead. As I progressed into my last couple years of high school, a couple of my teachers began to use a smartboard. We used calculators in the classroom, but we were never allowed to use them for every single test we took because my teachers did not want us to rely on them.

(c.) Last fall, for our EDSEC class we had to do a lesson at the middle school and at the high school. In both situations I taught using a smartboard. We also had a lot of experience in using technology during our EDF 315 Course. We used google earth, powerpoint, prezi, etc.


 * 2. Online Assessment Tools **

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[|Vote Now!]


 * a.) What are the benefits and challenges to using this technology?**

The benefits to using this technology is that you are able to assess your students by getting feedback from the class. It's great to know how your students are handling the new material you throw at them as a teacher, but it is also great for the students to be able to see the feedback as a whole to see where they may lie compared to the rest of their students as well. A challenge to this technology would be that the results are anonymous so you can't see who posted which answer. Also, you must make sure you have the equipment for this technology in the classroom as well.


 * b.) Would you use this technology in your future class? Why?**

I would use this technology in my future classroom because I think it is extremely important to know how your students are doing and if they are understanding the material you are teaching or not. I think this is a fast and easy way to get that feedback that teachers needs.


 * 3. Video Reflection**

[|Technology VIdeo]

I chose this video because it interviews students on how they feel about learning with technology. I like how teachers are able to get direct feedback from students by watching this video so they can understand why students appreciate the use of technological devices in the classroom. I think this video can benefit both students and teachers when it comes to learning and teaching in a classroom environment.


 * 4. Mathematics 4.0**




 * a) Would you use Mathematics 4.0 in your classroom? If yes, how would you use it? If not, why not?**

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I would absolutely use Mathematics 4.0 in my classroom. I think it is a great tool that can help students in many different ways. One great thing about the program is it maps out the steps to each problem, which is great because it not only shows what the answer is, but it shows how students can get the answer. Not to mention, this seems like a great tool to use to engage the students. Students are becoming more and more computer and technology friendly, which is why it is important for us to incorporate it into our learning. This is one safe way to do so where you know technology is truly benefiting the students by teaching mathematics.=====


 * b) Would you recommend your students use this software at home as a homework supporter? Why or why not?**

I don't think all homework assignments should be based on this program because I think that some should be done from pen and paper like when a student is learning how to graph functions by themselves. However, I do think students could benefit from this program by using it at home. I think if they had this program available to them in their homes it might motivate the students to actually want to do their homework. The only reason I would be careful with that is the answers are literally a click away and the steps of how to do the problem are literally a click away too so you would just want to make sure your students weren't abusing that privilege instead of learning the material. Other than that, I think this program being available to students at home is just another way for them to become more familiar with the program, which can only benefit in class activities using Mathematics 4.0.


 * c) What kind of mathematical view(s) emerge(s) from the Microsoft Mathematics 4.0? Assume that you are a high school student and you use this software at home or during some of your mathematics classes with the guidance of your teacher. How would you view or perceive mathematics in the light of this software? Explain it.**

I think if I was a student who was use to being introduced to new technology and was having trouble engaging in math, then this program would give me an extra boost to want to dive into mathematics. I think a student would b eager to use Mathematics 4.0 and see what it was all about, i.e., what it had to offer, what can be done using the program, how it works, etc. At the same time, I wouldn't want students to expect Mathematics 4.0 to do the learning for them. The program is great and can do so much, which is why I wouldn't want students to take advantage of the program and overuse it. If Mathematics 4.0 is used correctly, I think it can truly benefit a student and maybe change the students way of how he/she perceives mathematics from bad to good.


 * 5.** **Smart Board Math Tools**

[|Lesson Activity]

Standard: MA.9-12.G-3 The student will demonstrate through the mathematical processes an understanding of the properties and special segments of triangles and the relationships between and among triangles.

The lesson activity deals with the Pythagorean theorem. It has a series of questions that asks what the Pythagorean theorem is as well as pictures of a triangle that relate to each question that is being asked. There are also true/false questions that are involved in the lesson, which relate to the Pythagorean theorem and the students are asked to find the value of x using the Pythagorean Theorem. This lesson is different than a traditional lecture because it is a bunch of different questions that requires students to think before choosing their answer. The questions are all different, but each relate to the Pythagorean Theorem in a different way. They are also multiple choice, which may help students understand the material better because it allows students to see why answer "A" may be correct, but why answer "B," "C," and "D" are incorrect. This lesson is different than using Mathematics 4.0 for instruction because none of the work can be done using the software. The students must show their work on paper themselves in order to get to the answer. Possible problems that students might encounter during this lesson is that having multiple choice answers may confuse the students more than normal since the teacher is introducing new material, but it may also benefit them in the end as I said earlier because it helps them distinguish what is a correct answer and what is not so they do not get confused in the future. I think the class could overcome this problem without technology by encouraging the students to work out the problems by themselves on paper. This way the students can understand the material in an independent way to help them get towards the right answers. Also, it may be easy to make simple mistakes when using the Pythagorean theorem, which is why it is important for students to work out the problems themselves on paper so they can go back and change any mistakes that may need fixing.


 * 6. Geogebra Applet**


 * a) What do you think about dynamic mathematics environment? Do they contribute to students' learning? How?**

I think dynamic mathematics environment is great when it comes to students learning. It is not only helpful for the students, but engaging for them as well. Dynamic math contributes to students learning because it allows them visualize the mathematics that is going on. Along with visualizing, they are able to explore the mathematics using the dynamics in the problem. This way, they can make their own conjectures and notice how certain factors of a problem can change by using the dynamics.


 * b) Compare GeoGebra and GSP regarding your experiences! Be specific with examples, tools, and design features both have!**

One of the major things I liked about GeoGebra is that it is free. This is a huge benefit for students considering GSP costs money. Another thing I like about GeoGebra is the drop down pictures that are on the menu bar. It is a lot easier to navigate to what you want done when there is a picture there to guide you along the way. I also like that GeoGebra had the "algebraic" view which allowed you to see everything you had done up to a certain point, which GSP does not have. I found it easier for me to create polygons and measure angles using GSP, rather than GeoGebra. I also found it difficult at times to use dynamic text in GeoGebra due to figuring out where the put the quotations around specific letters. All in all, both programs do a great job contributing to students learning and allowing teachers to incorporate new activities in the classroom.