Digital Classroom

Blog Purpose

awoodbridge — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:52:41 +0000

This blog has been created to be a starting point for Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education Officers. I hope to post anything interesting or helpful that i come across.

Student Generated Content

awoodbridge — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:31:25 +0000

I took a foray into student created content last year, and I think I was pretty successful. I had students create their own wiki SQL-Functions. I had them take the SQL functions that they were learning and put the content into a usable format. They continued to use it throughout the semester as a reference.

This term I was going back to see how the site was doing. I noticed that it continued to rack up hits over the summer, which means that the general public has been using the site. I told those students (they’re now seniors) and they were excited that they actually created something useful. I’m going to have the current juniors go back into the site and do some clean up and add some new content.

Cell Size and Scale

awoodbridge — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:17:56 +0000

This website has made the rounds on other blogs, I thought I would share it here for Teachers. It’s hard to explain the scale of really tiny or really big things. This website does a great job with a simple slider. This is also a great opening for an observation lesson when you need to use the smart board.

Two Months In a Paperless Classroom

awoodbridge — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:24:41 +0000

After considerable delay in posting. I have a field report from my three paperless classrooms. The three classes are Database classes in a computer lab. All of their work is posted as PDF files on my wikispace, their work is turned in via email. I use PDF995 for making my files, and it works very well for free.

We are required to do goals with our students (NYDOE’s new idea to give ownership to the students), I was able to setup a GoogleDoc Survey to manage their goals without to much trouble.

The schedule is tracked on a 30Boxes calendar, this is an amazingly easy to use calendar that’s very easy to share, I don’t know why I haven’t heard of this sooner. I stumbled on it, and it’s great, fast and simple.

So far, the only papers I have given them are two sheets that needed to be signed by parents. I would like to find a way to have permission slips submitted to parents via email and returned. I did look into EchoSign, but it was cost prohibative. They do offer free services for small numbers, but I have to use it once or twice a year for 150 students. They also weren’t very interested in making arrangements to try it in a school setting. I’m still looking for options.

Overall I haven’t had any issues, the students seem to like it, and I don’t have to carry any papers for those classes.

Wikis – 4

awoodbridge — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:28:54 +0000

In addition to my Classroom wiki, I also have had students create their own. SQL FUNctions is a resource that the students have used themselves and have shared over the internet. It is also something that can be built upon each year by my students. I created the wiki and had the students join it. They were split up into groups and they had to create the site according to the style guide I provided.

I’ve been watching the stats, people do actually use the site on a regular basis, which is something the students can be proud of.

Google Sketchup

awoodbridge — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:36:08 +0000

While this is on the border of the purpose of this, I thought I would mention it. Google Sketchup is an excellent free tool for creating 2D and 3D designs. For work that I do, I usually use TurboCAD, but for students Sketchup is much easier to learn. With a little work students will be creating designs, and adding pre-made objects. I have use this program for set designs and ride designs.There is a Pro version available for a price, but it really isn’t necessary. At one time, educators were able to get a free version of SketchUp Pro, I’m not sure if this is still the case.

It takes about an half an hour to learn the basic tools, after that exploration will lead to deeper understanding and discovery. When I design tasks for this tool, I leave the designs open ended, but I limit time. Students who work quickly can add more and more details, other students can finish their basic designs. They can always finish their designs on your own time.

Google provides libraries of objects, patterns, materials, buildings to use in your designs. You can also start with the tens of thousands of pre-made buildings and create a city. Students can print their work, or keep it digital.

CSDT- Virtual Bead Loom – Cartesian Coordinates

awoodbridge — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:03:44 +0000

The virtual bead loom is the tool that the Culturally-Situated Design Tools group usually starts with. As with all the tools, it starts with the culture. Many Native American tribes use four fold symmetry in their designs. The math inherent in these patterns runs deep.

In the classroom spend time on the culture, this is what gives value to math. After the culture you move onto the tool. There are two levels of the software, beginner and regular. The beginner software stays in quadrant I, regular software uses all four quadrants. I find it easier to deal with the regular even just starting out, it makes reflections easier just flipping positives and negatives.

The tool requires you to think about the coordinates, you can’t click on the grid, you have to use the numbers. In the top right corner you can pick a pattern to try for, or you can design your own. I explain the tools to them, give them an easy target pattern, allow them to create an interesting pattern to share, then create a complicated target pattern.

You can create standard shapes:

Points- Only need two coordinates
Lines – Two points (each end)
Rectangles – Two points (opposite corners)
Triangles – Three corner points

You can also create iterative shapes. While doing their research CSDT discoverd that the regular programmers formula for triangles doesn’t match up with Native American art. After further investigation, they found that the pattern is iterative (repetitive following of directions). This lead to two other tools

Linear Iteration – Start with a line of several beads, make a new line and add or subtract beads from each end, repeat.
Triangle Iteration – Start at a point, go a couple lines, add a bead to both sides, go a couple more lines, etc.

The bead loom does a great job teaching slope (you can count the beads up and over), translations, dilations, reflections. The teachers resources section shows some extension ideas, like having the students make their patterns using real beads, and other lesson ideas.

More Wiki Stuff?

awoodbridge — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:29:16 +0000

I’m not really sure what else to write about wikis, so unless the muse strikes, or someone comments, I’m going to set that to the side for now

Ron Eglash & Culturally-Situated Design Tools

awoodbridge — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:43:32 +0000

Ron Eglash (TED Talk, Website) has done some amazing things with math and culture. In an effort to tie math and culture together he created a group of web-tools. They cover everything from Fractals & African Architecture to Native Americans Bead Looms. Minority students see their cultures taught as primitive or native, but there a lot of math inherent in their societies. These tools allow students to see that math isn’t only a European invention.

Every student can benefit from the project driven math. Every tool starts with cultural background which leads to web applet that allows them to design something. When I’ve used these I usually start with a more guided assignment that tells them specifically what to try and make, then something more open ended which they can be more creative.

I’ll be posting about the different tools as time goes by. I have done some research with the CSDT group on the Fractal Tool, and I’ve been very successful in the classroom using their content and applets.

Prezi . . . A New Way To Present

awoodbridge — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:45:43 +0000

About Perspective . . .

Click through the presentation above, if you’re not floored, then your not a teacher. These presentations go way beyond the concept of slides and Power Point. Scale now show importance. Your free to roam about a presentation clicking around or following a prescribed path. It’s like a trip to IKEA, you can follow the arrows or go straight to what you want (or forgot) and then hop back on the arrows. It’s clickyness makes it perfect for use with smart boards. Of course it’s free, but there are more advanced options available on a subscription. Prezi.com

Free Account – Have a small image in the bottom left corner, everything stays online. Good enough for teachers and students.
Pay Account – Check the site for prices, services range from offline viewing to offline editing, and branding