Fast EdTech

When I read articles about generational differences, I tend to have an instant reaction. My eyes will roll and the word “ugh” will escape my mouth more than once. The reason that I feel this way is because I am part of the “Millennial” generation. Lately, there have been tons of articles criticizing my generation (see: “‘Don’t Buy $19 Smashed Avocado’: Melbourne Property TycoonHammers Millennials Over Spending Habits” and “Millennials are Killing List” ). These articles are very frustrating because they put all Millennials in a box. They assume that we are all the same. Are people of different ages different? Of course, they are! But to make sweeping generalizations about people born during a certain time period is dangerous. I think this is true for education as well. For instance, in Prensky’s article, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants,” he states that his, “own preference for teaching Digital Natives is to invent computer games to do the job.” He believes that you could ...

Guest Blogger: Maxwell Nelson 1. Dune  by Frank Herbert  Simply calling this a science fiction book does not do it justice. Herbert’s distant future portrayal of the hero’s journey is as relevant today as it was in the sixties. That fact that it was written by a fellow Washingtonian makes it all the more appealing. 2. The Hobbit, or There And Back Again  by J.R.R. Tolkien  A timeless classic for all ages. All of our favorite fantasy adventures stories owe a tip of the cap to Tolkien’s legacy. 3.  The Name of the Wind  by Patrick Rothfuss   This is just one of the many stories influenced by Tolkien. However, Rothfuss’ blending of classic and contemporary fantasy, as well as his love of D&D style gaming, has formed a deeply compelling and beautiful story within a story. 4.  East of Eden  by John Steinbeck  An ambitious undertaking. Steinbeck brings the bible to California in gorgeous and painful detail with this dramat...

I am currently transitioning from teaching elementary to teaching algebra at a middle school. Algebra is actually a high school course, but more and more students in my district are taking it earlier than that, which is how I got this job. It has been making me think about how algebra is so important but is also very difficult for students. I stumbled across this Ted Talk by Emmanuel Schanzer called, “Why is algebra so hard?” and just had to watch it: One of his quotes that struck me right away was, “Arithmetic is to math as spelling is to journalism.” This is so true because arithmetic is only a small part of mathematics. Much of mathematics is much more abstract than this, which can be difficult for students. Students grow up thinking math is all about finding an answer but algebra changes this. This video then took a turn though. To me, it didn’t really answer the question, “Why is algebra so hard?” but rather the question, “How can we connect algebra and computer scie...

One of the biggest trends in edtech has been 1:1 devices in schools. Many districts have been working on getting computers or iPads for every student in their schools. That way every student has equal access to technology. This is something I have been passionate about because it is very frustrating to have to share computer carts amongst multiple classrooms. I know that my district is currently working toward getting a cart of computers in every classroom. I do have one concern about this though. In middle school, if a student uses a computer in every class, they could be in front of a screen for up to six hours. That is a lot of screen time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that there be a limit on screen time for children and teenagers. Computers are such a powerful tool to use in the classroom but how much use is too much? My question for you is: should we limit screen time in the classroom?

I used to have an ActivBoard in my classroom but my district decided recently to move away from these and start using iPads and a television screen. I was part of the first group to pilot this technology. I have many apps that I use to help present my lessons to my students. Here are some of the ones I use most often. 1. Notability Notability is a notetaking and annotation app. You can start with a blank white screen that you can draw, write, or type on. You can also upload pdfs to annotate over. I have Google Slides with my math lessons on them. I convert them to a pdf, upload them to Notability, and then I can mirror my iPad screen to the tv. I can then show students how to solve the problems. Below is a screenshot of one of the problems I modeled for students: 2. iPevo Whiteboard I have a document camera in my room but I often use iPevo Whiteboard as a way to use my iPad as a document camera. If I am already using my iPad to teach I can easily switch to this app if...

There are so many fantastic online tools for the mathematics classroom. Below is a list of links to some of my favorites: Desmos Desmos has so many amazing features. First of all, it is a free, online graphing calculator. The best thing about it though is all of the classroom activities. You can search for a math topic you are planning on teaching and find engaging activities that students can complete at their own pace. One of my personal favorites is Marble Slides. Students have to get the marbles into a hole by graphing lines that become slides for the marbles. The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives   This is a library of virtual manipulatives. They are organized by mathematics standard and by grade. Math can be very abstract for students so using manipulatives is a powerful visual to help math make sense. I don't always have access to every manipulative though and they can be quite expensive. This is a free way to access any manipulative you could want. Dan Meyer...

 I really connected to the reading, "Preservice English Teachers and Technology: A Consideration of Weblogs for the English Classroom." When I signed up to take this class, I was teaching 5th grade. I was looking for ways to engage students with analyzing the books that they are reading. I have done book clubs, reading journals, etc. I was thinking that blogging may be something that would get kids excited about writing about reading. This article confirmed that it could be a great tool in an English classroom. The thing I am struggling with now is that I am no longer going to be teaching elementary and am now moving to a middle school math classroom. I am not sure how I could incorporate blogging into that classroom. Maybe I could have students write their own word problems, post them, and then other students could solve them and put their answer in the comments. I'm not sure this is a meaningful way to use blogs though. The article said that there should be, "an ...

Hello! My name is Hannah Fast and this is my first post for the class EDTECH 537: Blogging in the Classroom. For the past four years I have been teaching in an elementary school in a classroom of highly capable students. Next year I am moving to middle school to teach algebra and advanced algebra/trigonometry. I have taught middle school math in the past so I am excited to be returning to it. Not only am I passionate about math, but I also love using technology in the classroom. I am always looking for new tools to try out with my students and always willing to help other teachers implement technology into their classroom. This is why I decided to get my master's degree in educational technology from Boise State. I am new to blogging but it is something I have always wanted to try. I am looking forward to sharing lessons and tools that I use in my classroom as well as collaborating and learning from others. I'm not sure how I could incorporate blogging into a mathematics...