The objectives for this unit as presented are below. This unit can be adjusted to suit the particular objectives of your training session.

Transcription

1 Introduction As professionals we have a responsibility to make sure that all students receive every opportunity to excel within all subject areas. Today we are going to focus on Middle School math instruction. Together we will use communication and technology to explore some strategies designed to promote success in mathematics to all students. We will also examine how these tools can enrich instruction for students who are already excelling in their classrooms. Objectives The objectives for this unit as presented are below. This unit can be adjusted to suit the particular objectives of your training session. Teachers will explore methods of using communication and written reflection to improve mathematical comprehension. Teachers will gain familiarity with Web 2.0 site classchatter.com Teachers will collaboratively discuss and create instructional strategies to use in their classroom. Materials Needed One Internet capable computer per participant. A digital projector and screen. Handouts (Pages 4 5 of this document) Preparation I. Create Teacher s Account in ClassChatter.com for yourself and fellow presenters. a. See Appendix A for instructions II. III. Create ClassChatter.com class for the participants of this unit. a. See Appendix B for instructions. b. Note Participants Login Information Create Topic Blog a. Was the process of writing about math different the process of completing math through traditional paper and pencil method? b. Are there any topics that are covered in your class that could benefit from the use of technology such as this website? c. Please feel free to use this topic blog as a discussion forum to share idea s and opinions.

2 IV. Create Assignment Blogs a. Create 2 3 Assignment Blogs using questions from the page

3 Presentation Presenter s Role I. Introduction a. Introduce yourself to the class. b. Go over workshop objectives. c. Ask participants to introduce themselves. II. Log Students onto ClassChatter a. See Appendix Ba for instructions III. Assignment Blogs a. Ask Participants to answer the three assignment blogs. IV. Topic Blog a. Ask participants to participate in Topic Blog V. Pass Out Handout a. Go over some benefits of using writing in math instruction. VI. Ask Participants to Create ClassChatter.com accounts a. See Appendix B for instructions VII. Ask Participants to Create Activities on ClassChatter that they could utilize in their own class. a. Be prepared to provide technical assistance VIII. Ask For Volunteers to Present Activities a. Use digital projector IX. Farewell and Feedback a. Let Participants know where they can get help and resources regarding this unit. b. Obtain Formal and informal feedback of presentation. Participants Role I. Introduction a. Participants should introduce themselves and what they teach. II. Log Students onto ClassChatter a. Participants should note log in information III. Assignment Blogs a. Participants should answer the assignment blogs paying particular attention to teaching strategies for these tricky questions. IV. Topic Blog a. Participants should focus on the collaborative nature of this activity V. Pass Out Handout a. This should serve as a primer for the next activity VI. Ask Participants to Create ClassChatter.com accounts a. Participants should print and save log in information VII. Ask Participants to Create Activities on ClassChatter that they could utilize in their own class. a. A variety of activities should be created as per the individual expertise of the participants. VIII. Ask For Volunteers to Present Activities a. Participant s presentations should focus on real life use. IX. Farewell and Feedback a. Participants should provide honest feedback

4 Research: Math & Writing Research in the area of writing to aid math instruction shows that student writing generally falls into two categories; Writing about Affect Students will often write about their feelings concerning mathematics in their journals. When students write about affect they often vent their frustration about mathematics. It is important to legitimize these feelings in your feedback. Teachers can also use this opportunity to pinpoint steps students can take to help alleviate the confusion they are experiencing. However, even if the writing does not seem directly applicable the subject matter, students often report benefits when journaling. Students report that journaling can be therapeutic and help release the pressure of a challenging math course Writing about Content When writing about the subject matter, journaling forces students to user their own words to express or acquire understanding about the subject. In surveys students report that when forced to use their own vocabulary to explain math concepts that they build an individualized understanding. Students began to form bridges between previous knowledge and new material, increasing the size of their web of understanding. Writing also facilitated reasoning and problem solving. Writing encourages students to elaborate and be sequential in their examination of the problem at hand. In fact practitioners who utilize journaling often find that students answer their own questions as they examined within the journal. Benefits to the Teacher When reading student journals teachers are given nearly real time feedback of their teaching. Teachers can use this feedback for diagnosis and evaluation. This data can be used to make short or long term changes in teaching, or as a basis for an action research project. Writing Assignment Ideas Informal Writing Assignments In Class Writing This generally uses minutes of class time. Students can either engage in free writing or focused writing using a subject provided by the teacher. The purpose of this type of writing is to improve a students understanding of a topic. Math Autobiographies This often helps students and teachers understand and express their backgrounds and feelings about math.

5 Reading Logs These logs can help students interoperate the complex and abstract nature of many math texts Journals Letters Giving students a particular audience and asking them write in a familiar form can make the writing process less burdensome. Formal Writing Assignments Proofs Forces students to think through problems in a logical in linear fashion. Process Papers Students are asked to discuss and examine a particular topic or process Research Papers Can be used in an interdisciplinary fashion with other subjects. Formal Lecture Notes The responsibility of producing a polished graded lecture notes for distribution among the class can be rotated through form student to student throughout the year.

6 Appendix A Creating a Teacher Account With ClassChatter.com Please start by navigating to We will begin by creating a new teacher s account on the system. Click Sign Up to create your account. Continue past the first information page by clicking the Sign Up Now button in the lower right quadrant of your screen. Read over the user agreement. You may wish to show this to your supervisor or principal before using this site in your classroom. If you wish to continue click on the link that reads I Agree to the Above Terms. Enter the Zip Code your school is located in.

7 Now you have to enter your log in information. It is important you fill these fields carefully, as they will affect how you interact with the site. o You should use your primary address; it does not have to be a school account. o This is how ClassChatter.com will communicate with you. Teacher Name o This is how classchatter.com will identify you to the students in your class. o For example you may wish your teacher name to be Mrs. Smith or Principal Saunders. Password o Choose a secure password that is unknown to anyone but you. o Do not share your password with students! User Name o This should be one word, and it must be unique to the system. To finish registration you have to create a class within the ClassChatter system. A class can be any group of students you would like collaborating together. You can draw students from a traditional class, from across the school, or from across the world. Class Log In o Much like a user name this should be unique to the system and only one word. Class Title : o This is the full name of the class, for example Third Period Honors English Class Password: o Students will use this in conjunction with the Class Log In to enter the site.

8 Finishing Up: After you have finished entering your class information the system will store your information and send you an . You should also see a page with the log in information you entered on the site. Please Print This Page for your records you will need this information to get onto the site. For Information On how to add students to a class please see Appendix B

9 Appendix B Add Students to a Class in ClassChatter.com First Log into the teacher s section of the ClassChatter.com homepage using your User Name and Password. (See Appendix A) Once you have logged in you can either choose an existing class from the list near the top of the page or you may choose to create a new class by clicking the link directly below the pull down menu. Once you choose a class you will enter the Class Dashboard. The dashboard gives you a quick overview of everything you need to know about a class. Click the Students button (shown to the right) to begin adding students to your class.

10 Add students using the form shown above. Student accounts can be edited or deleted at any time. Also, it is important to remember that student names will only be shown to members of the class, or if the teacher chooses student names can even be hidden from fellow class members. (Turn on Identity Masking from the Customize Class menu) There are three choices for entering student passwords. Random Password Generator This automatically creates a simple random 4 digit password for the student. Use 4123 This will set a default password of 4123 for the student. Custom Password If you wish you may enter any custom password you wish for the student. Remember, that students can change their passwords upon login. However you, the teacher, will always have access to the students chosen password.

11 Appendix B a Logging in as a Student To log in as a student, students must first enter the class name and password that you created for the class on the classchatter.com homepage. After students have logged into the class they will be shown the class homepage. Near the top of the homepage they will have to choose their name from the pull down menu and enter their personal menu. (See Appendix B) After the student has successfully entered their log in information they will we be taken to the student section of the web site.