After 11 Tools: Reflections

I have considered myself digitally literate but working at the 11 Tools project makes me think that my knowledge just scratches the surface of the digital ocean. When our students jump into that depth, most of them start swimming but would I be able to do so? I hope I would - “with a little help from my friends” :).

My favorite tools so far are the iMovies, the word clouds, Wiki, and Skype.

Tool 11: Digital Citizenship

The most important things about being good digital citizens for me are: being safe, being responsible, and being honest.

Being safe in the digital world is a huge topic that needs to be constantly addressed by parents, teachers, authorities, medias, etc. The social networking is an area where our teens rush into without realizing the consequences of their openness.

Being responsible in the digital world includes being kind with your comments and thinking before sending your thoughts out for everyone to see. Unfortunately, the cyber bulling becomes more and more common among the middle school students.

Being honest in the digital world associates with giving credit to your sources of information. Although the battle against the plagiarism has been fought for a long time, the digital generation needs daily clarification on the copyright law issues.

Tool 10: Exploring Mobile Technology And Apps

I do not own or have access to the i-devices. The middle school students use those mainly as music and games sources. The most common Math related app is the scientific calculator. Since the state restricts using calculators for testing at 7th grade I warn my students not to rely on them. I teach and want my students to master computation skills. I expect them to be able to show the process of solving a problem. There is nothing wrong though with checking the answer afterwards.

I have come across the Wolfram Alpha website that is now available as app. It is a very clever and useful data system with the ability to solve equations. That tool would be highly beneficial for college students or teachers.

Tool 9: Sharing Information Through Jing & Skype

I have seen Jing but have not used it. It seems suitable for sending snapshots of printed or written materials - handouts, notes, drafts, etc.

Skype is a convenient way of having real-time conversation with people far away or next door without leaving your work station. One can do audio or video connections, conference calls, send links or pictures - you name it. I have been using Skype for years talking with my family and friends oversees as well as businesses and services at different places. I like the idea of a teacher being available on Skype at set times in the afternoons for student needing after school help.

Tool 8: Video Resources

In my class the students watch Math videos often. Those are part of our online resources from the textbook publisher. I use videos to refresh previous knowledge as well as clarify or re-teach difficult concepts. The YouTube video embedded bellow would be a fun way to review finding measures of central tendency.




The embedding on the second video I chose was disabled so I linked it. The song presents the roman number by counting the wheels on a big rug.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60hAeDm7jb0

Tool 7: Digital Storytelling

My first iMovie is Journey through Bulgaria. I combined personal pictures and favorite folk music to show the beauty of my native country.



Students can use the digital storytelling to present both the process and the product of their MYP projects.

Although I have never worked on a Mac before, it was easy to get a grip of it with Cheryl Wegscheid’s help. Thanks a lot.

Tool 6: Wikis

Using a wiki seem to be similar to creating Google docs. The mutual accessibility can stimulate discussions, enable the students to communicate about math, and increase their engagement over all. Wikis can be powerful tools in group projects, especially our MYP units.

Tool 5: Tagging and Social Bookmarking

After browsing through both sites I joined Diigo. It offers lots of features to make online search and bookmarking easier. I bookmarked and tagged the following websites:

http://www.thesingaporemaths.com/ - Problem Solving strategies including the Model-drawing method.

http://www.math-play.com/index.html - Online Math games organized by grade level.

Tool 4: Cool Google Tools

I created two documents in Google that our Family B will need at the beginning of the school year and shared them with my teammates. Although the mutual accessibility is an advantage, creating docs in Google has lots of kinks compared to the Word docs. I hope the geeks will take care of those soon.

My Google reader subscription was already done by signing in as a follower in a few blogs from my PLN. The reader is a convenient tool saving time to get the news in my area of interests.

Tool 3: Image Generators & Mashups

I created images on Spell with Flickr, Wordle, and WordItOut.

I started with the spelling and spent a long time exploring the program. After about a dozen of examples I settled on the image posted on the bottom. The program is not flexible on the resizing and situating the sign but could be used for emphasizing important events.

The two word cloud programs were fun to work with. Each of them has pros and cons but I can see those as useful tools in learning and practicing vocabulary.

Tool 2: Building Community & Comments

Participating in a PLN creates possibilities to connect to other teachers and exchange ideas, materials, sources, etc. It also opens another door for collaboration among the students. However, the line between collaboration and copying becomes thinner. Are we ready for that?

Adding meaningful comments to a conversation is a great skill and we definitely need to teach the students how to do that. I need to practice it myself :).

I commented on the blogs of Kim Montgomery, Seda Dawson, Amy Houser, Kathy Oxpring, and Beth Bray.

Tool 1: Blog Set-up & Registration

Seting-up the blog itself was easy because it was much similar to seting-up a web site. After struggling with Dot Net Nuke, the Blogger was a piece of cake. Although neither of the videos was available (just blank space instead…), I was able to get it done fast.

The avatar on the other side took enormous time and effort. You may think it was because I could not make my mind……Actually, I knew what I wanted after a short browse but making all the parts stick together took forever. When I changed the necklace, the hair disappeared; switching the costume switched the face colors as well……. It required starting from the begging every time and trying to repeat the same choices without complications. At the end, I settled for something acceptable but it was not exactly my first choice.

I hope with some practice and properly working tools the next steps will be easier to accomplish.