Podcasts

A podcast is a series of audio or video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers. Podcasts are useful in many different environments. They cover virtually any topic you could think of, and are easy to find free online and even through I-Tunes. One of the most common uses of Podcasts is through language tutorials where the host instructs the listener how to speak a new language.

Although a very different subject than languages, Podcasts could also be a helpful tool in my future math classroom. When I was in eleventh grade, one of my teachers incorporated a funny video podcast into our Calculus lesson. It made the class, which started at 7:15 am, fun and interesting while teaching relevant information. I hope to include similar Podcasts into my class lesson plans to catch and hold the attention of my students. Podcasts can also be helpful as an outside of the classroom resource. Many high schools are beginning to create Podcasts of lessons so that students can rewatch and absorb what the teacher is saying a second time. Even more colleges are taking advantage of Tegrity Campus, a Tegrity product where every lesson is recorded with slides, electronic white boards, and whatever other technology the professor uses. Students quickly find just what they need by scanning thumbnail images or searching across an entire semester of class recordings using key words. During class, Tegrity's automatic tagging and indexing creates meta data for textual content of slides, websites and application names, which allows students to search for – and instantly find – specific learning moments. More specific to a high school environment, Podcasts can also be helpful for students who are falling slightly behind. Even if a given teacher does not have his own Podcasts, he could guide a student to available resources. I-Tunes itself has over a dozen Calculus tutorials on its own that could explain the information to a student in a different way that might make all the difference in his understanding. Therefore, Podcasts will be a very helpful tool in my future math classroom.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by Microsoft. The program allows its user to incorporate text, images, sounds, graphs, and more into each slide to create a neat and professional presentation. PowerPoint is easy to use and is an extremely effective way to organize information to make a meaningful and profound impact on its viewers. Because of this ability, the program is widely used by people in the business world, educators, students, and trainers.

In my classroom, PowerPoint will be used as a useful tool. While a typical math class usual involves a chalkboard and chalk, a PowerPoint can be very helpful to provide a neater way for the students to take notes. It not only makes it easier for the teacher, since he does not have to re-write the same lesson over again four times in the same day, but also makes it easier for the students to read and place sequentially in their notes. Because the same PowerPoint could be used from one class to the next, it would also force uniformity of the examples and definitions present in each students' notes. This is helpful for the teacher so he knows exactly what was covered and that it was done in all classes. PowerPoint would also be helpful in my future classes when teaching students with learning disabilities. Instead of looking at a full chalkboard of writing and being overwhelmed or getting lost, the children would only be able to focus on one slide at a time. The teacher could control exactly where their attention is being directed by limiting how much information they could see at any given time. These are just a few ways that PowerPoint could be used as a useful tool in my future math classroom.

Mathematica

Mathematica is the one of the best Mathematics software available on the global market. According to Wolfram Research, is is not just for computation but for modeling, simulation, visualization, development, documentation, and deployment. It can be used for a wide range of simple and difficult computations ranging from those required for linear algebra and matrices to number theory and statistics. Mathematica contains the largest collection of algorithms which enable its user to fully operate across the widest applicable scope of numeric, symbolic, and graphical input. The program is also capable of creating high impact two and three dimensional graphs and tables of complex functions and data.

In my own classroom, I see the technology of Mathematica as an invaluable tool. When used in conjunction with a SmartBoard or less complex projector, I will be able to incorporate the program into my lessons with great ease. Mathematica will enable me to draw perfect graphs and geometric shapes quickly and flawlessly. In less class time than ever before, I will be able to create colorful, neat, and perfect visuals for my students to clearly understand the material. Mathematica could also be very useful in my future classroom when teaching probabilities. The factorials used in statistics can create very large and difficult numbers. Mathematica can calculate these factorials quickly and without error all while enabling the students to understand the concepts behind the 'big scary numbers'. Another statistics application is the ease with which Mathematica finds the Mean, Median, Mode, and other deviation information. Although the program can sometimes be confusing, the online tutorials, courses provided by the Wolfram Education Group, and the in-program Help Documentation Center make Mathematica understandable for all who really want to learn it. Once it is understood, Mathematica is a powerful learning tool that can make a profound difference in any math classroom.

ePals

ePals is the Internet's leading global learning community, located at http://www.epals.com/ . The Website provides safe and protected email for teachers and students. It also includes secure and award winning blog capabilities that help teachers bridge the separation between the classroom and home. Another interesting feature of ePals is its ability to connect through blogs to other classrooms around the globe. It currently connects over 132,000 classrooms in over 200 countries! Finally, the site provides collaborative projects and language practice. As a part of this are a number of pre-constructed lesson plans that include their own Objectives, Essential Questions, Supporting Questions, Vocabulary, Culminating Activities, Handouts, Related Resources (such as links to articles and valuable Websites such as National Geographics), and Opportunities for Extended Learning. This is a fantastic resource for any teacher regardless of grade and subject.

As a future math teacher, I see this Website as a great way to keep up communication with parents and students outside of the classroom. With award winning blogging sites, it would be very easy to post assignments and keep parents updated about what exciting things are going on in the class. It would also be a great way to answer parent and student questions at virtually any time and place. I would also love to use ePals to connect to a classroom in another country. While the cultures are often so different, math is a constant that is the same no matter one's location. It would be neat for students to be able to learn about the different culture while completing a math project with a student across the globe. The possibilities presented through the ePals Website are truly endless.

Windows Speech Recognition

Speech Recognition is the computer's ability to distinguish spoken words. As you speak into the computer's microphone, your words will be displayed on the screen in a Microsoft Word document. You can even edit and format a document by speaking or spelling instructions. After a few days of training when the equipment becomes more familiar with your voice, it can become very efficient and accurate.

The tool of Speech Recognition is one that could be of great use in my future classroom. First, it would be ideal for special education students. If an individual is hearing impared, he can get the notes and valuable classroom explanations without the need of an expensive sign language professional. The tool can also be used when students are absent. By having a written copy of everything the teacher said in class, the student would be able to understand the missed material much more easily than by just copying a classmate's notes. Finally, Speech Recognition could be used to keep a record of exactly what was said in class. This can be helpful for the administration to test whether a teacher is meeting her requirements and explaining all of the information adequately. The copy of the lecture could also be kept for the teacher's own personal records. She could answer questions such as "Did I remember to cover this?" and "Did I tell them that?". Even more than a tool for forgetfulness, the teacher could use her printed lecture to reflect if she covered the material well and question how it could be taught better. All of these uses of Speech Recognition can be used as powerful tools of learning in the classroom.

Senteo™ Interactive Response System

The Senteo Interactive Response System is essentially a technology in which each student in the classroom receives a radio frequency remote. The teacher poses a question to the class, and the students enter an answer (whether it be a number, word, or multiple choice letter) into their RF remotes. A central receiver collects the data and sends it to the teacher's computer where the responses are immediately tallied and displayed. In addition to collecting student answers, the equipment can also be used to take attendance, post test results, and even provide individual feedback. The ability to frequently ask question and obtain anonymous answers, results in low pressure feedback from the students while keeping them engaged and more actively involved in the material being studied.

As a future math teacher, I see this technology as an incredible tool that I will fully utilize in my classroom. Math can be a difficult subject to teach. While you may think you clearly explained the information, it may easily be confusing to the class. With an Interactive Response System, I could give the students a practice problem and ask them to submit their answers. This would not only allow me to see how many students understand the material, but also see their answers and analyze the common mistakes being made. This information would be feedback for both me and my students because I could address their main confusions while adjusting my instruction to a teaching style that is best understood by my students. As decimals, fractions, and negative numbers can all be inputted into the devices, there is no limit to what information can be tested this way.

The Interactive Whiteboard

An Interactive Whiteboard is an electronic whiteboard that is hooked up to a computer and a data projector so that the board acts as a large touch-screen computer. Special stylus markers and erasers allow the instructor and students to write and erase on the screen without the use of actual ink. These boards are used around the globe to aid teachers in bringing the Internet and other technologies into their classrooms. With the power to bring anything on the web into the classroom on a large and interactive screen, the possibilities are endless.

As a future mathematics teacher, there are a number of ways to incorporate this technology in my classroom. First, there are a number of expert-designed lesson plans available on http://education.smarttech.com that utilize pre-made program templates for virtually every subject and grade level. Aside from using such templates, electronic whiteboards would be especially useful in teaching geometry where I could use line and shape tools in a word processing program to draw perfect examples for my students every time. This technology could also be used in my classroom as an interactive game board for reviewing skills in a matching game or flash card format. Finally, the whiteboard could be used in combination with programs like Mathematica to execute colorful three dimensional graphs and difficult calculations to help the students visualize difficult concepts more easily. The possibilities Interactive Whiteboards bring to classroom lessons are truly endless.