1) What did you learn today?

I am amazed at the resources/ potential of the math resources offered today, especially the Geogebra and GapMinder resources. The applet potential has great options - it will replace Sudoku for those moments when I need to entertain the brain, but still be mindless! I see potential for ALL my classes, plus others on staff, especially the GapMinder!!! Logger Pro I used years ago with now-defunct machines, so I plan on upgrading it. I definitely will explore the SciDAVis program as well.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

My only current concern is staying connected, which was not tended to well this past year (by me, not others!). I look forward to having one location where all the resources from this projet will be available. Yay, Keri!

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice? All four of these programs will be put to use - more to follow!

1) What did you learn today?

TONS!!!! I am thrilled at the progress I have made in analyzing data with Fathom and at knowing enough of how to make it work so that I can explore extensions. My confidence level in being able to use it with my students, even with one input is much better. I also am tickled with being able to connect directly to Fathom instead of having to go through the TI first for data collection.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

I still need to work out some bugs with specific ways to maneuver around on the calculator and in Fathom, but I need to practice.

Also, can we get more info on how to "download" YouTube presentations so that they can be accessed and included in a presentation.

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice?

The sonic ranger will be of huge use in physics, as I have not had a real life way to model these motion graphs before. But it would also improve the reason for graphing in my basic algebra classes. The Fathom skills will vastly improve data analysis, letting students EXPLORE, leading to questions and "how else can I look at the data?" Models provided today on data collection gave great prompts to use and give ideas for lessons.

1) What did you learn today?

I learned much better how to use Fathom to analyze data, thanks to Marc and Angie's assistance. Using filters, models, linear regressions, and "photoing" the images for use elsewhere made the whole process far more useful.

While I did not personally do the work involved in uploading to Voicethread, I can see its potential. Our group worked well together in the data collection, I had no idea that the Brewster park existed, and I wish that we could have gotten to less of a backwater area of the Columbia.

I also learned how easy it was to use the flow meter and dissolved oxygen probes.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

I am not yet clear as to how to use Voicethread, as I did not get the hands-on experience with it, but will explore it further.

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice?

I will be able to get students to use Fathom to carry out better data analysis, as students are very willing to collect data but far less willing to process it. Many more connections jump off the page with the various options within Fathom and I can better "fathom" how to introduce it.

I can also see the Voicethread has some awesome possibilities for instruction if I have to be gone, to help with those who missed a critical lesson AND to have students provide their presentations and participate in each others. Frequently students don't meet deadlines (ABSENT!!!) or miss what others present due to absences. This technology would eliminate those excuses and allow us to go to a deeper level of involvement ----once I figure out how to actually use the Voicethread site.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

1) What did you learn today?

I learned how to use and calibrate a variety of probes and feel more comfortable using the TI as a data collection device. I also feel as if I can transfer data from the TI to the computer, even on a Mac.

2)What questions do you still have with regard to content, technology, and pedagogy?

None. The content is all too familiar, the technology is not difficult but needs practice, which will be difficult if there is not ample opportunity to actually use it in the classroom. I appreciate learning how to build various probes and would like students to do this as well. Limited pedagogy was developed today.

3) How can you apply this to classroom practice?

If I had the probes and TIs, I could readily design or have students design investigations that would collect interesting and relevant data. Access to the equipment is a possible issue.