Creating a Global Classroom

So today I read a Fischbowl blog post by Karl Fisch about encouraging his students to make a quarter a day donation from now until the end of the semester so the class could make a micro-loan via the micro-lending organization Kiva.  In Karl's classroom there is no reward (or punishment), gradewise or otherwise, attached to the donation.  The students are just encouraged to give and learn more about how their donation can empower individuals to rise out of poverty.  He has, however, generously offered to match the donations of his students at the end of the semester, and any student who wishes can make recommendations on where to loan the money. 

This post really inspired me.  I think that anyone who wants to be an educator would agree that we have a teaching responsibility to our students beyond the specific disciplines we teach.  Here is a way for teachers to bring about discussions of the global issues of need and social responsibility, which on their own are powerful, but we could easily work in other disciplinary discussions along the way.

I think this would make an excellent WebQuest project.  Students would have the opportunity to learn more about the process of micro-lending and could even make some comparisons between the impact of traditional loans versus micro-loans.  How about asking students to evaluate loan applications and make persuasive arguments as to why they think a specific loan is worth making?  We would also need to consider the geography and culture of the area to make our lending decisions. We might even be able to have a discussion about the social impact of charity and talk about the pros and cons of a traditional donation versus a micro-loan.


Images used in accordance to permissions from Kiva.org

Online Assignment Collecting

I was reading a blog post from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne on the benefits of collecting assignments electronically and was especially intrigued by the idea of recovering the valuable instruction time lost to handing back papers. There is nothing I find more frustrating than sitting around waiting while an instructor is returning work to the entire class.

 I looked at both DropitToMe and Google Docs as formats for collecting students work. For the outcomes I would  want, I like Google Docs for student work the best.  The reason is because the student, the teacher, and the parents have a clear record of progress in the class.  In the case of a student who is struggling the teacher, student, and parents can sit down together and review exactly where and how the student has made progress and what areas need additional instructional help.

Here is how I envision this working.  In my Google Docs account I will create a folder for each of my students and share individual folders with each student.  Then when they upload assignments or work we both have access to that information.  I can make notes and comments on the documents for the students.  I stand firmly on the side of students learning from correcting themselves; so, when students have made changes or corrected their work, they can upload the updated version and I would have access to both the original and the update for review.

Image used under fair use guidelines for critical comment.

5 Must Have High School Math iPad Apps

Image Source: Tom Raftery

I understand that in this economy, not every school will be able to afford iPads for every classroom. However, I think that having at least one iPad in each mathematics classroom should be a goal for all schools.  The iPad offers quick reference, and review information in a format that is accessible to all students.  Specifically, the iPad is a great tool for students who are struggling with a concept or topic and need an extra push to grasp the ideas.

Here are a few of what I consider to be the most useful math apps for the high school classroom:

1. Math Ref  Cost: FREE

Math Ref is an easy to use math reference guide, browse by discipline or use the search feature, this app is useful for students studying Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus and more.  Each topic gives an explanation and graphics, as well as examples and relations to other disciplines.

2. Evernote Cost: Free

At first glance this may seem an unusual choice for an app in a mathematics classroom.  However, if you have one student who is an excellent note taker you can assign that student the responsibility of taking notes with Evernote.  Evernote gives you the option of recording the lecture while taking notes so the notes are synced with the discussion. The person taking notes can draw diagrams as well as take written notes.  If an ill student misses class, they can quickly catch up on what was covered while they were gone.

3.  Quick Graph Cost: Free

The Quick Graph app allows the user to graph in both 2D and 3D.  The user is able to enter multiple formulas and quickly see how the graph changes as the equation changes.  This app has a built in mathematical keyboard making entering formulas fast and efficient.

4. Sudoku Cost: Free

This is the best of the Sudoku games available on the iPad.  There are multiple levels of play: easy, medium, hard, and expert.  This version allows students to get hints, make notes, and can be set to show incorrect answers.  Sudoku is an excellent logic building tool and this app makes it fun and easy.

5.  Wolfram Alpha Cost: $1.99

The reason I love this app is because of its data features.  Students can quickly access data on just about any question they can dream up.  This app provides the foundation for data analysis and statistical review.  It will also compute complex calculations and display the answers in a variety of ways.  This is a great tool for examining how the math disciplines are related.

Math Without Computation?

Everyday professionals, who are not mathematicians, solve difficult mathematical problems without ever making a single calculation.  From calculating trends in the stock market to predicting population changes, these professionals find mathematical answers to interesting questions without spending hours or days making calculations by hand.

According to Conrad Wolfram, head of the mathematical lab at Wolfram Research (the developers of the computational engine, WolframAlpha) as computers become more and more sophisticated at prediction models and complex calculations, the professional's work becomes more about asking the right questions and understanding the answers provided by the mathematical computations, than actually performing calculations.

In this TED Talk, Conrad Wolfram explores the idea that we should be teaching students to think like mathematicians instead of teaching them to be computers.



Although this idea seems extreme on the surface, I think there are valid reasons for focusing our educational energies on thinking skills rather than computational skills.  It is true that understanding the basic computations and mathematical relationships is important for mathematicians who will continue advancing mathematical research.  However, most students will not become mathematicians; they will become professionals who use math to answer complicated questions everyday. And for those students who do wish to become mathematicians, many university mathematics programs begin with the basic skills and math theory.  Knowing how to approach a problem and knowing what questions might provide answers to a problem are the skills needed by most professionals.

I think that it is vitally important that students know how to use the tools available to find the answers to their questions, and how to understand the answers provided by those tools.  If even students in the elementary grades with the use of computer models, can analyze complex calculus problems, why wouldn't we want to give them that opportunity?  Isn't our goal as educators to prepare students to be effective, productive, contributing members of society?  I propose that we will not meet that goal if we do not teach our students how to search out the answers to their questions using the technology available to them, rather than asking them to spend valuable time making calculations that an effective, productive professional currently would handle with a computer.


Image Source: Marcus Mo