>>+Technology

= //Tech 1, 2, Tech// =

Technology is the way of the future - wouldn't you agree? Although it remains a debatable issue, I for one believe that it is essential to

[|Final Grade App for iPhone]
 * This was created by a friend of mine, and recent UOIT graduate, Jamal Seaton. Enjoy...and share with your friends, family and students while out on placement :)

[|Jamal Seaton's Portfolio]
 * I played a few of the games featured on Jamal Seaton's Portfolio and thought I'd share them with you. The last game, PopEm, is great for the development of hand & eye coordination, as well as familiarity with colours, especially for young children.

[|SMART Exchange (Beta)]
 * This is a great site; it includes free sample lesson plans, created just for use on a Smartboard! You can actually select lessons based on the academic subjects offered in several different countries, including Canada. These lessons have been created by educators across the globe, and we, as educators, are free to share our lesson plans too. However, it is important to keep in mind that there may be some errors in the content of these lessons, so be sure to check lessons over before using them. Below I've posted a few of the Math lessons from the website that I like:

> [|Probability - Grades 7-9] - Might be great to incorporate the use of clickers for this one > [|Equivalent Fractions - Grades 4-8] - Great opportunity to engage students into lesson; uses examples to which students can relate > [|Zero and Negative Properties of Exponents - Grades 10-12] - Another great lesson for clickers; could also incorporate the use of whiteboards (one per student; each student writes his/her answer on their board and holds it up to compare with others) > [|Parallel Lines - Grade 9] - Incorporates the use of interactive Math tools, such as the compass, accessible via SMART Notebook; one idea would be to use some of the examples from this lesson as stations activities (students take turns using the SMART tools) > [|Quadratic Graphs - Grades 9-12] - Great opportunities for interactivity and learning

[|Khan Academy]
 * A resourceful and helpful website, containing thousands and thousands of videos in which someone teaches mini lessons (with quite a bit of enthusiasm and encouragement) at a relatively suitable pace in an effort to assist students who struggle to understand various concepts. This site offers video lessons in a variety of subjects and strands. I'm sure many intermediate and senior students would find these videos useful as supplementary study aids and review resources.

[|Clickers]
 * I didn't get a chance to work with them during my first practicum, but I would really love to use them in at least one of my remaining placements. Clickers are a great tool to use in the classroom because they capture students' attention, engages students in learning and encourages them to participate. Furthermore, these tools can be used effectively to gauge the level of understanding students have about subject content; and through the use of clickers, this can be done anonymously. I've heard that some teachers use (and have used) clickers as a means of evaluation. I don't agree with this method because it has the potential of turning students away from the interactivity and engaging features of the tool.

[|KeyPress]
 * (Open Source) Using Fathom in the Classroom - [|Online Tutorial]

[|OpenOffice]
 * (Open Source) Free, downloadable software that provides word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and more.

[|Atomic Learning]

[|GraphCalc]
 * (Open Source) Free, downloadable graphing software that can be used to plot graphs in 2D and 3D.


 * Texas Instruments (TI) Graphing Calculators **
 * Below you will find several resources pertaining to the use of graphing calculators. I enjoyed using graphing calculators when I was in high school because they allowed me to view various types of graphs, including the ones I had difficulty graphing on my own. We didn't always take up homework in high school, so the graphing calculators allowed me to check my graphs too.

> [|Free App for TI-83 Plus/TI-84 Plus Calculators] > [|Tutorials for TI-Nspire Graphing Calculators and Software] (Available via //Atomic Learning// website; need log in and password for access) > [|Classroom Activities] > [|TI Download Center] (Download a variety of great resources, from instructional guidebooks for your graphing calculator to games and wallpapers for your computer) > [|Instructions for TI-83 Calculator] (Available via Prentice Hall website) > TI-83 Basic Exercises for Beginners


 * Video Clips **

[|Slope Dude]
 * Here's a video I found on TeacherTube. I thought it was definitely worth posting on my page because I like the fact that the presenter told a story in an effort to help students identify types of slopes (e.g. positive, negative, zero and undefined). Plus, the video is kind of funny too! It's quite basic, but it could be a useful "memory" tool for some students; you never know.

[|OAME - CLIPS]
 * OAME (Ontario Association for Mathematics Education) is a fantastic site, which provides short video lessons and interactive activities, otherwise known as "CLIPS". CLIPS is an acronym for Critical Learning Instructional Paths Supports. It was started by the Ministry of Education of Ontario, and is geared toward providing mathematical support to students in grades 7-12. Below I have listed some of the CLIPS I like:

> Linear Growing Patterns - Grade 9 - [|Rocket Rules] > Forming and Naming Equivalent Fractions - Grades 7-8 - [|Folding Circles] > Representing Simple Fractions - Grades 7-8 - [|Fractions: Area Representations] > Periodic & Sine Functions and their Transformations - Grade 11 - [|Applications and CLIPS] (Intro video provides great examples of how sine functions are used in everyday life)


 * Tips **

> Power Point: Pressing "b" on the keyboard allows you to toggle the screen on and off (in presentation mode). Pressing "w" clears the screen of text.