Week+3

Monday's Class:

I really enjoyed the math class on Monday because I felt that it was more focused on how to use the manipulatives in the class, rather than wasting time in Math Camp just learning how to use them. Although I personally disliked using the manipulatives while I was in school, I definitely see the attraction many students harbor. It gets the students active, rather than passively observing the lesson. In addition, to those students who I might struggle to explain things to in an effective manner, the manipulatives might be the trigger they need to understand what I had been trying to explain. I will look more into the activities posted on the Course wiki before fully realizing the potential of these helpful materials. Before that, I do believe I would be the most inclined to use the patterning tiles, and the linking cubes. I feel these are the most effective ones, and have more uses than the others we looked at. Computer resources would also be great because it combines their love of technology, with hands on activities. Most students would hardly even remember that they're doing math.

Wednesday's Class:

From what I have gathered from all of the classes so far, not just in math, as well as what I saw in practicum, the types of students in class are far different than my classmates while I was in school. Technology is truly an integrated part of their life. However, I don't believe that means that technology should be in every lesson planned, just because they like it. School is about learning to do things in multiple ways, including the classic or traditional way. Even though most educators recognize the need for students to use technology, it is not always readily available for classes of students; a good example is my current placement school. Therefore, keeping this in mind, all technology that is used should be utilized with the maximum effectiveness in mind. As such, I would want to make sure that my students were being very interactive with the technology. Sometimes group work or fun activities with other people can be just as or more so effective. In an ideal world, I would teach the most effective lesson every time. I definitely plan to use technology in the classroom as a way to easily engage the students. I would be cautious about use of technology too much, and integrate it to teach the students, rather than use it as a method to appease the students.