Tool #9

1. Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective? I think that we as a society are becoming a much more digital age. Things have even advanced since I was in the classroom 4 years ago. Without equipping our students with the tools to use and adapt to technology, they will feel lost when they enter the job market. Training them to use technology gives them a skill set that could set them apart from another candidate for a job in the future.
2. Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers? If we don't hold the students accountable for the things they come in contact with at the school, then they don't learn to respect property, whether it be their own or someone else's. It is important that they learn to take pride in the things that they have. It also creates great team building skills if you give them an "accountability partner."
3. Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? I REALLY like like Studyladder one. Groups of students could work together as a team at stations. It will really help individualize the learning experience because if we are ending a unit and I see that different students are struggling with different things, I can group them together and have them go to a station to use that study tool. Also it will be great for review. I also like InterActivate. It looks a little more advanced than Studyladder does, so I might consider advancing into that website. It has games, as well as quizzes which I really like!
4. List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? The AFactorTree will be really helpful for the factors lessons. Everyday Math Equivalent Fractions will be good for review when we are getting ready to learn to convert to decimals and percentages. Then I might move into Freddy Fractions to help advance their understanding and practice the converstions.
5. What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station. I think that anytime you can get students working together in small groups of 3 or 4 students it will allow you to pair strong students with weaker students and give everyone the chance to learn. I might put them in groups of 3 and number them off so I can say "Pass the board to #2, etc." and use it as a whiteboard for solving a problem that I put on the board.