Integrating technology in mathematics and science education

Advantages of Integrating Technology


“Science and technology have a unique relationship. Technology supports science and science makes new technology possible (Roblyer & Doering, 2013.” This is true in our world today, and technology does indeed create many opportunities to build students’ knowledge of mathematics and science conceptually. You might say that technology is the perfect medium for science and mathematics education because technology was created by science and mathematics working in tandem. In mathematics instruction, whole math curricula could be accessed at math websites such as https://www.khanacademy.org/ and https://mathway.com/.


Disadvantages of Integrating Technology


The main problem of integrating technology into mathematics and science instruction is accountability for standards to guide teachers through the ever-growing world of technology (Roblyer & Doering, 2013). But, however technology has made it possible a variety of teaching and learning strategies to help address the accountability for standards problem (Roblyer & Doering, 2013.) Such websites like http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/scirg.html is a good example of how technology has evolved into a useful resource to help guide teacher to teach mathematics and science instruction up to standards.


Specific Activities, Programs, Etc.


The product Maple Algebra software program has evolved into an innovative website and multi-purpose computer algebra system (CAS) at http://www.maplesoft.com/ that can either be software or devices that carry out complex numeric calculations involved in higher level math problems (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).


In supporting math-related communications, http://mathforum.org/ is a great website that allows teachers to pose problems that students must solve and then communicate about (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).


References

Khan Academy. (2015). Khan Academy. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from https://www.khanacademy.org/

Maplesoft. (2015). Solutions for Education. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.maplesoft.com/

The Math Forum @ Drexel University. (2015). Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://mathforum.org/

Mathway. (2015). Mathway | Math Problem Solver. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from https://mathway.com/

NYSED. (2015). Curriculum & Instruction. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/scirg.html

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston: Pearson.

Flipcharts/Whiteboards in today's classroom

            "An interactive whiteboard is the electronic version of a regular whiteboard, a white, glossy surface that uses erasable markers and can play the same role as a chalkboard (Roblyer & Doering, 2013)." Interactive whiteboard is a software/hardware program with the use of a projector and a electronic screen is a good example of how "additional materials serve teachers and students in a variety of ways, making possible many kinds of freedom in the classroom (Roblyer & Doering, 2013)" which displays the essential conditions for technology integration. The interactive whiteboard I have chosen is the Body Regions and parts flipchart. In this flipchart that I have chosen, students with technology use based on problem solving can learn about the human anatomy through the use of "electronic table with a touch-screen surface that several students can give input to at the same time (Roblyer & Doering)." This flip chart can also be used if available with IPads or tablets (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).  The most popular developer of interactive whiteboards is Prometheus, and with their Promethean ActivBoard, and Smart Technologies' SMART Board, and the Prometheus website offers software/support tools to aid the teacher in today's classroom (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).

       Whiteboards and flipcharts is a good example of how technology can be used in education today, and whiteboard is a tiny part of what is possible many kinds of freedom in the classroom, but remember "we shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us (Roblyer & Doering, 2013." Technology has become more capable and complex, and society in response changed, and with those changes came different views of education and appropriate teaching strategies that affects us today (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).

References

Hattabaugh, E. (2007, April 9). Body Regions and Parts. Retrieved March 19, 2015, from http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/Resources/Item/29313/body-regions-and-parts#.VQtEQxDF9tJ

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Navigating the Net and using its tools

Search Engines

Learning how to use the Internet to find specific 

information and/or items will require the use of 

search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, and etc.) and 

using several strategies to use search engines. One 

method is searching by subject index would provide 

you a list of links that is relevant to the subject 

index that you have searched on. The other method 

is searching by keywords. Keyword searches can use 

single or a combination of words that could lead you 

to a list of URLs of the sites or information/items you 

are searching for. Learning those two methods of 

using search engines would help you fare better in 

using the Internet as a powerful tool (Roblyer & 

Doering, p. 219).

Website Evaluation Video

The website evaluation video above was made for 

middle school students but it is relevant information 

that helps us to assess websites by its authority, 

objectivity, currency, accuracy and usefulness.  The 

websites are within the Internet, the websites should 

not just represent the content to the learner, online 

content must purposefully and strategically engage 

the learner (Roblyer & Doering, p. 226).

Favorite Website #1

My favorite website #1 is Alabama School for the 

Deaf’s website at 

http://www.asdsilentwarriors.com/. I graduated 

from there and now I work there as a dorm program 

supervisor on weekends. Alabama School for the 

Deaf (ASD) is a residential school serving deaf/hard 

of hearing individuals across Alabama. This website 

is beneficial to us because it shows how website 

content can be useful in keeping the students and 

employees of ASD well informed with what’s for 

lunch, what is being learned in classes now, movie 

showings, dorm life, athletics, INOW data system, 

and many more. When evaluating this website, 

according to p. 255 of Integrating Educational 

Technology Into Teaching this website displays great 

structure and organization that is suited best suited 

to my job needs, and it is a good example for others 

evaluating websites (Roblyer & Doering).

Favorite Wiki Website 

My favorite wiki website is wiki answers at 

http://wiki.answers.com/.  In this wiki online 

community, questions are answered. There is no 

question too dumb, too long, too short, too simple, 

too… Any questions are asked and answered in this 

wiki website. Like for example, I asked, “What color 

is sound?” Wiki Answer answered with “Sound has 

no color”, and then explains what sound is made up. 

This wiki website is a great example of how a online 

community can encourage collaboration and 

communication of ideas by having users contribute 

or modify content, sometimes on a daily basis (

(Roblyer & Doering, p. 223). I would use this wiki in 

the classroom when students want answers without 

the inconvenience of asking them in person they 

could find questions answered at Wiki Answers.

References 

Experts you should follow. (2015). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://www.answers.com/

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

A Tour of Our Beautiful Campus. (2015). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://www.asdsilentwarriors.com/

Website Evaluation A How To Guide for Middle School Students. 

          (2012). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from 

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLZ-ne0csto

Hypermedia and Multimedia Tools in Education

Blackboard Inc. (Producer). (2015). Reimagine Education [Video file]. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://youtu.be/eHYRQgFvcDs

            Blackboard is an impressive commercial hypermedia product, or more accurately an adaptive hypermedia service system that I have had the wonderful opportunity learning about. You could not say the sky's the limit with this product, it adapts, and it is connected to an endless list of media and across many different platforms. Blackboard is the commercial hypermedia product I have chosen. To explain Hypermedia is "systems in which information stored in various media are connected (often via the Internet)-thus the term hypermedia (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.173)."  Blackboard is a Web-based learning management system (LMS) engineered to support full online courses and/or provide a space for face-to-face course supplementation.  Blackboard provides many types of tools, adaptations, and features for enriching the learning experience (Blackboard, 2015). Blackboard is a hypermedia product that would help me keep track of my students, their assignments, grades, and etc. Blackboard would also help me supplement students' learning process with technology. We can be resistant to technology and be old fashioned for so long, but now technology is everywhere, even in education. If you can't beat them, join them.

            “Multimedia literally means “multiple media” or  “a combination of media.” The media can be still graphics and photographs, sounds, motion video, animation, and/or text items combined in a product whose purpose is to communicate information in multiple ways (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 172)”. The multimedia-authoring product is an authoring tool that allows students to create something from nothing; this is creation process that requires skills, planning, and of course, time. The multimedia-authoring tool that I have used before and still love it to this day is Final Cut Pro X (FCP X). FCP X is a type 2 multimedia-authoring tool for audio and video production and editing systems (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 188). FCP X is a video and sound editing application for OS X from Apple, a successor to Final Cut Pro (Apple, 2015). I would use this application to recreate historical scenes for my history class, and/or to record and produce videos from lab experiments that is conducted by me to help students with their lab experiments in class, so that way, I will be supervising the students more closely and safely while they do the experiments. Before closing, I couldn't find any videos made with FCP X relating to education, so I'm going to impress you with a video made with FCP X.

Audi R8 - Made with Final Cut Pro X. (2014). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwrpzvS5Us4

References

Apple. (2015). Final Cut Pro X. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from

            https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/

Audi R8 - Made with Final Cut Pro X. (2014). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwrpzvS5Us4

Blackboard. (2015). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.blackboard.com/

Blackboard Inc. (Producer). (2015). Reimagine Education [Video file]. Retrieved

            February 12, 2015, from http://youtu.be/eHYRQgFvcDs

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into

            teaching. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.