Pinterest in my classroom.

Recently I've been instructed to use Pinterest to find projects related to my education subject which, if you don't remember, is math. This proved to be extensively challenging because there are little to no mathematics projects. Also, I had my doubts about the general use of Pinterest in the classroom, in fact I believe it would be useless. I have been proven wrong. I have used it to assist my findings of math projects, I have also thought that it could be a resource for a great selection of projects for students to use for my classroom, they could choose the project they want to do and what not. Here are some pictures of me completing my assignment. Discovery Channel Mathematics.

Here is a link to the assignment.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-3DABs6Ba5OLU1JX2F0Rld2ZFE/edit?usp=sharing

I decided to create a brochure on my symbol.


After quite a bit of research I had a completed brochure, ready to be graded, these are the 4 sections to my brochure.

How I'm going to use web 2.0

Hey guys! This week I'm going to tell you about some awesome software that I could totally use in my classroom, as an assignment. I will be reviewing them by what they are used for and how they could be   relate-able to my class. Lets roast this piggy, shall we?

1. TikaTok - TikaTok is a software that allows you to create a book from a document that you've made. When most students see an essay assignment they shutter, I know I did at least. Students are going to actually look forward to my class, (which is saying a lot because I will be teaching math.) My students would most likely create a small book detailing their favorite math symbol. TikaTok will be a way for my students to be creative while learning math.

2. Hot Potatoes - This is a quiz generator with an awesome name. Hot Potatoes is a software where I will make quizzes with different types. Those types can be multiple choice, matching, short essay, ect. I will use this software to, wait for it, make and format quizzes. This easy to use software will allow me to create quizzes for my classes in spare time as to not use too much of my downtime.

3. Animoto - Animoto is a DIFFERENT presentation tool. I for one hate power point, it is dull and tasteless with no creativity. Animoto allows you to easily use and embed your videos and pictures into your presentation from different sources. I can use this presentation method to keep my students attention. I could even embed videos of me doing math problems and upload them to my website! Technology is our friend if we use him.


4. Jitterbug - I was always one of those student who would of loved to be able to listen to music while working in class. Of course not while the teacher was instructing but while I was working on my in class assignment. Music can stimulate and entertain oneself. If a student generally likes a class they will be more open to learn from said class. Jitterbug will allow me to connect to my students through their favorite genres along with their general interests. Last while a student is listening to music they can more easily phase into the task at hand and become distracted less easily.

5. Chartle - Looking organized is most of the time as important as being organized  it pulls respect from whoever is viewing your presentation, whether it be business or teaching someone math. I would use Chartle to organize average grades on tests, home work, maybe even general grades. Chartle will be a major tool in my class. I could use it on my website to show how certain assignments would affect student grades. Of course I could also use this in my class but I do not wish to waste too much class time. Knowing your grade in comparison to the class average always provides motivation to do better, this is a great use for Chartle.

6. Questionaut - This is a software that I could use with younger students, if I taught a lower level math class. In this little game one must answer questions, in my case math, in order to retrieve your friend's hat. This game presents a goal to students which is the main reason I love this game. Making learning fun is a good way to get students to apply themselves, I could perhaps give out little prizes to the top few scorers, or something of that lesson. One class day we could take a trip to our computer lab, if they still exist, and I will post the high scores of my last class and let them go, hopefully they will f eel a competitive rush and do good while unconsciously learning.

7. What2Learn - What2Learn is another quiz maker. Unlike Hot Potatoes What2Learn is simple enough for students to use. I would have students create quizzes for each other. Students would actually be graded by how well they did on said quizzes. Also students would be graded on how creative they were with their created math quiz.

8. SketchCast - SketchCast is a software wich enables one to record what one draws as they draw it while recording what they say. This software could be used for lesons on the go, or lessons from home. Some people use this kind of software for what is called a flipped classroom, this is where students' homework is to go home and watch the lesson and in class they only do work. I find that this would be ineffective in a mathematics setting but it is definitely valid for other subjects. I would more along the lines use this in junction with my class website in order to keep sick or missing students caught up or helping others with their homework.

9. WidgetBox - This is literally a box of Widgets. A large Box of widgets. Widgets are little apps that have a wide domain of usefulness. These can be very useful to add usefulness to my class site. I could have widgets on the weather, calendars and dates, I can have a video poster widget to post videos from YouTube or other sources. My site could have more than boring math things, it could have a widget that would be primarily for entertainment.

10. WolframAlpha - I may have literally saved the best for last. This site is a problem solver. Simple as that, it solves problems. I use this app now for homework assistance, this is something I would definitely have in my website. Some people think that a software that gives answers to math problems would hinder students and give them a crutch, I disagree, knowing the answer to the problem one is faced with before starting could very well assit them in learning the proper methods to get an accepted answer. I would have this software as an app on my class tablets, and on my class website.

Today I read 2 blogs over social networking, they are; Social Networking: Is it Good Or Bad? and A Little Social Media Rant. Prt. 1 and Prt. 2.. Both posts were strongly resentful towards social networking. They would say things such as how we are becoming "dependent" on technology. I strongly disagree with their opinions on social networking. I feel that their opinions are half baked and just a repeat of what people thought in the past. Think about it this way, adults wish that kids would get off of social networking sites in this day and age, but a few years in the past adults wished that they would watch less tv and go outside. Before the previously stated adults there were adults who wished kids would stop playing as much and work. Adults keep our society from evolving as quickly by holding back kids. I say let our kids be wrapped into social media, they will be leading the world soon and I would like them to be as smart as possible. This cycle of pushing down younger generations exploration of knowledge has to stop eventually so we can perhaps have flying cars. I know but really we could be doing much better off now if children were given more of a chance to explore what they are involved with, within reason. Now I'm not saying that younger peoples lives should resolve around social networking, we would create a generation of dumb kids who believe in the currency of "swag" and who adopt Drake the rapper as their prophet. All in all social networking should be used, for what it was created for, technological communication, when I am a parent I will most likely, as much as I can, adopt the advances my children have that I did not when I was their age.

My first post! :)

Hey, welcome to the blog, I'm Jake, your run of the mill happy go lucky college boy. I'm from Waldron Arkansas but I am no country boy. There are 6 Major key factors in my life that you should know before reading my blog. I speak my mind, no matter what my mind may consist of at the time. I'm a gamer who's gaming interests consist of first person shooters, Pokemon, and RPGs. I am on the random side of the spontaneous spectrum. I'm a math major, so in other words I'm insane. I am crazy into fitness. Last but not least, I want to help you and make you smile with this blog. I am an education major who wishes to teach college level math in high school before moving up to being a professor in college. I want to be that really awesome teacher that students can feel close enough to me so I can teach them as much as I can, whether it be about math or life itself. My biggest personal goal in education is for a student to come back and visit me and to tell me that because I was a great role model they went on to do great things, just to make that big of an impact is my goal. This blog started out just being a normal assignment, given to me by my wonderful and hansom educational technology teacher, Doctor Brandy B., but while typing here I have decided to keep this blog going in the hopes that someone will learn from my experiences. Lets get started shall we? If anyone would like to ask a question about my life, they can email me or just simply comment on my blog, do not be embarrassed, as the mad hatter said, "We are all mad here" this quote is corresponds to my blog, in other words, if you have a question that you believe is too far out there go ahead and ask, I can assure you it isn't strange in my book. Well that is it for my first post, I'll try to be responsible and keep up the the posts on advice and stories, in order to assist your college experience.