Helping students to visualize concepts in mathematics and apply it to real life have been used for as long as math has been used. "One of the best-known visualization tools is Geometric Supposer, a tool for making and testing conjectures in geometry through the process of constructing and manipulating geometric objects and exploring the relationships within and between these objects" (Jonassen 203). It allows students to construct their own shape by defining points, line segments, angles, etc. It makes shape making a lot easier and quicker. It is also a good visualization because shapes drawn by human can get a tad messy. "TinkerPlots for elementary and middle grade students, Fathom Dynamic Statistics Software allows high school students access to powerful tools for making sense of large data sets" (Jonassen 202). This is useful because it makes huge data available to graph. It is a very powerful and useful tool. These types of software help the people who are not very good in math or constructing tables and graphs. The book also mentions graphing calculators which make math a lot easier! I know that since I am a math major, I use it nearly every class period and it has helped me tremendously. It is like a small graphing software in your hands. It is a very useful tool and I would recommend anyone to get one.
I believe that it is possible to learn just from watching a television instruction. I know through experience that I learned how to tie my tie through a YouTube video. Although it is possible, you may not perfect it on the first try. With effort and practice, it is possible to do anything. My first two calculus classes were shown through a television screen with a teacher talking to us. It made the class more difficult, but with practice and lots of hard work, I was able to succeed in the class. I believe that watching through a television should be used as an aide and not the main source of learning. Cooking, for example, is a lot easier to learn while doing it. You learn through practice. Watching Bobby Flay make an a ricotta ravioli is not going to provide you with the tools to make it, you have to practice. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.
References
Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra, R. M. (2008). Meaningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson.
I think this that visualization tools are great for teaching math. If I were a student I would benefit the most from the graphing calculators. These tools help those that are good at math and those that are not good at all. Any extra help provided through visualization tools, will enable the student to grasp any concept.
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible how someone can learn just from watching TV. I agree with you, TV should only be used as aide not as the main source of learning.
"I believe that watching through a television should be used as an aide and not the main source of learning."
ReplyDeleteExactly. It is fine as an aide, a supplemental addition to a class, but it should not be the main focus. Practice, actively learning something rather than just sitting there and trying to take it in by solely watching the TV, is very important.
I feel the same way about using digital story telling in an ag classroom as you do about using it in a math classroom. It can be done with some creativity, but it might be hard. I do think that it would be a fun project for any student and also a great learning experience. I also agree that it is possible to learn by watching instruction on a tv, but a person needs to be able to get some hands on experience so that what they are watching will sink in.
ReplyDeleteI am a very visual learner, but I have to do things several time in order to perfect the task. I have learned how to do many things by watching YouTube videos. I also subscribe to a Big Name Horse Trainer's club and receive videos each month. No, you are not going to be perfect just from watching the videos, but at least it gives you an idea of how something is supposed to look. I think you have made a great point that TV and video should be used as supplements only, and not as the only method of instruction.
ReplyDeleteA 100% agree that learning from television should only be a supplemental tool, as with most of the technolgy we've discussed. I don't think anyone tool is strong enough on it's own to constitute it being the only method of educating students in a subject. Especially, because we spend so much time exploring how different each learner is. Although television may work amazing for one student, it could be a failure for others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you all the way when you said that television should be used as an aid. You must be able to learn without just watching TV because when you get to the real world jobs, watching TV to learn everything won't work. It is important that you can learn without the use of TVs. Everything takes practice to be good at just like you said and to be a good learner, your going to have to be repetitive and practice doing so quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteBradley, I tend to agree that it may be difficult to use digital storytelling in math. However, I also believe that it is much easier visualizing a new lesson than seeing it only in text format. I guess I am a little skeptical simply because I have not seen it used. I am sure it would take a bit of a learning curve but I have not doubt digital storytelling could prove to be useful in any subject.
ReplyDeleteThis digital storytelling seems like a pretty cool idea. I think that this is something that i might try on my own just for fun.
ReplyDeleteShea Rodriguez
I agree with Utley, learning through video screens should not be the main vessel of learning. Too much t.v. = information overload. When it is not applied, your brain forgets it. No meaningful learning has occured. Only in applying the information does it really stick.
ReplyDeleteI think you could integrate digital story telling into your math classroom. If you look on youtube people have made step by step videos of how to solve certain things like standard deviation. That is easy digital story telling.
ReplyDeleteWell done Class! :)
ReplyDeleteCK