Posted by David Wetzel
Are you searching for a way to share documents, presentations, slideshows, or a series of photos or images with your students?
Then Voice Thread is the free Web 2.0 tool for you and your students (teachers can register for a free education account).
Voice Thread allows you and your students to add audio, video, and text as part of conversations concerning science or math content.
Comments can be added using a pre-recorded audio file, microphone, call from a phone, or webcam and microphone.
A Voice Thread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world. This is great when your class is collaborating on a project with students in another time zone or other locations around the world.
Strategies for Both Science and Math
The following are examples which work well in either math or science
1. Students create a presentation about a concept and then embed their presentation in a Glogster poster.
2. Students use Voice Threads created by both teacher and other students which are embedded in a class Wiki or Blog for use to review concepts or examples:
- prior to a test or exam.
- work missed after being absent.
3. Students create a recording of a debate using one slide for pro and another for a con position.
4. Students watch a video related to a concept and add their comments, ideas, or suggestions related to the video.
5. Students use Voice Thread to create digital stories to explain ideas.
6. Students integrate documents created – presentations, word documents, spreadsheets, polls – in Google Docs within their Voice Thread presentations.
7. Back to School Night – take photos of your classroom and students working, then post on your Wiki or Blog for parents who are unable to attend.
Math Teaching Strategies
Students show multiple strategies for solving a problem. This strategy promotes student ownership, while using the language of mathematics.
For example – using a digital image of data within a table, several or all students record a different strategies or make comments about how they solved the problem using data analysis.
Have students explain a new math concept using images to support their explanation.
For example – students create a collection of geometric digital images. Then compare and contrast the images by adding their comments.
Additional math ideas:
1. How to write and solve linear equations.
2. Provide examples and explanations of various forms of display for data sets, including a stem-and-leaf plot or box-and-whisker plot; use the forms to display a single set of data or to compare with sets of data.
3. Provides examples and explanations for percents as a part of a hundred; find decimal and percent equivalents for common fractions and explain why they represent the same value; compute a given percent of a whole number.
Science Teaching Strategies
Students are studying arthropods which have an exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They create a digital Voice Thread of examples of these insects with explanations.
For example – Digital Insect Collection
Students create a Voice Thread presentation to communicate their findings in a science project. This strategy ensures each student within a group participates, because every student must contribute to part of the presentation using their own voice for facts and comments.
For example – Road Kill Project
Additional science ideas:
1. Provide examples of reflection and refraction along with explanations.
2. Provide examples of each type of biome found around the world.
3. Debate the issue of global warming using facts and data presented in a Voice Thread.
Using Voice Thread creates an interactive classroom which can be used in almost any science and math grade level. Teachers can use this Web 2.0 tool for digital storytelling of concepts by students, causing critical thinking, student project presentations, and even a tool for assessment.
Posted by David Wetzel
An algebra project focusing on a theme which interests students is more likely to engage them in the project, so lets take a look at sports. Many students participate in sports at some level, whether as part of a school team or a community team.
For the most part these same students do not understand the costs involved to host the sport. Also, they do not understand how much money is needed to ensure a profitable season so the sport can continue from year to year.
Sports Complex Project
This project is designed for using algebra as a basis for comparing expenses and income at a youth athletic complex to determine profitability.
Math students need to decide which fund raising activities will help their sports complex remain profitable.
The sports complex is not making enough money this year from concession stand sales to keep the complex open the last two months of this year’s sports season. The committee overseeing the sports complex project a $1,000.00 shortfall in funds to pay for lights, grass cutting, and maintenance.
Some members of the committee want to start a charging a $1.00 admission fee to everyone who enters the complex, this includes all fans and participants.
After much debate, the sports complex committee have decided to hold a carnival to avoid charging an admission fee. They also decided on the following two options for charging admission and ticket prices for the carnival.
- Option 1: $1.00 admission and $.25 per ticket.
- Option 2: no admission and $.50 per ticket.
Problem
Which of these two options will help raise enough money to avoid charging admission to everyone who uses the sports complex?
Facts needed to solve the problem:
- The sports complex committee has limited expenses to $600.00.
- An inflatable bungee run costs $250.00 to rent for rent for one day.
- A dunk tank costs $100.00 to rent for one day.
- A cotton candy machine costs $50.00 to rent for one day.
- An inflatable slide costs $100.00 to rent for one day.
Solving the Problem Complete the following to solve the problem. List at least 10 activities, including food booths, games, and rides. Other possibilities include food donations and activities which can be easily made such as a softball toss, soccer kick contest, baseball toss, basketball toss, or football toss.
Use Bubbl.us mapping software to create a organizational map to help solve the problem. Use the following as a guideline for solving the problem:
- For each option listed above, write equations to find the profit “y” of selling “x” tickets.
- What is the profit or loss for ticket sales based on attendance of 200 people, 300 people, and 400 people?
- Graph the equations.
- At what point, if any, will Option 1 and Option 2 be equal?
- Which option is the best for solving the problem and ensuring at least a $1,000.00 profit?
Alternative Solution
If Option 1 or Option 2 will not raise enough money to cover expenses and ensure enough profit to avoid an admission fee to the sports complex for everyone, what option to recommend to the sports complex committee to ensure the carnival raises enough money?
Survey
Create a survey using Google Docs Survey which which will be used to obtain a rough estimate of the number of people who will attend the carnival.
Presentation
Present your findings and recommendations to your classmates using one of the two following methods:
- Present your findings to you class using Google Docs Presentation.
- post your findings on the class Wiki for your class to view and parents can see. Ask for feedback and recommendations from all those who few your project findings on the class Wiki.
Project based learning in algebra allows students to transfer math knowledge to situations outside the classroom. Also the use of projects is often a motivational factor for students to learn algebra, as opposed to considering algebra as something they will never use in their lives.
Additional Readings on Project Based Learning in Math
Teaching Algebra: making Real World Connections
Solving Weaknesses in Math Using Project Based Learning
Pythagorean Theorem: Using Real World Applications
Posted by David Wetzel
Learning algebra is difficult for most students. Ask any student what they are learning in algebra and you will probably receive an answer similar to this (after - Why do I need to know this?).
“Using Xs and Ys a lot, a bunch of numbers and symbols, and memorizing a lot of rules.”
This often comes with learning algebra without connection to anything students can relate to. When students learn basic math, they can make a lot of connections.
For example - If the sales tax is 10%. How much tax will you pay when you buy an new MP3 player that costs $135.00?
Slope: A Definition
Lets take a look at another concept students study in algebra. The properties of lines such as slope, y-intercept, and their interactions.
This is a definition they typically find in an algebra textbook:
“The slope is defined as the ratio of the rise divided by the run between two points on a line, or in other words, the ratio of the altitude change to the horizontal distance between any two points on the line.”
Once they are able to get beyond the definition and understand how rise and run are connected to the term slope, then we start throwing positive and negative slope at them.
Equations: Negative and Positive Slopes
Start with the following graph to help students develop and understanding of negative slopes.
Now ask the students to find the slope for each line.
For the Green Line: y = 6 and x =6
For the Purple Line: y = 2 and x = 10
Now ask the students to find an equation for each slope.
y = rise/run times axis crossing point
y = -6/6 x 6
y = -2/10 x 2
Use the following graph to help students develop and understanding of positive slopes.
Now ask the students to find the slope for each line in the second graph.
For the Green Line: y = 0 and x = 10
For the Purple Line: y = 0 and x = 8
Now ask the students to find an equation for each slope.
y = 10/4 x 0
y = 8/6 x 0
This helps students with a fundamental concept:
“When lines go down from left to right this is a negative slope and when lines climb from left this a positive slope.”
Extension: Opportunity for Students to Demonstrate True Understanding
Now lets provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate true understanding with the following graph.
Now ask the students to find the slope for each line on this third graph.
From Quadrant I to Quadrant II: The “y” intercepts actually don’t change, and neither do the ‘run’ values. In fact the only thing different is that now the lines go up (positive slope). These five equations are the same as the first quadrant with the sign of the slope changed.
From Quadrant I to Quadrant III: The signs of the slope now stay the same (both negative), they can form the 3rd quadrant equations by simply changing the sign of the “y” intercept.
From Quadrant I to Quadrant IV: They need to change both the sign of the slopes and the “y” intercepts.
After completing these exercises the students should be more comfortable with translating equations of lines into corresponding lines on graph paper and vice-a-versa, along with using the slope-intercept form of linear equations.
Real World Applications: Additional Extension Activities
Additional extensions for finding the slope: students apply these concepts to a slide on a playground, schools stairs, non-flat drive ways, football field stands, any area of the school grounds which has a rolling or hilly terrain, etc.
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