Tools for Success: Calculator Math 1512 Post #6

I plan to continue this blog...although it won't be math anymore.  Instead I will focus on the rest of my schooling and my journey to becoming an educator.

As a final post, I decided I would post about calculators.  After all, we were supposed to post about things that we learned or tools that helped us along the way.  My calculator was my lifeline.  The truth is, it always was and probably always will be!  I was always allowed to use my calculator and I became dependent upon it. 

Is this good?  Is this bad?  Well, in my opinion, application is key.  However, there are many times when I KNOW how to apply something as well as compute the answer in my head.  It's simply faster to use the calculator. 

Here is an essay on whether or not calculators should be permitted in school.Calculators: To Be Or Not To Be?

What does this say about my future as an educator?  As of now I have decided that calculators are OK.  I will be sure to assess every student's knowledge of the application of math.  The calculator will be waiting for them at graduation, and the average household has a few of them in the junk drawer.  I don't care if you use calculators in my class.  (However, could you be so kind as to not use the one on your cell phone?  Thanks!)

Here is a neat video about calculation tricks.  Calculators have always amazed me.

Measurement and Cooking Fun Math 1512 Post #5

Measurement--We see and use it every day!  We measure things in miles, drops, steps, feet, inches, gallons, quarts, milliliters, and the list goes on forever!  How do we keep these all straight?  To be honest, I don't

I keep a magnet on my refrigerator much like the one pictured here.  I refer to it when I'm making some juice or cooking.  My eyes are glued to it when I can vegetables.  You are probably thinking, "Um, so?" 

Here is my point.  Why memorize this?  Let's show our students HOW and WHEN they will use these measurements as well as distance, space, and other types of measurement.  Have fun with it! 

I think cooking activities are perfect for this.  It's simple.  Here is a site to hundreds of EASY cooking ideas for children.  I think the important thing is that the students take their time and pay attention to the measurements.  I don't think it's important to remember how many quarts are in a gallon, but students should know that a gallon is indeed larger than a quart.  Here is an ADORABLE video of a couple of kids cooking.  They are missing the explanation of measurements, but they sure had fun! 

Mean, Median, & Mode Math 1510 Post #6

Simple computation such as mean, mean, and mode is the type of math I enjoy.  I like to add a ton of numbers up and solve equations WITHOUT letters in them.  Growing up, I often found myself in the back seat playing with a calculator trying to spell naughty words <---NO! compute crazy things.  I would type in 556+43 and press the "equal" button hundreds of times until I hit a number with an exponent.  I may have been bored out of my mind slightly bored!  Anyway, I have always loved calculators. 

With that being said, I'm excited to teach my students about things such as mean, median, and mode.  However, I picture myself doing it much differently.  I may even delegate it out to P.E. class.  Who knows, in a couple of years, I may BE the P.E. teacher.  I must be prepared!

Here is an example of how I would teach something as simple as mean, median, and mode!  I would have the class go outside and we would break into groups.  We would complete simple acts such as running a lap or throwing a ball up in the air and catching it ten times.  Every group would have stop watches and would record things.  We would discuss converting seconds/minutes, minutes/seconds, etc.  We could then decide the mean, median, and mode for each group as well as the class.  We could work toward beating our record or we could change the activity up. 

Does it sound like fun?  I guess I always had more fun if we had class outside.  I would have the best of both worlds with this lesson.  We could be outside and exercising, as well as learning the intended information.  However, I think the most important fact is that the students would be engaged.  After all, if all goes well, we will do it again!

Place Value Blocks Math 1510 Post #5

My favorite teacher in elementary was Mrs. E.  She was my first grade teacher.  You may be surprised as to what made me like her class well above the rest.  It wasn't snack time, nap time, or extra play time.  It wasn't stickers or prizes.  OK, you got me...it was the PLACE VALUE BLOCKS.  Yep, I said it.  I loved playing with those place value blocks more than anything.  It was more than the fact that I could get them figured out before anybody else.  I'm sure the sense of pride helped my liking, but I think it was the overall experience of using the blocks to solve math problems that I enjoyed the most.

Place value blocks are an excellent way to differentiate instruction to suit our students' specific types of learning.  For the most part, I'm a visual/spatial learner, so the blocks worked well for me.  However, there are different ways to use the blocks to tailor the instruction to suit the other models as well. 

Here is a video of base ten blocks in action!  The video will also explain how to eplain the blocks to the students as well as what to do when they don't quite understand.

Place value blocks, also known as base ten blocks, can be used for so many different things!  Here is a link to a site that has ideas for learning place value as well as basic algorithms.  We have to teach the basics before we can go wild, right?  Why not make it fun?Base Ten Blocks

ToonDoo Math 1512: Post #4

For my Math 1512 class, we made something called a ToonDoo.  We used a free online software called ToonDoo.  It's a site where ordinary people can create cartoons/comic strips.  At first, I was super frustrated with the program.  When I started playing around with it a bit more, it was a lot of fun!  I'll share one of my ToonDoos with you here. 

This ToonDoo was about rounding.  I think that students will remember more of the concepts we teach them if we give them a reason to remember.  During the middle of a breakdown on a standardized test, I hope my students will remember my our high-energy discussion about rounding, or my cartoon.  What is better than cartoons?
This is sort of random, but I work as a waitress at Famous Dave's of America.  The secret to getting a large tip from a table is to butter up personalize and relate to them on the same level.  I think the same applies to teaching.  If we can relate to our students and give them the tools they need to succeed (which is perhaps a bit more difficult than a few butter packets or an extra napkin) they will indeed go far. 
We get so tied up with testing and meeting the standards that we forget about about the 5 W's + H of teaching.  I'm not sure there is such a thing, but I think about it all the time!
W-Who is our audience
W-What are we teaching? What do we want them to remember?
W-When will they use this?
W-Where might they use this?
W-Why are we learning this?
H-How are we going to remember this?  (Give them a reason to remember!) 
I think things such as ToonDoos are a great way to get our students interested in the tough subjects like English and math!  
WE DON'T WANT THIS!  HERE IS TO QUALITY TEACHING!

Math 1512 How do I solve that? Post #3

I was always so terrified of geometry.  I really thought about why--until this course.  The reason I disliked geometry was because I was afraid of forgetting formulas. 

Whenever my teachers prepped us for state testing, they told us that the formulas wouldn't be on the test.  Similarly, when we had chapter tests, the formulas were nowhere to be found. 

What is my point?  This only brings me back full circle to my last post!  Instead of being shown the real-world application of these formulas, I was worried sick about memorizing the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder. 

I've linked these nifty websites featuring the Area of Shapes as well as the Surface Area of 3D Figures.  They helped me with my homework for this class.  Instead of rummaging through the book for my homework problems, I was able to have these up in another window. I'm not going to lie!  At first glance, when I was asked to find the volume of an ice cream cone, I thought "Oh crap no!"  After I realized it was simply a half sphere and a cone I was able to refer back to my handy websites and compute the answer rather quickly.  I hope my students see the image as a half sphere and a cone...and not an ice cream cone.

These sites would assist me during a direct instruction or classroom discussion activity.  We would have these sites to quickly refer to.  I also think it's appropriate to have posters  with the formulas for surface area and volume posted in the classroom.  I don't care if my students can/can't memorize the formulas.  I just want them to be able to apply them. 

I thought this would be a fun way to find perimeter and area.  This is a video about using Google Earth to find the perimeter and area of various things.  I think it would be fun because they could find the area of their house or neighborhood and then compare it to larger things such as the Mall of America or Target Field.  Google Earth is so much fun and could be used for so many different activities!

Making Math Fun-Math 1510 Post #4

I think part of the reason students dislike math is because of the way things are worded.  As I was creating my MindMap for the Math 1510 class, I thought, "If I was a student trying to learn the basics of estimation and computation, what would keep me engaged?"  After I looked through a few websites, I found my answer. 
I was able to find games that have recognizable characters in them.  For example, in this link to Multiplication Games, students are able to play a game with "Ben 10."  If we used real-world objects in the classroom, I think our students would be much more interested in what is going on.  We could even tailor the material to certain students.  For example if a certain group of young men enjoy cars, why not find the circumference of one of the tires?  I assure you this is much more interesting than finding the circumference of a stupid circle.
Although I think students in the younger grades would benefit from physical examples (actually bringing in real toys or food) I think that using interesting language would be just as helpful.
For example, "I have one hundred marbles.  I will go to the store tomorrow and purchase 25 marbles.  The next day, I will give 23 marbles to my cousin Ted." OR "I have one hundred Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  I will go to the video game store tomorrow and purchase 25 more Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  The next day, I will give 23 Yu-Gi-Oh cards to my cousin Ted." 

If you were an eight-year-old boy, which problem would you prefer to solve?

Real world application and targeting what students are interested are key in retention of information.  This is video about real-world application and how one school keeps their students engaged.

My Mindmap Math 1510 Post #3

If I'm going to take ONE THING away from these math courses, it's confidence!  Before I took these two classes, my math skills were completely numb.  I couldn't remember things as simple as  the Pythagorean Theorem.  I had just shut things off since high school.

Well, I'm back!  I have to say that I'm confident with my math skills again.  Most importantly, I'm confident with teaching math.  I worry a lot.  I worry about my future as an educator.  I worry about my students not "getting it."  I worry about not having money the resources I need to make sure every student succeeds.  It turns out, this math class taught me a lot about what is out there.  I was able to find hundreds (thousands!) of legitimate websites for a unit that I zeroed in on.  I took a simple chapter from a math book and made something called a Mindmap.  Here is a link to the website I used.  Mindomo 

This website could be used for many things.  I plan to use it for lesson planning.  It could also be used for honey-do lists, to-do lists, goal-setting, budgeting, or just crazy thoughts!  Check it out.  MindMaps are becoming super common in the educational world.  (I'll just assume you are interested in education...which would be why you are reading this.)

Here is a link to my MindMap.  This map was on a unit called "Estimation and Computation."  There are many links, videos, and best of all, GAMES!  Estimation and Computation MindMap

In a nutshell, I'm not scared anymore!  This project made me step out of my box to look for curriculum on the Internet.  I'm confident that I will have the tools to succeed--even if I have to fish for everything myself.

Geometry and Triangles Math 1512 Post #2

Geometry was my favorite math class of all time.  I took a lot of math courses in high school, but this was by far the easiest.  I'm not a visual learner, but seeing the shapes sure helps me apply the formulas we learn.  Geometry is one of those concepts that people are deathly afraid of.  I guess geometry just makes sense to me!  A line has 180 degrees.  Obviously, if one angle is 35 degrees, we simply subtract to find the missing angle.  To master geometry, I think one must try to remember things such as angles, lines, planes, shapes, and the formulas that come as the main dish.

Here is a neat plain English website that explains many of the topics we covered this week.  It's  a great go-to site for simple questions about the way math is supposed to work.
Math for Morons   :)  I would use this website in my middle school classroom.  I would use it for myself on a regular basis.  It has all of the handy things that are often simple, but yet hard to remember.  I would keep a site such as this in my "favorites" to refer to as a quick reference.  Middle school students are tons of fun!  With that being said, they are also very intelligent and often ask intriguing questions.  I hope to provide answers for my students in all areas of their education.  If I keep good websites in my pocket, I will be able to conquer answer their questions correctly.

On a completely random note, here is a picture of my "notes" for this class. I'm thinking I should consider revising my strategies...as this isn't going to benefit me past next week.  I want to hold on to this information so that I don't forget it AGAIN.

Things that make me say...Hmmm! Math 1510 Post #2

I've decided to take a new theme on for my blog...at least for this week anyway.  I'm coming across more and more things that I haven't ever heard of as we continue our journey through the textbook.  I think it's important to point these things out because if I haven't heard of these concepts, perhaps you haven't either!  There were so many concepts in the last two weeks that were completely new to me.  For example, I successfully completed pre-calculus without a taste of the Euclidean Algorithm.

At first, I ignored the tool and played with the numbers on my calculator.  I let it pass by in hopes of never seeing that God forsaken algorithm again.  Quite frankly, I was afraid of it.  That was until I needed to find the greatest common factor of said large number, 432.  I thought, "Well, I could play with my calculator, or I could look at that stupid very helpful algorithm."  I cracked open the book and checked it out.  Here is a video on how to use this crafty method to find the greatest common factor of 123.



I hope you found that helpful! It was clear as mud until I watched the video.  I think some of these methods would be used more often if they were explained to our students better!  I'm not a fan of formulas--because my math teachers shoved them down my made me memorize them and never showed me how to apply them!  Let's show our students how to apply these formulas so that they can have more time to do other things...like play outside in this beautiful weather!

Math 1512: Post #1: Formula Freak?

With my almost two-year-old son on my lap and my newborn daughter in her bouncy seat on the floor next to my feet, the math saga continues.  This second week has given me a boost of confidence.  I comprehended everything in this week's chapter.  I'm not a hardcore Celine Dion fan, but in her words, "It's all coming back to me now." 
With that being said, I love formulas!  Maybe I always have enjoyed formulas, or maybe it's just my Type A personality.  I like to have one way to do things...the RIGHT way.  Formulas help my solidify my stubbornness.  The most refreshing concept from this week was standard deviation.  After completing a few problems, I felt like I was in high school again and hadn't missed a beat. 
Here is a video about standard deviation.  Standard Deviation in Plain English
I cruised through the interest questions as that is what my life is being consumed by at the current moment.  My husband and I have been trying to figure out which things we should put more money toward based on interest rates.  We were lucky enough to finance our new home at 4.75%.  However, upon further examination, this will cost a lot of money!  (126,500 * 0.475%) * 30 years= $180,262 in interest.  Ouuuuch!  I think I'll be paying that one off early!

Math 1510 Post #1

Ahh!  Now that I'm caught up, I'm feeling very confident with the content of our class thus far.  It seems like it was so long ago that I studied sets and properties.  Although some things were very familiar to me, the fog was pretty think over some of the concepts.  I don't think I ever encountered expressing numerals with different bases, Mayan or Babylonian symbols.  I was confused at first, but I was able to understand it after working through a feel problems. 

Upon becoming angry confused, I began thinking, "This is stupid, I'll never use this...Why do I even need to know this."  This sounded all to familiar to me.  This is how I have always seen math.  I've always hated disliked math as a whole.  Every semester, I would erase what I had learned as I didn't feel any of the things I was learning would be relevant to my life.  Surely, this was before I decided to pursue a career in education.  I have really been kicking myself for not trying to retain a bit more information. 

Anyway, onto the actual meat and potatoes! The first two weeks gave me good refreshers of some basic math.  I was able to get back into the groove and even bought a calculator.  I was able to brush up on things such as intersections and unions as well as the properties of addition and multiplication.  I encountered base ten representation and was able to work through the formulas with the help of our wonderful MyMathLab.  I'm not sure where I would be without the "Help Me Solve This" button.  It's my lifeline!

Mainly, the most interesting concept from the past two weeks has been the Mayan and Babylonian number systems.  These were literally foreign languages to me.  Here is a Simple Mayan Explanation to explain this new concept.  Here is another link to Different Number Systems that explains the Babylonian, Egyptian, and Mayan number systems.  It also explains a bit about the history of numbers.

It's always nice to have sites like these that explain the concepts a bit further.  Sometimes textbooks are a bit unclear on concepts that only appear in the book once.  Students often benefit from having more pictures and less text to explain new concepts.

I won't get into the explanation of the Mayan number system.  If you are interested, use my links.  The image above also explains the formula that is used to read the symbols used to illustrate large numbers.  Once I practiced a couple, it was super easy!

The first unclassified blog post...of all time.

I'm a frequent reader of multiple blogs on the web.  I enjoy reading blogs as they are generally personable as well as entertaining.  I enjoy reading about other people's DIY projects, family matters, as well as daily struggles and achievements.  Most importantly, reading other blogs makes me feel more normal.  Blogs are a great outlet for personal opinions and experiences to be heard.  This brought me to the question: Why has it taken me this long to start blogging? 

Anyway, this is my first real blog.  This blog will encompass my light bulb/dim switch moments of my current college math classes.  I'm taking two college math courses for credit toward my K-8 Elementary Education certification.  I hope to refresh my math skills.  Even though it has only been a mere three years since high school, I feel like it has been decades.  Let's hit the books, and happy reading!