Reflections on Blogging
May 3, 2008 at 12:04 pm | In Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: Module 9
* Describe your blogging experience in this course. Do you think you will continue using your blog? Why or why not? I had used blogs before in other online classes, but never on WordPress. It was a bit challenging to get use to the interface at first, but it didn’t take long to get comfortable using it. I got very frustrated a few times with trying to format. I couldn’t figure out how to underline text or insert tables. I also had difficulty inserting images, but that may have been an issue with my MAC and not with the blogging. I’m not sure about continuing this blog yet. It’s very difficult to require students to do a technology activity frequently unless the mobile lab would be available and I could fit it into class time. It is almost easier just to have students do writing on paper.
* What did you learn about yourself and your abilities or interests in Math or Algebra? It was interesting to see how much easier it is to write about a skill or concept that I already enjoy teaching. It was much harder to write about one that I don’t like which makes me wonder if these “emotions” come across in my teaching. It is something to consider, because I don’t want my students’ learning to be affected by my feelings on a topic.
* Did you learn or discover anything you found particularly interesting through your course actives or your own internet research? Describe one interesting discovery and why you found it fascinating. I was really fascinated by the web search I did on fractals. The animations were so cool. I never realized there was so much information out there including the animations of Sierpinski’s triangle and Koch’s snowflake.
* Do you think you will use journals with your students? Do you think you will use blogs? Why or why not? Again, I totally agree that journaling is an excellent experience for students, but I am not sure about using the blogs to do it. Most of students have Internet and I could require them to do blogging at home, but for some, they would have to make time to do their blogging at school. Another option is to let those students do their entries on paper, but then the whole feeling of community and sharing is lost.
Factoring Quadratic Equations
May 3, 2008 at 11:48 am | In Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: Module 9, Quadratic Equations
Instructions for factoring a quadratic equation in the form ax2+bx+c=0:
1. First look at the factors of the constant value, c.
2. Factor the first term, ax2. This is very easy when a = 1 since the only option is x * x.
3. Determine which combination of factors have a sum/difference equal to the coefficient of the middle term, b.
4. Write the factors as the product of two binomials: (x + f1)(x+f2).
Questions:
* Did paraphrasing the words help you internalize the concepts more? I think it’s very difficult to put something like this in your own words and generalize it. It is much easier to describe the steps as you do some example problems. It’s easier to describe how to factor a basic quadratic equation with a = 1 and plus signs, but when you combine a variety of a values with some minus signs, now it is much more difficult to describe. I don’t actually feel that paraphrasing this concept in words help me to internalize it.
* How can you apply this type of exercise in a lesson for your own students? Although I didn’t feel paraphrasing this concept was very helpful for me, it is an exercise I do with my students often. I usually would have students paraphrase a new skill or concept as their closure or bell-ringer.
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