The next 5 years
As my ImagineIT project comes to a close, and I reflect on its impact, I think of progress my students made, creating their very own math demonstration videos. What started out as a leap of faith has turned into a potential cornerstone of my curriculum for the next few years. Students were able to synthesize and create, instead of just memorizing. They were completely engaged, which is something I’ve never seen in all my years of teaching. Before you think -- “he must be kidding,” I’m not. I’m not selling myself short, either. I’ve had many great activities where 90-95% of the activity had good to great student engagement. Those activities did not compare to this. Creating videos got even my most reluctant learners engaged in the creation process, and subsequently interested in getting the math right, so that their videos looked good to them. I ended up soliciting additional resources from Donors Choose to further help the project, which included two Microsoft Surface 3’s and accessories.
Next year, I would like to set up a YouTube Portage Park School Math Channel, and within 3-5 years, I would like to have input from grades 3-8. I’m not sure if that is possible, but if there is one thing I’ve learned from MSUrbanSTEM it’s that you should always think big -- and always be trying to find new and creative ways to solve problems.
Long term, I’d like to incorporate cutting-edge technology into my everyday teaching in math education, and create an environment where math is a subject that students look forward to more than any other! I’d like to share these ideas with other educators looking to make the same kind of impact, not just on students, but on education in general. What that technology looks like, I’m not quite sure. It starts with a paperless classroom, an interactive text that can be adapted to student interests, and the imaginations of 12-13 year-olds and myself.
As I continue to learn, explore, and strengthen my own STEM expertise, it is necessary to expand my Personal Learning Network. I am lucky to have good support from my administration and fellow teachers at my school. They are starting to see the value in the work that I’ve done, and apparently the students have been talking about the videos quite a bit, because students from other grades have approached me, asking about them. Of course, through the MSUrbanSTEM program, I have expanded my network through Facebook and Twitter. I also use the internet as a resource for lessons and other research. I’ve also gotten to make some unlikely new friends through my Donor’s Choose projects, which has inspired me to try and incorporate some of my contacts in competitive golf into my educational pursuits, as they have provided me with much needed, albeit unexpected support. As technology changes, I plan to adapt and expand these networks as well as as to better capitalize on more professional learning and growth opportunities in technology and STEM.
As my ImagineIT project comes to a close, and I reflect on its impact, I think of progress my students made, creating their very own math demonstration videos. What started out as a leap of faith has turned into a potential cornerstone of my curriculum for the next few years. Students were able to synthesize and create, instead of just memorizing. They were completely engaged, which is something I’ve never seen in all my years of teaching. Before you think -- “he must be kidding,” I’m not. I’m not selling myself short, either. I’ve had many great activities where 90-95% of the activity had good to great student engagement. Those activities did not compare to this. Creating videos got even my most reluctant learners engaged in the creation process, and subsequently interested in getting the math right, so that their videos looked good to them. I ended up soliciting additional resources from Donors Choose to further help the project, which included two Microsoft Surface 3’s and accessories.
Next year, I would like to set up a YouTube Portage Park School Math Channel, and within 3-5 years, I would like to have input from grades 3-8. I’m not sure if that is possible, but if there is one thing I’ve learned from MSUrbanSTEM it’s that you should always think big -- and always be trying to find new and creative ways to solve problems.
Long term, I’d like to incorporate cutting-edge technology into my everyday teaching in math education, and create an environment where math is a subject that students look forward to more than any other! I’d like to share these ideas with other educators looking to make the same kind of impact, not just on students, but on education in general. What that technology looks like, I’m not quite sure. It starts with a paperless classroom, an interactive text that can be adapted to student interests, and the imaginations of 12-13 year-olds and myself.
As I continue to learn, explore, and strengthen my own STEM expertise, it is necessary to expand my Personal Learning Network. I am lucky to have good support from my administration and fellow teachers at my school. They are starting to see the value in the work that I’ve done, and apparently the students have been talking about the videos quite a bit, because students from other grades have approached me, asking about them. Of course, through the MSUrbanSTEM program, I have expanded my network through Facebook and Twitter. I also use the internet as a resource for lessons and other research. I’ve also gotten to make some unlikely new friends through my Donor’s Choose projects, which has inspired me to try and incorporate some of my contacts in competitive golf into my educational pursuits, as they have provided me with much needed, albeit unexpected support. As technology changes, I plan to adapt and expand these networks as well as as to better capitalize on more professional learning and growth opportunities in technology and STEM.
