More Internet resources for teaching and learning mathematics

Week 14: April 14

MATH 459/ELMA 559 ~ Technology in Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Instruction ~ Spring 2004

Class meeting schedule and topics

Wednesday, April 14 ~	More Internet resources for teaching and learning mathematics
	Open a Microsoft Word document to keep track of the information you record in tonight's class. Include your name and today's date in the document. Watch a demonstration of the Edline Web site (http://www.edline.net). Edline represents one system for recording grades and communicating them to students and families. Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of using a system such as Edline to manage and communicate your class grades. Visit the American Factfinder at the US Census Bureau Web site (see http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en). Use the "Fact Sheet" to report the following information about a town or city you know (do not use Indiana, PA!): Name of the town or city Total population Percent male Median age Percent Black or African American Median household income Median value of single-family owner-occupied homes Use the Create a Graph Web site (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/Graphing/) to create a graph using data from our class or from the Internet (give a reference for your data). Copy and paste the graph you create into your Word document, and use Print Preview to assure that it will print out without bleeding on to more than one sheet. Visit the Ask Jeeves Web site (http://www.ask.com/). Ask Jeeves a question about mathematics that a student at the grade level you teach or intend to teach might ask. Record the Web site and answer for at least one reasonable answer to the question. Now visit the Ask Jeeves Kids Web site (http://www.ajkids.com). Ask the same question about mathematics that you asked Jeeves. Were the answers you were provided different when you used Ask Jeeves Kids? Comment on any differences you detected, and whether you would recommend that students at the grade level you teach or intend to teach should use Ask Jeeves or Ask Jeeves Kids. Explore the Java applets available at the www.rossmanchance.com Web site (see http://www.rossmanchance.com/applets/index.html). Choose one applet, describe how it works, and comment on whether the applet or some variation of it might be useful in a class at the grade level you teach or intend to teach. Search the Web for information about the mathematics program you have been assigned. Include a summary of the information you find in your Word document. Your report should include the name of the program you investigated, the grade levels the program covers, a description of the resources available to support the program, the cost of the program (if available), and a summary of reviews that you could find. Here is a list of the mathematics programs we will examine: Dale Seymour Publications: Connected Mathematics Program Dale Seymour Publications: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space Everyday Learning Corporation: Everyday Mathematics Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Mathematics: Applications and Connections Harcourt Brace: Math Advantage McDougal Littell: Passport to Mathematics McDougal Littell: Math Thematics McGraw-Hill School Division: Math in My World Prentice Hall Middle Grades Math: Tools for Success Saxon Publishers Math: An Incremental Development Scott Foresman - Addison Wesley: Math Scott Foresman - Addison Wesley: Middle School Math Silver Burdett Ginn Mathematics: The Path to Math Success SRA/McGraw Hill Math: Explorations and Applications Explore the Census at School Web site (http://www.censusatschool.ntu.ac.uk/) for the country you have been assigned. Include a summary of the information you find in your Web document. Your report should include the name of the country you investigated, the types of information available, the amount of information available, and whether you would use this site or the information in your school or class. Here is a list of the countries available on the Census at School site: United Kingdom South Africa Australia New Zealand Canada Save your Word document, and e-mail a copy of it as an attachment to yourself and to the instructor (tshort@iup.edu).
Wednesday, April 21 ~	The TI-73 Graphing Calculator and the Calculator-Based Laboratory System (CBL)
Wednesday, April 28 ~	Graduate student presentations and the written part of the final exam
Wednesday, May 5 ~	Deadline for submitting reports, homework, revisions, and any other assignments

Homework Assignments

13. Due Wednesday, April 21

    Required work

    1. Complete any of the tasks in the April 14 outline that you were unable to complete in class.

    2. Complete an "Internet Resource Review" for at least one Web resource that might be interesting to teachers at the grade level you teach or intend to teach.

    Optional work

    • Complete an "Internet Resource Review" for other Web resources.

    • Extend any of the tasks in the April 14 outline by exploring a similar Web site, exploring a different part of the Web site, or comparing it to another Web site.

14. Due Wednesday, April 28

    Required work

    1. Complete a "Calculator Profile" for the TI-73 calculator. (Note that you might not have access to a TI-73 outside of our classroom.)

    2. Write a one-page comment on how the TI-73 (or a different graphing calculator) and the CBL technology could be used in a science or mathematics unit in the grade level you teach or intend to teach.

    Optional work

    • Write a lesson plan or a description for a science or mathematics activity that makes use of the CBL technology.