MACUL Conference
MACUL stands for Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning. It is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to assisting the education community through support, promotion, and leadership in the effective use of educational technology. Their mission statement is "MACUL ignites learning through meaningful collaboration and innovation."
Many teachers go to the conference and a lot give presentations about how they have used a new technology in their classroom. These presentations allow teachers to share their ideas for other teachers to try and use. A conference like this encourages teachers to go find new ways to use technology in the classroom to benefit their students. They even allow student majoring in education to go as well. Next year they are coming to Grand Rapids and I think it would be something great to go to. I could learn a great deal from all these teachers.
Technology I have seen/used
I am currently observing in Mrs. Terrigno's Algebra and Geometry classes at Jenison High School. She use a lot of technology that can be quite helpful for students and her as well. One of the coolest resources she has used is infuselearning.com. Each student is given an iPad and goes to the site. They sign into her class so she can see their work. She puts a problem on the board, they work on the problem on the iPad, then they send the work to her. This allows Mrs. Terrigno to see how each student is doing. She told me that if just a few students get the question wrong, she will individually help them. If she notices that most of the class is getting the incorrect answer, she will go over the problem with the whole class. There is an example below.
A much more simple technological resource that Mrs. Terrigno uses is a desk projector. Sometimes she gives out story problems that involve more complicated pictures. These would be hard to draw on a whiteboard and could confuse students. Instead she can do the example on the paper and reference the picture. This allows the students to visually see how Mrs. Terrgino uses the picture to solve the problem. Another use for the desk projector is showing functions in the calculator. Calculators have many functions and some are hard to find or use. Using the projector to show the students what buttons to press is much easier than trying to explain how to use the function.
Two resources we have used in my Math 229 class are Desmos and Geogebra. They are both computer programs that allow you to visualize functions that you type in. In geogebra you can set up animations that show what happens when you change certain variables. You can set up games.
The example above is a football animation. You have to set all of the conditions and see if the quarterback can throw an accurate pass to his wide receiver.
In Desmos it is easier to create fun pictures like the batman symbol.
Pros of Technology
1. Technology can make things easier. Using the infuselearning.com allows a teacher to see which students are struggling easier. If the whole class understands, you can move on.
2. Programs like Desmos and Geogebra allows students to experiment. They set up animations and can experiment what happens when certain variables change. Students can start to pick up on patterns easier this way.
3. Visualizing is easier. In Desmos and Geogebra students can visualize what functions they are using. Again they can pick up on these patters to create fun pictures or animations.
Cons of Technology
1. Technology can distract students. Many times I saw students going on Facebook or other sites when using the iPads.
2. Students can improperly use technology. As you saw in the example of infuselearning.com, a student had drawn a face. Even though that's not what the student was supposed to draw, there is nothing the teacher can do from stopping something like that from happening.
3. Technology can be confusing. My first times using Desmos and Geogegra were very frustrating because I didn't know how to use the programs. I didn't really learn much at first because I was spending the whole time trying to figure out how the program works.
Overall
In the end I would say that technology is overall a good thing to have in the classroom. Teachers need to make sure that they are using technology effectively. To do this they must try maximize the pros of technology and minimize cons of technology. The technology should make the learning process fun and easier. If the technology is distracting and confusing, then there is no point in using it. An effective teacher knows how to use technology effectively.
