Got started with a couple of my NCETC inspired initiatives today.

I created a wikispaces wiki page today. The URL is http://WMSMath.wikispaces.com. I chose to create a protected wiki since the purpose of the wiki is to provide a centralized location for Walkertown Middle School math teachers to share resources and collaborate. I may even need to part with a little cash and establish it as a private wiki. I'm a little concerned with posting some of the items that we've included in our powerpoint presentations this year. Some of our examples were copied directly from our textbook software. In the meantime, I think we will simply replace the copied examples with original creations.

The other project that I've begun working on is the video to teach slope. As I've stated in an earlier post, I was very impressed with Lee Lefever's "Wikis in Plain English" video that David Warlick showed in his presentation "The Art And Technique Of Wikis" at NCETC on November 28, 2007. I've decided to do my slope video using powerpoint. I've started developing some ideas and implementing the animations. It's going to be a lot of work, but I am hoping to have a quality finished product when I'm done. I will put a copy of what I've accomplished periodically on the new wiki page so that everyone can see the progress.

Indirect idea from Warlick's wiki session.

During David Warlick's presentation "The Art and Technique of Wikis" at the North Carolina Educational Technology Conference (NCETC) he showed a Youtube video that illustrated the use of wikis.   The video was done by Lee Lefever and is entitled "Wikis in Plain English." (See attached link)   This video is very cleverly done.   It occurred to me a couple days after the conference that I could make similar videos to help teach concepts in my classroom.   I've got to work out a few logistical issues, but I'm going to attempt a similar video on slope and linear equations.   I will post again when I've completed the video.

Video Link

Wiki projects!

One of my favorite tools that I learned about at NCETC 2007 were wiki's.   I thought that one excellent use would be for a teacher to start a wiki with a simple paragraph or page about a general topic.   Within the paragraph, many of the key words should be created as links.   These keywords are then assigned to students who would research the keywords and fill in the wiki with data related to that keyword.   I think this could be an amazing way to carry out a research project with students.   I don't have anything concrete for this yet, but I would like to create a sample page.   Most of the implementations for this idea so far relate more to subjects other than Math.   I might develop this idea for Science or Social Studies first.   As a second effort I would like to adjust the idea to fit Math somehow.

Gaming Fair

Another idea that I absolutely loved from David Warlick's presentation on video gaming. He stated that some schools had hosted a gaming fair. What a magnificent way to get students excited about a school event. Students were invited to bring in their gaming systems and they demonstrated to parents and faculty the many aspects of the gaming world that are foreign to many adults. This would also be a great event to springboard a PTSA meeting. There are lots of great resources available at David Warlick's wiki page for this presentation. Click on the attached link to visit the page.