Combining Technology and High School Math

Jill Casey and I developed a Problem/Project Based Assignment for our Geometry students.  We developed an assignment were our students are going to actually build a Tiny House while learning about all the different geometric shapes and finding perimeter and area.  We hope to actually be able to use this project with our students when we get to this unit next semester.  Enjoy! Understanding by Design

          Jill Casey and I were asked to present something at one of our upcoming Institute Days.  We took this assignment and that opportunity to develop not only what we would be presenting, PBL but also develop what could be used as a Half Day Institute Day with a follow up 2 Hour Late start day.  Since we are presenting on what PBL is and how to use it in your classroom, we developed our professional learning assignment to also mimic the layout of PBL.  While developing our activties we wanted to make sure there was a lot of interaction, time for the teachers to actually work, and the ability for the teachers to ask questions and reflect on the work they have done.  Both Jill and I are excited for this opportunity to present and get feedback from actual teachers.  .Enjoy! Professional Learning Assignment

         Hi!  My name is Alex Rentner and I teach high school math at Waubonsie Valley High School.  I have been teaching for 8 years at Waubonsie and currently teach Geometry, Algebra 2 and Trigonometry.  I graduated from the University of Evansville in May 2009 and got my Masters in Instructional Technology from Northern Illinois University in 2014.  Incorporating technology in order to enhancing teaching and learning is definitely on the forefront in education.  I have done my best since getting my masters and from my own research to incorporate technology into my teaching, but I know I can do more.  My district is going 1:1 with Chromebooks this year and I am excited to learn new tools and get new ideas of things I can integrate technology effectively into my classroom to make my teaching and my students learning better.           When I have used technology in my classroom I have used a lot of Google ...

          The assessment I created for this assigned was on Quizizz.com.  I have used this platform many times before with my students and they really enjoy it.  I especially like the idea that there is the option of doing a game mode or homework mode.  I tend to do game mode if we are practicing in the classroom and homework mode as an assignment overnight or over a weekend.  To go along with the assessment I created a rubric to better help myself and my students understand how they are going to be graded and what my expectations are. Category 4 3 2 1 Process of Solving the Linear Equation Typically uses an efficient and effective strategy to solve the problem (s).  Typically uses an effective strategy to solve the problem(s). Sometimes uses an effective strategy to solve problems but does not do it consistently. Rarely uses an effective str...

           This Screencast I made for my students is based on something that they are going to learn in this unit.   This topic of systems with three equations and three variables is very difficult for some students to really get their mind wrapped around it.   Therefore, having a video like this available to them all the time can allow them to go and look at it if they are struggling.   A lot of the time my students tell me they understand this topic in class but then when they go home and do practice problems they do not.   This video can help them refresh the steps of the problem and maybe even help them figure out where they made a mistake.   I can easily post the link to Google Classroom, my website, or email it out to my students for them to access.    This Screencast is appropriate for my student because I made it based on something that they are going to learn in this unit.   This topic of systems with three e...

          At the beginning of those course I was not completely sure what to expect.  The idea of eLearning can be taken in so many different ways that I was very interested to see where this course would take it.           I really liked that throughout the course all the different modules worked on the same unit.  The best part is the unit is actually one I can use in the classroom for this coming school year.  I was able to layout the entire unit and really get a good sense about what I can do online, what I can do face to face and discussions and activities I can use to support my students learning. I am really excited to see if what I developed and made throughout this class will work for my students.           For me this is probably the first of many steps in the direction of some major eLearning. My district is going 1:1 with Chromebooks this coming school year so I think there will be ma...