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This blog is a series of technology tips for educators. These tips provide ideas for learning, teaching, and using digital skills. The content varies so that the tips can be designed for you ... new teacher or experienced, technophobe or “cutting edge”… or somewhere in the middle. I hope you enjoy reading these tips and, especially, that you find some new, useful ideas. I would love to hear your ideas!
Last week I shared some interesting mathematics and science web sites that teachers and students might enjoy examining and then trying some of the ideas offered. Sometimes, however, we just need some help with the everyday teaching and learning of the standards for mathematics and science. So, today I’m sharing some mathematics sites that you might find helpful… and next week I shall share some science sites. Many of these sites will work well with interactive whiteboards.
OHIO RESOURCE CENTER FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND READING http://ohiorc.org/ The Ohio Resource Center for Mathematics, Science, and Reading continues to add new resources to their collections, so even if you’ve visited previously, be sure to stop by to check the new additions! This is one of my favorite sites because their review process assures that their recommendations are worth considering.
Thinkfinity Web Site http://www.Thinkfinity.org The Thinkfinity site has been redesigned and now links to the ORC main page. It includes resources from Illuminations (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) and Science NetLinks (American Association for the Advancement of Science). The site has lesson plans and teaching materials that are of high quality.
TEACHERSFIRST.COM http://www.teachersfirst.com/ TeachersFirst is another of my favorite sites because they thoroughly review all sites which they post. They also make suggestions for using these sites in the classroom. I’ve recommended this site previously, but--like ORC—they also continue to add new, quality sites to their collections.
AAA Math http://www.321know.com/ Choose a grade level (k-8) or choose a topic to bring up interactive activities for practice.
CyberSleuth Kids http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Math/ This site is listed as being appropriate for elementary grades. That’s true… however, there are also some very good lessons for middle school and high school. Navigate through the site to check out explanations, games, puzzles, worksheets, student practice opportunities. Both students and teachers can find helpful information here.
I remember a certain weather reporter who would talk about a “mixed bag” of weather conditions that were heading in our direction. Well, today’s tech tip is a mixed bag of mathematics, science, and general interest web sites that are interesting and even fun.
Having spent many years teaching mathematics to students in grades six through twelve, I could not resist a list of the Hundred Greatest Theorems. The chart includes links to many of the theorems and the mathematicians associated with them. Dates are also included in the chart.
I have taught some of these theorems, but certainly not all of them. The inclusion of the theorems in the list is based on "the place the theorem holds in the literature, the quality of the proof, and the unexpectedness of the result." Archimedes’ Area of a Circle, the Pythagorean Theorem, and Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem are a few of those included in the list.
Two origami sites provide instructions for folding many interesting creations. The instructions for the first site are a combination of words and sketches. The instructions for the second site are contained in videos.
Science 2.0 http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=science-2-point-0&sc=rss The April 2008 Scientific American has an interesting article about Science 2.0. M. Mitchell Waldrop writes about a new practice by some researchers of posting raw results online. How will this practice affect science discoveries and the scientists who make those discoveries?
Adobe has published a free, web-based, image-editing application. Adobe’s Photoshop Express joins several other image-editors already online. As soon as it became available, I examined it to determine how it compares with the online image-editor that I currently use… and to determine which Photoshop-like procedures I would be able to use with this new application.
I chose not to share my experiences as a tech tip at that point due to the Terms of Service. I was not the one to initially discover that the Terms gave Adobe more control over users’ content than many users would like; however, when I reviewed the Terms, I agreed that they were not what I wanted to accept. Adobe has since modified the Terms and, consequently, I can now recommend the application.
My first reaction was one of disappointment. Since this application is Photoshop Express, I figured I would be able to use layers. However, there are no layers.
As I tried various editing functions, I was surprisedto see preview thumbnails of my image. I can click on the different thumbnails to see which result I like best. With some of the editing functions a slider is also available to help me choose my preferred result. The thumbnails help me make my choices.
Another good feature is the ability to undo choices I make… and not necessarily in the order that I originally make those choices! That, too, was a surprise.
Two pages of FAQs provide helpful information when you’re first learning the application. Some of what I learned from the FAQs includes…
I can play without an account, but I can’t work with my own photos without an account.
When I upload a photo from my computer, I can select it in My Photos, and then choose to edit it.
In order to download my edited and saved photo to my computer, I mouse over the photo. That makes the options menu visible and then I can choose to download the photo to my computer.
Functions that are available include: crop and rotate, resize, auto correct, exposure, red-eye removal, touchup, saturation, white balance, highlight, fill light, sharpen, soft focus, hue, black and white, tint, sketch, distort, and pop color.
Photoshop Express is easy to use. Although some features that I would like are missing—layers, tools for drawing shapes, the ability to add text—some nice features that are included are storage space for photos, the ability to share photos, and slideshow settings for albums. What delighted me was that I can pop color! I can’t do that with my current image-editing application. My purple water lily looks great in blue!
HyperHistory Online summarizes 3,000 years of world history using lifelines, timelines, and maps. The online version complements a world history chart that is available in hard copy.
Topics available are science (including mathematics), culture (artists, music, and writers), religion, and politics. A section on climate change is the current feature.
General information is linked to specific information in a sidebar and to additional links at the bottom of the page. Another sidebar provides easy access to people, history, events, and maps.
Lifelines are available for over 1000 individuals. Timelines cover the major civilizations. Events provide more detail on a year-to-year basis. And links to many regional maps are also available.
This site is interesting for browsing and is useful for teachers and students in many disciplines. Check out the information in the areas of your interest to see how you or your students could use the information. Be sure to follow the links provided… this site contains more than 2,000 files of data.
Last week I shared some interesting mathematics and science web sites that teachers and students might enjoy examining and then trying some of the ideas offered. Sometimes, however, we just need some help with the everyday teaching and learning of the standards for mathematics and science. So, today I’m sharing some mathematics sites that you might find helpful… and next week I shall share some science sites. Many of these sites will work well with interactive whiteboards.
