Technology Blog

I found the week we spent focusing on technology really interesting. I have worked with Geometer's Sketchpad before but it had been awhile so it was nice to have a refresh of the different kinds of things you can do with it. I think the best part of the Sketchpad is being able to show students the properties of geometric figures. They would be able to actually see how angles stay the same, or lengths stay the same. I feel students will actually understand these concepts better because they will actually be able to see it rather than just telling them this is what it is. I will definitely try to incorporate Sketchpad into my teaching even if it is only using the free preview version. I think all students should be able to utilize this technology.

The calculators we used in class were also really interesting. I had never seen a calculator that was able to do all the different things that calculator was able to do. I think it would be really important to make sure students really understand how to work with fractions. The calculator will be very nice for when students have mastered their understanding of it, but if introduced at the wrong time I think it may hinder there understanding. Obviously though I think that these calculators are very helpful and a good look into what the future will be like for our students.

Another piece of technology we have really utilized in this class is the smart board. I had heard about smart boards before coming to this class but had never seen one actually used before. I think it is an incredible piece of technology because it can make things so interactive for students. I think by having the students actually work on the original document from the computer makes it more exciting for them and like they are really contributing. I'm sure sometime in the future there will even be personal smart boards for every student on their desk.