Foused Task Self Assessment

For the focused task, Reneeta and I chose to work with a Grade 12 graphing project. We thought it would be an easy project to do, but we soon found out that the technology part of it is actually much more tricky then first imagined. The task called for any means of technology that will aid with graphing. A graphing calculator, although plentiful in the classroom, would not have done the trick in this case, as there were boundary restrictions that needed to be considered while graphing the wine glass. We opted for a more advanced program, Maple, that we both have had some experience with. I was quite surprised at how long it took us to remember the codes and how to specify restrictions at first. However, with a little bit of practice and perseverance (and a lot of reading the Help manual) we were able to create an elegant program that did exactly what we wanted it to: Draw a picture of a wine glass.

I haven’t used Maple much for graphing, so being able to practice and play with it really helped a lot. I’ve been looking for a program that would create graphs to add to my professional library that I could use when designing tests and exams. I think Maple might just be the program I have been looking for. That alone was enough reason for me to engage in this task.

The mathematics component of this task, although it seemed complicated to the untrained eye, was actually the easiest part for Reneeta and I. The part that caused us grief was finding a way to present the math to our classmates who don’t necessarily have the same mathematical background. We decided to create a webpage along with a few iMovies to help explain the math. Creating the webpage and the movies presented a whole new challenge in itself. First of all, we had to decide where to post the webpage, which editor would we use, how would we link things together, how do we edit the HTML, etc. It was possibly the most challenging part of this assignment. I think we learned a lot from the experience though, and in the process we have both become experts in creating webpages. I would personally like to do some more PD regarding this, but in the mean time, I think I will be able to create and maintain a simplistic website.

Reneeta and I had the opportunity to work with iMovie in Semester 2 as part of our curriculum class. Despite the previous experience, we still had a lot of difficulty creating the videos. I think the content was the most challenging. How do we explain complicated mathematics to someone with limited expertise? It was a huge challenge, and we spent a lot of time working with it. The second movie (Mathematical Processes) did not come out the way we wanted it to. Personally, I think it was a pretty dry awful 10 minutes of torture. However, it was important for our peers to see the videos if they wanted to truly understand the mathematics. Did it really enhance our presentation? I don’t think so. The first video (Simplified Solution) was a much better addition to the task. It was clear, concise, and touched on all the main points that we needed to address.

The main challenge we had was how can we use technology effectively? A webpage is great, but if used uncreatively, it’s just an electronic version of a paper. Similar challenges present itself when using PowerPoint. We needed to shy away from that. We tried adding links to exploration applets that might be of interest to our students, using online feedback mechanisms, and creating “how to” movies that might assist in completion of the task. I think we could have increased the creativity factor if we had more knowledge about the technology we were using. It is something that will come with time, so I’m not too concerned about that right now.

Overall, I learned a lot from this project. As far as technology goes, I significantly increased my knowledge and familiarity with Maple, Freewebs, iMovie and Movie Maker. All of these programs are things that I will take with me into my teaching career.