Joint Statement
Our understanding of the ICT Integration Project is that our task was to create a series of lessons that focus on presenting a topic in Mathematics to a class of Year 8 students according to the Australian Curriculum. The focus of part A of the assignment was to plan the lessons in a logically coherent and clear format as well as to integrate different forms of ICT into the lessons so that the students have the opportunity to explore what is being taught through a variety of ICT media. Our focus was partly to include ICT as a means of entertaining the students (which is what students at this age need) yet also to engage them meaningfully and demonstrate that this particular learning area (i.e. Mathematics) can be both exciting and informative!
For part B of the assignment we – as the same group – have been working on developing a website to accompany the lessons we have prepared. The aim is that the website is to be engaging and will hopefully be as interesting and informative as the planned lessons. The website does not only provide visual lessons and activities for the students to learn and engage in, it also provides parents and teachers with information relating to the lessons as well as the content that is being taught.
In summary we hope that by incorporating ICT into this learning area we are allowing students to take ownership of their learning and move away from a teacher centred approach to student centred learning. However, we do believe that the presence of the teacher is still vital in the classroom as the overload of information need to be decoded to students. ICT, if utilised appropriately, can be very helpful with decoding the information and can at the same time contribute to make the presentation of the relevant information so much richer!
For part B of the assignment we – as the same group – have been working on developing a website to accompany the lessons we have prepared. The aim is that the website is to be engaging and will hopefully be as interesting and informative as the planned lessons. The website does not only provide visual lessons and activities for the students to learn and engage in, it also provides parents and teachers with information relating to the lessons as well as the content that is being taught.
In summary we hope that by incorporating ICT into this learning area we are allowing students to take ownership of their learning and move away from a teacher centred approach to student centred learning. However, we do believe that the presence of the teacher is still vital in the classroom as the overload of information need to be decoded to students. ICT, if utilised appropriately, can be very helpful with decoding the information and can at the same time contribute to make the presentation of the relevant information so much richer!
First Thoughts
When tasked with creating a website to include four lessons our group brainstormed some ideas using bubble.us to draft our first thoughts/plan and from their our website evolved.
Mind Map
Teacher of the Circle Mind Map showing our clear progression of concepts supplemented by a variety of assessments which fits in with the Australian Curriculum.
Project Plan
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Lesson Plan for Lesson 2 - Circumference
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Forward Planning Document for Lessons 1 - 4
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The Use of ICT in Our Lessons
Our Mathematics topic being taught is in relation to circles. In lesson one we learn the terms of the circle, in lesson two the circumference and Pi and in lesson three we learn more about Pi and in lesson four the area of circles. To understand the workings of circles we use interactive media to enhance our learning. The use of ICT is fun and colourful and interesting to use. ICT is motivating, has a personal approach to learning and allows for creativity and independence in learning and developing team working skills. We find it to be a very effective learning tool.
Once we have a good understanding of circles we can develop our ICT to suit our students and their level.
We designed our ‘Teacher of the Circle’ mathematics program inclusive of ICT which was in accordance with the Australian Curriculum. From an educational aspect, computers bring a dynamism to lessons, putting pupils more in control of their learning, permitting independent progress and development and is seen as an extra tool in the learning process. We selected ICT activities that would stimulate students and help them to self-regulate their studies. We found quizzes very interactive in learning and specific feedback was provided instantly. The internet was our main focus in this website.
In our lessons we used the following ICT; Geogebra, Qzzr, YouTube, Prezi, ThinkLink and Sumdog. We further discuss Geogebra, YouTube and Qzzr. We found the use of ICT was useful to:
GeoGebra is free software for teaching and learning mathematics. It offers geometry, algebra and calculus tools in one environment while also linking mathematical concepts.
We found as mathematics teachers we understand the ideas and logic of the mathematic concepts behind the tools used in Geogebra and we instructed our students on how to use the tools in Geogebra and to understand the mathematics and logic behind it. We found it very useful for students to solve problems and to investigate mathematical relationships. As our lessons are for a mathematics Year 8 class they were familiar with graphing, equations, and geometric relationships, and so the use of GeoGebra was a good resource for the students.
GeoGebra applets are easy to use but we have to ensure students are familiar with the maths concepts being taught and they were able to construct the circle questions being discussed in each lesson. We found this to be a very useful tool especially for the extension students who could move on to more difficult tasks and we used more graphic details for remedial students and less complicated tasks. We found the following the most useful features of Geogebra:
We not only used YouTube as a source of videos but also as a medium to upload videos we had created. We were able to check the videos before the lesson to make sure the content was suitable for Year 8’s and it complied with eSafety policies. The videos we embedded into our lesson contain useful mathematics information which is portrayed in a visual way which is a fun way of learning and can be useful for students to remember what was being taught. We found YouTube to be a huge resource with endless features and displays.
Qzzr
This is a quiz creation tool which is free to use. We found it very accessible and easy to use. It was laid our very clearly and specific feedback was instant. The students would easily understand what to do as we used it throughout our lessons and used clear instructions on how to use it. We used the form of multi choice questions. We found this to be a very useful maths resource and the instant feedback useful for our reflection on the lessons.
Once we have a good understanding of circles we can develop our ICT to suit our students and their level.
We designed our ‘Teacher of the Circle’ mathematics program inclusive of ICT which was in accordance with the Australian Curriculum. From an educational aspect, computers bring a dynamism to lessons, putting pupils more in control of their learning, permitting independent progress and development and is seen as an extra tool in the learning process. We selected ICT activities that would stimulate students and help them to self-regulate their studies. We found quizzes very interactive in learning and specific feedback was provided instantly. The internet was our main focus in this website.
In our lessons we used the following ICT; Geogebra, Qzzr, YouTube, Prezi, ThinkLink and Sumdog. We further discuss Geogebra, YouTube and Qzzr. We found the use of ICT was useful to:
- Engage learners
- Raise achievement
- Enable better understanding of concepts
- Improve communication
- Provide positive impact on workload
GeoGebra is free software for teaching and learning mathematics. It offers geometry, algebra and calculus tools in one environment while also linking mathematical concepts.
We found as mathematics teachers we understand the ideas and logic of the mathematic concepts behind the tools used in Geogebra and we instructed our students on how to use the tools in Geogebra and to understand the mathematics and logic behind it. We found it very useful for students to solve problems and to investigate mathematical relationships. As our lessons are for a mathematics Year 8 class they were familiar with graphing, equations, and geometric relationships, and so the use of GeoGebra was a good resource for the students.
GeoGebra applets are easy to use but we have to ensure students are familiar with the maths concepts being taught and they were able to construct the circle questions being discussed in each lesson. We found this to be a very useful tool especially for the extension students who could move on to more difficult tasks and we used more graphic details for remedial students and less complicated tasks. We found the following the most useful features of Geogebra:
- Geometry, Algebra and Spreadsheet are connected and fully dynamic
- Easy-to-use interface, yet many powerful features
- Authoring tool to create interactive learning materials as web pages
- Available in many languages for our millions of users around the world
We not only used YouTube as a source of videos but also as a medium to upload videos we had created. We were able to check the videos before the lesson to make sure the content was suitable for Year 8’s and it complied with eSafety policies. The videos we embedded into our lesson contain useful mathematics information which is portrayed in a visual way which is a fun way of learning and can be useful for students to remember what was being taught. We found YouTube to be a huge resource with endless features and displays.
Qzzr
This is a quiz creation tool which is free to use. We found it very accessible and easy to use. It was laid our very clearly and specific feedback was instant. The students would easily understand what to do as we used it throughout our lessons and used clear instructions on how to use it. We used the form of multi choice questions. We found this to be a very useful maths resource and the instant feedback useful for our reflection on the lessons.
Learning Theory Approach
In our project we focused on the Constructivist approach to learning. The Constructivist approach to learning asserts children as having their own way of thinking. Constructivism acknowledges what each student individually brings to a group learning situation and how it enhances learning.
As teachers our role through this approach was to assist students by actively assisting them with their hands on learning. Students were given time to explore maths problems and see if they could come up with solutions and were encouraged to actively participate within their groups and talk to each other to come up with solutions. As teachers we saw our role as facilitators of student’s learning and not just transmitting knowledge and through social interaction students talked to each other and shared their ideas.
Through the Constructivist approach we used scaffolding and as the students understood the concepts removed the scaffolding once the concepts were fully understood. Through the use of ICT we built our scaffolding and found this a highly interactive tool both for participation and learning. We also used structured instruction so that the concepts could be grasped easily and presented in a way that involves student experiences and contexts so students could build on a continuous development of knowledge.
We geared the Constructivist approach towards the Australian Curriculum and through feedback from our students we can examine how effective this approach works. Any remedial/special needs were also accommodated for and the scaffolding reduced when necessary. Also extension students were moved on to higher concepts with multi answer approaches to engage their learning abilities.
As teachers our role through this approach was to assist students by actively assisting them with their hands on learning. Students were given time to explore maths problems and see if they could come up with solutions and were encouraged to actively participate within their groups and talk to each other to come up with solutions. As teachers we saw our role as facilitators of student’s learning and not just transmitting knowledge and through social interaction students talked to each other and shared their ideas.
Through the Constructivist approach we used scaffolding and as the students understood the concepts removed the scaffolding once the concepts were fully understood. Through the use of ICT we built our scaffolding and found this a highly interactive tool both for participation and learning. We also used structured instruction so that the concepts could be grasped easily and presented in a way that involves student experiences and contexts so students could build on a continuous development of knowledge.
We geared the Constructivist approach towards the Australian Curriculum and through feedback from our students we can examine how effective this approach works. Any remedial/special needs were also accommodated for and the scaffolding reduced when necessary. Also extension students were moved on to higher concepts with multi answer approaches to engage their learning abilities.
Reflection Survey/Feedback
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