Final copy.

Thank hou very much for your feedback, 

You will the final copy of my narrative here.

Please note that I intend to expand on this practicum and include other activities and other subjects.


In this project I will explore ways in which teachers can successfully collaborate with others sharing their resources, multiplying their benefits while dividing their time invested.

 Since course participants might want to participate in this project, I would like them to read more information about this project here:

http://www.wiki-school.org/en/wiki-school.html

Please share with your friends and colleagues. If I get enough data, we might receive some funding in its early stages :)

Finished!!!

Dear all,

 

I am very happy to say that I have finished my narrative.

 

You will find it here.

 

Please email me directly any suggestion for change.

 

Ideally do this:

1-Download the file

2- Make a copy in your computer with this name: SerraPracticumNarrative_your_name.doc

3- Tools>track changes

4- Email the file to me.

 

Thank you in advanced for any feedback,

 Yours,

 

Alvaro

Update on actions taken

32. Having finished my narrative document draft. I have sent it to other participants for review.

Since I got so into the topic and was so motivated, I probably spend too many hours and wrote too many pages.

Once I converted it in to APA style (double-spaced and thus making it longer) and added the cover page, the appendixes and the reference page the total number of pages is 12.

Well. I have to say this: I enjoyed doing it and I learnt loads. I think it has been a good investment of my time considering my wishes to have a high grade.

I plan to have finished the whole practicum next week (I now need to dedicate more time to the other course)

update on actions taken

31- Brainstorming ideas for my narrative document and presentations and adding very relevant and interesting content:

The lack of feedback from collaborators and the technical problems experienced during the practicum has limited my results. I plan to use this limitations in my benefit, converting their negative effect in positive.  Often we need a necessity to have ideas, and translating problems into ideas is my speciality.

As a result my practicum will now include the following two areas:

--- Collaborating online: what motivates people to collaborate and how can a framework for collaboration be set up so that there effort is minimised and benefits are enhanced.

--- Technical problems during a project: how to minimise their effect by providing a simple guide to solve the problem. How to create effective guides that actually save users time, including time to read the guides (or watch them in case of video-guides).

Update on actions taken

29- Writing up the written narrative document and presentations and video attached. I will be working on this for the next 3.5 weeks (more work than expected).

30- Report #2

Update on actions taken

28- Obtaining more feedback from collaborators. This has proven to be quite a difficult task as most collaborators are quite busy.

29- Writing up the written narrative document and presentations and video attached. I will be working on this for the next 4 weeks (more work than expected).

Update on actions taken

27- Testing students. A set of 4 tests has been designed. Students have taken a practice test, a group test and two individual tests. The second and final test will take place tomorrow, just before students go on holidays (Easter break)

28- Obtaining more feedback from collaborators. This has proven to be quite a difficult task as most collaborators are quite busy.

29- Writing up the written narrative document and presentations and video attached. I will be working on this for the next 3 weeks.

Update on actions taken

25- After several conversation exchanges with a few members of the IT department, I have realised that the only solution to the problem described in action 24 (students not being able to open dynamic worksheets using their school laptops) is to put up with it.
Students have to reinstall java to use it. 
By now some of them have seen others using the files and are copying them. At least 80% of the students have already used the GeoGebra dynamic worksheets and no longer need to reinstall java. By now they can start their investigations with after just one click.
26- I am currently working on assessment of student knowledge. This practicum was not intended to be a research project so there has been no need to form a control group: all students can enjoy the experience!

Update on actions taken.

19- Used of these activities with my own students. This activity started on Monday February 25th and will finish on Friday March 22nd.

23- Obtained and discussed feedback from students and collaborators.

24- As a result of the above, I found out that many students are not using the set of dynamic GeoGebraworksheets specially created for this practicum. There are 5 reasons for that:

• The use of these ready-to-use activities is not compulsory. 

• Students can also use their GDCs (Graphic Display Calculators) except for the two investigations they have to present.

• Students can also use other software. Examples of these are Logger Pro, Sketch Pad and Wolfrang Alpha. The first two are proprietary software which our school has a licence for and the latter can be used for free.

• Some students prefer to design their own investigations. Sometimes they use the set created as a model, but then they like to go further and investigate GeoGebra on their own.

• Some students are having problems opening the set of dynamic GeoGebraworksheets specially created for this practicum because of technical problems. These might be due to the use of other software (such as PowerSchool, used in the school to repport grades to students and parents) and Screenr (used in my classes to create screen cast videos for their presentations) and possibly a fault in the image of the macbooks provided by the school. As a result students have to download the Java Applet. And even though they know they can do that free of charge from http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp, it discourages them form doing it.

The first 4 reasons are actually very good news. The aim of these activities is to encourage and help students use technology to enhance their learning. If students prefer to use other software/hardware and/or design their own investigations using their own model, that is even better.
The last reason is not good news, but at the same time it is within the regular "risks" taken when using technology: there are often technical problems.


24- As a result of the above, I am now investigating the problem. I plan to liaise with the IT department in my school to find alternatives.

Tuesday February 26th update on actions taken:

19- Used of these activities with my own students. This activity started yesterday (Monday February 25th, 2013) and will finish on Friday March 22nd.

20- Obtained and discussed feedback from collaborators.

21- As a result of the above, I found out that the GeoGebra Tube Top Menu Bar reduced the size of the Dynamic Worksheet Window.

22- Changed the GeoGebra Tube settings of each of the presentations so that windows are 700pixels high. This cancels the problem with the Top Menu Bar as described above.

Sunday February 24th update on actions taken:

17- Published the set of dynamic GeoGebraworksheets specially created for this practicum in different GeoGebra Tube, the specialised GeoGebra network. These activities can also be accessed and commented in EdModo, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.

18- Contacted Practicum collaborators. I have made contact with Mathematics Teachers in my own school (LAS) as well as other international schools in London, Munich, Zaragoza and Zurich. Teachers from other schools might also contact me to give me feedback about these activities when finding them in GeoGebra Tube, EdModo, Youtube, Facebook or Twitter. 

Current ongoing work:

19- Use of these activities with my own students. This activity will start tomorrow (Monday February 25th, 2013) and will finish on Friday March 22nd.

Summary of the actions taken so far

14- Finished creating the set of dynamic worksheets for my target unit (functions)!!! This work might need to be edited to adjust as per feedback from its applications but it is ready to be published. There is just one more dynamic worksheet to be published, but as it combines the previous ones it is best to create it later in this practicum.

15- Written report #1 with my views about this practicum so far.

16- Read some of my colleagues' reports and left a couple of comments to encourage them in their own practicum.

Current ongoing work:

17- Publish the set of dynamic GeoGebra worksheets specially created for this practicum in different educational networks including GeoGebra Tube, the specialised GeoGebra network.

Summary of the actions taken so far

13- Re-arrangement of this site to adjust to the Practicum Course requirements as requested by course professor. This site now include pages with the work done. This main page (the blog page) will now only include a list of activities done, but not the activity results themselves. To check the work done, please refer to one of the links at the top. 

Summary of actions taken so far:

Summary of actions taken so far:

1. Downloading and reading course materials.
2. Contacting course professor:  Dr. Cindy C. Emmans
3. Thinking of different possibilities of a practicum.
4. Skype appointment with course professor to confirm the validity of my choice (see post on practicum's main objective)
5. Contact my schools' Director Of Studies as suggested by professor to ask if it is possible to use him as a contact in the school's administration.
6. Contact another colleague in the Mathematics department to ask if he would like to use some of my activities (that way I can have feedback from another perspective).
7. Meeting with my colleague and after his agreement on collaboration, discussion of a suitable meeting time to discuss the unit involved.
8. Lecture of DOS' email agreeing to participate and reply + communication of his contact details to professor in case necessary.
9. Contact the Principal of another school to propose collaboration. Reply: will forward message to faculty.
10. Working on the syllabus of the unit (Functions) and extracting IB DP learning targets.
11. Finished the above and planned detailed structure of the unit.
12. Working on creating GeoGebra dynamic worksheets 

This blog is a web log of some of the actions taken while doing this course:

Endicott College IED 575 Practicum in Technology in Schools:  

Course Description:

The practicum course provides students with a clinical experience in technology, moving students from merely reading about ideas to trying them out in practice.  A goal of this course is to provide each student with opportunities to make contact with and to implement a broad variety of technology theories, system designs, and successful practices.  Coursework will deal with matching specific theories of educational technology to present practice as found both in the literature and in rich professional experiences available among the other course participants.  Students will be required to locate a technology-rich work or volunteer educational setting, as well as a mentor from that setting.  

Course Objectives: 

Objective 1 Students will interact within a school with a technology management staff (network manager, technicians, etc.).

Objective 2 Students will interact within a school with the teaching faculty responsible for teaching technology as a subject.

Objective 3 Students will interact within a school with the teaching faculty responsible for the curricular areas such as science, math, social studies, language arts, etc.

Objective 4 Students will interact within a school with the school’s management team.

Objective 5 Students will interact within a school with the school population and other technology-using audiences appropriate to the particular context.

Alvaro Serra
Mathematics Teacher
www.net-www.info/las
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"It's not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it's because we do not dare that they are difficult." —Seneca
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