Go Figure

Hash Tag: Maths Movies and PGCEtips

2010-08-21T00:37:00.001-07:00

I wouldn't admit to being an extensive Tweeter, but I do follow lots of inspirational and resourceful teachers, educators and those associated with my chosen career. However, if I wanted a reminder of how powerful Twitter can be, it came this week from two contrasting experiments.

Looking for an activity to do for 5 minutes at the end of an end of term maths lesson, I reverted to an old game we used to play - substituting a word in a movie for a maths term. The students really enjoyed it - think "Square Wars" - but I thought it would be fun to have a go on Twitter.

So I started #mathsmovies on Twitter with the gem:

And then nothing happened...

For about a week.

But then it went ballistic, and there are now hundreds of maths movie titles. Some of my favourites:

@ricklecoat 2 x 10^4 Leagues Under The Sea

@BeckyBoooo I know what Euclid last summer

@chris_1974 Nanny McPhi

@mitdasein Dude, Where's Descartes?

@JunkDuster Hexagon in 60 Seconds

Unfortunately, the Americans have now hijacked it, and renamed it #mathmovies...

Slightly more serious, and a whole lot more useful, is Tom Handley's PGCEtips e-book, which can be downloaded here.

By using the hashtag #pgcetips, Tom collected a vast collection of tips, hints, ideas and strategies to help those starting out on their teaching career. He was featured in this week's TES too.

A similarly brilliant project is #movemeon by Doug Belshaw; the e-book can be downloaded here.

So, my new (academic) year's resolution is to get more out of Twitter, whilst putting a lot more in!

Maths Jokes

2010-08-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

One thing I really enjoy is having a laugh in my classroom - but I try to make my jokes mathematically based. I've enjoyed following #mathjokes on Twitter, and have contributed a couple of my own, but I thought it would be nice to record them here too. I'm not claiming complete originality, but I did think these up on my own. Enjoy, and use with care...

What do you call a man trapped in a Toblerone?
A Prism-er

What did the Italian say when the witch removed her six-sided curse?
Hex-a-gon (said in very Italian accent!)

I've tried thinking up some great jokes about Mean, Median and Mode, but they were all about average...

Ben and Daisy were going to a maths conference in Bristol by coach. The got on the coach, but arrived in Brighton. Daisy turned to Ben and said, "I think we got the Rhom-bus"...

Sir, please can I have a ruler...
Ok, how about Henry VIII?

Why was George Lucas not very good at algebra?
Because he put r2d2, not d2r2...

For a full list, have a look at these gems!

Mondrian Art and Maths

2010-02-15T02:23:00.000-08:00

On thing I have been very interested in recently is linking Maths to other subjects. I have organised a trip to Bletchley Park with the History department, and liased with a number of other subjects on how they are using Maths in their classes.

However, the one that I have enjoyed the most is two recent projects with the Art department.

With year 5, we started looking at equivalent fractions and percentages, and then I asked them to explore ways of filling in 1/3 of a 3 by 3 grid, using only primary colours.

This then led to a discussion about Mondrian's paintings - how much of each primary colour he used - they reckoned about 70% of his paintings used colour. They then set about using black strips to do the outline, before filling in with accurately drawn and cut rectangles. At various points, they sttod back to suggest improvements to the art work, before carrying on. The finished art work is now prominently displayed in school, and looks great!

Maths LinkUp

2010-01-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

LinkUp is a great resource from Triptico which I've used a few times in Maths. I want to start building a library of resources for it, so I've created a Google Word Doc to store my activities for later use, and to share with the department. Anyone can edit this, so please feel free to add your own. (I do have a backup!)

When you load up the program, either input your own categories and options, or skip to the next page and copy and paste into the input box. Then click next for the activity. I've used it as a timed activity, or for small groups to work on - it works great on the SmartBoard.

I like the way it doesn't show right or wrong, but gives a total number correct. This has prompted some vigorous debate about which "branch" needs to be moved.

The Unanswerable Question... Ooops

2010-01-16T10:03:00.001-08:00

School exams have just taken place - delayed due to a bout of illness at the end of last term. In my year 5 exam, as a filler for those who finished early, I set the question:

Using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 in order and the signs + and -, can you make 10?

To be fair to them, they had a good go, but no one managed to get the answer. It was only when we went through it that I realised it is superficially an impossible question. Using odds and evens, can you see why?

It is only when you combine two digits into one value that it is possible to make 10. One possible solution is:

12 + 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 + 8 + 9

"But why would you ask us a question that had no answer?" was the cry...

I smiled smugly in response!

This is a variation on a similar problem to make 100 using all digits in order.

Back from the "Blink"

2010-01-13T04:26:00.000-08:00

2010 offically starts now for me. I have been unable to do pretty much anything for 2 weeks due to acute conjunctivitis. Looking at a computer screen was a definite no-no. However, my eye sight is returning, and I can start to fulfil one of my new year's resolutions; blog more!

For my first lesson back, made the most of the snow by getting year out on the football pitches to explore radius, diameter and circumference by pacing out circles in the snow. We will calculate our approximations for Pi on Friday, although, initially, they look quite accurate. Interestingly, they thought the smaller circles would be more accurate - can year 8s deal with percentage error? Probably!

Prezi

2009-09-03T13:56:00.001-07:00

***UPDATE: Prezi have changed the way you can embed a slide show.***

There is an awesome, (and free), alternative to Powerpoint available called Prezi. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with Christmas.

Using Prezi, one can create a dynamic slide show which moves about a canvas, zooms in and out, or even spins around. It is quite simple and intuitive to use, and is very effective - and best of all, different!

The people behind Prezi have obviously been hard at work. They now have tutorials and a comprehensive manual. However, the best new feature is being able to embed a presentation into a blog or Moodle course.

Blabberize

2009-09-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to @adamsutcliffe for the link. Blabberize is a site which lets you upload a picture, select an area for the mouth, and then record or upload some audio. It's easy and free to do! Could be useful for a introducing a topic, letting the students record something to publish, or to add some humour, (e.g. make a dog talk about triangles...?). I had a quick fiddle to change my voice on Audacity - see Joe Dale's post on how to create a myriad of different voices in Audacity!

P.S. The dog is called Gina and belongs to my parents. The avatar was made using http://www.faceyourmanga.com/.

LunaPic

2009-08-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Luna Pic is a very cool site which enables you to upload pictures, and then animate them, or add effects. It's a little bit jumbled, but there are lots of options! I just love the reflecting water one:

Or the rotating picture cube one:

Ok, it doesn't have much use in Maths, but could liven up a presentation, or by using real life examples. It's great fun though!

Twitter Followers - in a mosaic!

2009-07-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Thanks to @adamsutcliffe for the link!

Using Google Reader's Stars

2009-07-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

I like to access my Google Reader from lots of different places - school, home, flat, dad's laptop. It's great, but sometimes I want to remember a post, or read it when I have more time. So I've started to use the stars...

By making my starred items public, I can now subscribe to this page's RSS feed using Thunderbird - my mail client at home. So, any item I star will be delivered straight to my home computer so I can read it at my leisure. Obviously, it will still be stared on Google Reader too in case I want to read it somewhere else.

The other benefit is that other people can subscribe to the items that really catch my attention!

To make your starred items public, click on settings at the top of Google Reader:

1) Go to the Folders and Tags tab

2) Click on the funny quarter-circle symbol thingy next to starred items. This makes it public, (note: to make it private again, just click on the funny quarter-circle symbol again!).

3) Now, you can visit your starred items page as if it were a normal blog.

And here's what you get:

You can now grab the RSS feed link and import it into Microsoft Outlook (my work) or Thunderbird (my home) or share it with friends. This also works for any other folder in Google Reader you might wish to share.

Supalogo!

2009-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

This I've been trying out Supalogo, a new tool which quickly and easily generates text to embed in a website or blog, or download for use on your computer. Here's one I've done:

If you visit the site, you can type in some text, and then click generate. It gives you the option to change the colour, style, or pattern.

To embed in Moodle, don't forget to click on the < > button above the text input box.

Thanks to Mr Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers for the heads up!

Swapping Places

2009-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, if I had 100 red counters and 100 blue counters, placed alternately on a table, what is the least number of adjacent swaps that I would have to do so that I had all the reds on one side and all the blues on the other?

Year 6 answered this question, and by doing so found out that the answer had a definite link to Triangular Numbers! Using Moodle, I uploaded a instruction document detailing the students about the task, and then allowed them to use Word and Excell to create an investigation report. Included in my document was a marking criteria, based on the school's WAC grading.

Firstly, doing the investigation in ICT2 during the hottest time of the year was maybe not the best plan.

After the first lesson, they uploaded their (unfinished) documents to Moodle so I could look at them, and give them feeback or ideas to extend their investigation. They then had one final lesson to finish off, using the pointers I had given them.

Chat was used extensively as a feedback tool, for further advice, and for a break from the work. They enjoyed this part of Moodle, but it should be made clear that chat is okay as long as the work is being done. Specific time criteria or goals could be given. Chat also lets everyone have an opinion, if they are willing to give it, (compare to whole class discussion situation, when only one person should be speaking at a time).

The main successes of this task were:

1. The use of ICT in a Maths project; being able to generate a mathematical formula in Excell is not only a worthwhile exercise in computer programming, but also in Mathematical thinking and logical thought processes.
2. They were very involved in the task, and were able to find out about Triangular Numbers on the internet from a variety of sources
3. They were keen to do well; providing a marking criteria online that they could constantly check was very beneficial.
4. The online feedback was very easy and efficient - being able to see their word documents on screen was incredibly easy!
5. They had fun, and enjoyed a Maths lesson using computers and doing something different
6. Progress was easy to identify based on teacher input and student reflection, based on the comparison between intial submission and final submission
7. The students have obviously, after only 2 attempts, gotten used to submitting pieces of work through Moodle.
8. There was no paper involved at any time - good for the environment and for keeping my desk clear!

However, there are things I might have done differently:

1. Allowed a bit more time in the classroom for planning, group discussion, and teacher input
2. Given a stricter time limit - some investigations were still unfinished
3. Stressed the importance of content over aesthetics - too many individuals thought that making their document look good was more important than what they actually wrote
4. Have one computer per child, or at least select those who would work together. I believe that more computers are going to be installed into the ICT2 room which will help
5. Allowed them the opportunity to see each others work, to share comments, and to feedback on each others work. Possibly to mark each other's work - this is something which will need some thought!

I really enjoyed working with year 6 on this project, and I believe that they got a lot out of it in lots of different areas.

First Go on Moodle

2009-07-13T13:17:00.001-07:00

Well, I've just tried out Moodle with my year 6 maths group. I created a new topic called Pie Charts, and set them an assignment to create a pie chart using excell, and then embed it into word with a suitable evaluation. To finish, the students had to upload it back onto Moodle. I was then able to grade the work (out of 10), and give constructive comments on each one.

First of all, they all found it very easy to log on - apart from a couple of laptop specific problems which is nothing to do with Moodle. From there, they looked at my example spreadsheet and word document, and used that as a basis for their own pie chart. A few tried to upload their spreadsheet, but because I had allowed resubmission, this wasn't a problem - any later uploads replaced earlier efforts.

Once they had finished, I asked them to save the document into "My Documents" and then upload it back to Moodle. A few weren't sure about where to go to do this, but with practice, I'm sure it won't be a problem in the future.

When they had done this, I allowed them to explore Moodle a bit more. Inevitably, they all headed to the forum that I had set up for year 6, and to sending messages to each other!

The students thoroughly enjoyed using Moodle, and the feedback was very positive. They enjoyed using the computers in a Maths lesson, and also learning about pie charts in excell and word. It also fit in nicely with the work we have been doing in the classroom.

I would have liked to have given them more time on this, and might have another lesson next week to finish their initial pie chart, (having taken on board the feedback I gave), and then do another one for their weekend day, and then comparing the two. It would also be nice to have a computer for each person, and the issues with specific laptops is being looked into.

Next week, I am going to set them an investigative task to explore, write up, and then submit on Moodle. I have also put their homework on the page for them to fill in, and then re-submit. For those without access to the internet, I will, of course, supply a normal paper copy!

Using Flickr with the School Webpage

2008-12-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was offered the option of taking over the school website. I accepted, (eventually), and started thinking about what I was going to do with it. The old one is still live and you can see it HERE.

One of the things I wanted to improve was how pictures were displayed on the site. The pictures on the old site were out of date, and difficult to change, so I signed up for Flickr and started uploading! By tagging my photos, I was able to incorporate them into my pages as a slideshow, (which will automatically update when new pictures are tagged). For example, have a look at the art page.

I then discovered a wonderful application which uses Flickr tags to generate a wall of pictures - like a gallery. Take a look at the year 7 art one HERE. Again, it will automatically update when new pictures are tagged.

The other thing I was concerned about was photos of the children being put on Flickr. I decided not to go do this route, and instead still host them on the school server. However, tiltviewer can be set up to use these pictures - for example look at the recent pictures from the boarders ice skating trip.

This is not automatically updated, but using Picasa I can rename any number of pictures, and then copy them into the appropriate folder on the server. Easy.

I hope that these two methods of sharing photos of work and school will enable viewers of the site to get a real picture of St Neot's school, while making my new job as website administrator a lot easier!

What's Up, Google Docs? Forms are!

2008-11-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been using Google Docs for quite a while now, but since I've been using Google Sites for my Maths website, I've found myself using them more and more for embedding documents and slide shows. My latest experiment is with forms - getting visitors to the website to input data, and then have it stored online in a spreadsheet.

Firstly, I tried it out with a newsletter sign up page, and I've had a few e-mail addresses. Now, I made a new form for this weeks puzzle:

Visitors to my site can now input their answers start into the web page - and I get a nice list of replies in a downloadable spreadsheet!
They are embeddable in other blogs and websites too:

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For lots more ideas on how to use Google Forms, follow the link HERE.

Using Twitter in Facebook

2008-10-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Following the Twitter-craze at the IoW conference, I decided to do my bit and explain how I am using Twitter, Twitterfeed and Twhirl to automatically send updates to my Facebook status. This means that I can update my status from my desktop application, and my friends are automatically notified when I publish a new blog post. In fact, after writing this post now, people on Facebook will be able to see it within the hour. Hopefully!

First of all, you need to download and install Twhirl which will run from your desktop. As you can see here, I have added an update by typing into the input box:
Next, you need to install the Twitter Facebook application, which will give you an option to automatically update your status:

Now, from Twhirl, you can update two things at once! With the power of Twitterfeed, you can also automatically post new blog titles to your Facebook status!

A time saver, and also a great way to let friends know when you have blogged!

And here is the update appearing the the Facebook feed:

Creating a Movie in Picasa 3

2008-10-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Picasa, Google's photo organiser, has just launched version 3. Included is a much better, and still very simple, movie maker. Just import pictures from a digital camera or phone, add to your library, select them, and then click on "create movie". You then have the option to change slide transitions, the length of time each slide is shown for, and even to add movie from your music library.

You then have the option to upload your movie to Youtube, embed it straight into Blogger, or add it to your Picasa web space. Here is an example of some posters I did in Korea, which I took pictures of, and then made into a movie:

I have used this to make quick shows out of students' work, or after an event such as our puzzle challenge day. Other options would include Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.

All the drawings are my own - except Mickey who was drawn by a colleague!

Yaca Paca

2008-10-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've just had lunch with a friend. Not that I needed it after all the food from the Island. However, we got talking about Virtual Learning Environments - I talked to him about the presentation on Edmodo, what little I knew about Moodle, and he told me about how he is using Yaca Paca.

I decided to try it out, being the curious chap that I am. But, I didn't want to take lots of screen shots, and then upload them to my blog. I now have an easier way to share such things - and it's called Simplybox.

Using this tool, I have captured some interesting parts of the website and then added them to one of my "boxes". I have added some comments to the captures, and have now shared that box. To see my initial thoughts on Yaca Papa, you can follow THIS link. To subscribe to changes to the page, HERE is the RSS link.

Indeed, if you join Yaca Papa, (for free) and you want to add more pictures or comments to this page, you can do so.

Compared to Edmodo, the interface does not immediately feel user friendly or familiar. Edmodo looks like Facebook, and indeed has more of a chat based feel. Where yacapaca seems to have more is in the assignments that you can set, and the results that they then generate. Indeed, there is a comprehensive list by topic of pre-written assignments, or you can write your own. By setting correct answers, the assignment will in effect "mark itself", giving you a list of the results, exportable to excel.

However, there I can't shake off the feeling that this is more a teacher's tool than something the students, (especially at the age I am teaching), will want to log onto and join in the discussion. A lot of bribes might be needed. When I am also trying to get them to comment on my maths blog, this may be a step too far.

So I'm going to leave yacapaca for a little while. Especially since the name reminds me of a place in New Zealand called Whakapapa, where the "wh" is pronounced "f"... Now that might be embarassing in a lesson!

But Simplybox seems pretty cool!!!

Finally Spurred into Action!

2008-10-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's about time I gave this a go! I want to share some of the things I have been doing and finding out about with the educational fraternity. Specifically, I use ICT a lot to support my teaching and also to enhance pupils learning. It would be good to get some feedback on my work, as well as some new ideas.

I can also use this as a reflective journal - obviously not everything will work. Which applications really work, and which ones are more gimmicky?

What caused this new desire to share? Well, I've just got back from the IoW Conference on using ICT, run by Joe Dale. I found out about lots of new innovations and ideas, as well as being inspired by the many great speakers. I will be producing a podcast, discussing some of the key ideas which myself and my colleague can bring back to school.

A little bit about myself and my use of blogs. I started blogging nearly 5 years ago from South Korea. This was a travel journal which I kept going for many years, interspersed with "Around the World in 80 Smegs". When I got back to the UK and started teacher training, I blogged on and off for a couple of years - but it was only when I met Joe that I started to consider the applications of a blog in education.

At my school now, I have set up a couple of blogs:

St Neot's Maths Blog - linked to my Maths website, place for students to comment and share thoughts.

St Neot's Podclub Blog - a vehicle for the podcasting club.

Now there is this one. I have lots of things I would like to share, so please subscribe to my feed, or bookmark this page! I will be working on it over half term to make it more "appealing"!