Pinterest in the Classroom

Photo Credit: http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pinterestlogo-379x243.jpg

In recent years, Pinterest has become one of the most popular social networking sites on the web. Users create boards and "pin" ideas by displaying pictures with links to websites, recipes, DIY projects and more. It is a great way to share information while expressing your interests. However, Pinterest can be used for more than a fun pass time, it can be applied in the classrooms. One of the largest group of users on Pinterest consists of teachers who post projects, classroom activity ideas and links to resources other teachers can use. Teachers can involve students in using Pinterest for learning purposes. Using Pinterest is a way to get students interested in learning by bringing the lesson to them in a domain they already enjoy. It feels less like work and more like fun.

Potential ways of incorporating Pinterest include posting links to study helps and practice problems students can use to increase their understanding, posting current events or interesting facts that relate to what is currently being studied in class, or creating boards specific to a lesson with enough pins for the student to have plenty of resources to ensure their complete understanding of what is being taught. I recently completed a project for my Education Technology class in which I created a board and populated it with pins related to an Algebra I framework for scatterplots. I included resources for learning about scatterplots, correlation and line of best fit, as well as activities related to these projects. I then created a project based learning assignment for my hypothetical students.

For this assignment student would work in pairs to create scatter plots with variables and data of their choosing. Students were asked to each choose a favorite sports team within one sport and then choose two variables to make into a scatter plot.

You can view the activity here.

I then completed the assignment from the point of view of the students. By doing this I learned that without doing the project you may miss obstacles that students may not be able to overcome. If the teacher does the assignment first, they can be aware of these problems and either change the assignment or be able offer the students guidance through these issues before they even start the assignment.

 First I created fictional students named Jack and Sarah and chose the sport, teams and variables to use in my scatter plot. I chose popular teams and common statistics so they would be easier to find and my sources would be more reliable.














I then looked up the statistics on the official team websites and recorded them into a table. I learned in this process that some issues may come up. For example, because I chose points scored I could not include goalies in my data set. I also had to exclude defensive players because they hardly ever scored points and would have skewed the data.

The information was compiled in a Word Document because it allowed me to organize the information. I included a logo to bring some color and visual appeal into the project. I then created a table to record the data points I collected. I provided the sources of my data as well as an explanation of the sample size that I chose.













I then interest the data into a scatterplot building software called meta-chart. This program allowed me to label my axis, change colors, and make my scatter plot neat and organized.

The software made a decent-looking scatterplot, but I did encounter some limitations of the software which I had to address in my activity assignment. The software would only allow me to enter 12 pairs of data, so I had to tell students that this was okay but to make sure they included all of the data in their table.













I originally thought the students would be able to copy and paste the scatter plot into the word document, but it turns out you have to download it and then insert the image into the document, an adjustment I addressed in the assignment process.

And finally, I added a description of the correlation and interpretation of the data. Because the scatter plot showed no correlation, no line of best fit was necessary and I addressed this in my observations. I then repeated these steps for the other student and compared the results. The final product can be viewed here.

Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

For Dr. Benton's Education Technology class, I was asked to give an overview of ten Web 2.0 tools and how they can be used in a classroom setting, particularly in my subject, mathematics, and grade level, 7-12. I hope this will be helpful and informative.

Creaza <https://www.creaza.com/>

Containing endless exercises on a variety of topics at every grade level, Creaza allows teachers to select exercises, edit or create as needed, and then assign them to students. Students can then collaborate with other students to complete assignments and turn them in. Creaza is a great way to encourage creativity in the classroom and can even be applied to mathematics. Using the cartoonist feature, students can create visual representations of real world word problems to help them understand and solve application problems.

ShowDocument <http://www.showdocument.com/>

The ultimate tool for collaboration, ShowDocument is ideal for group projects. ShowDocument allows students on different sides of campuses, towns or hemispheres to upload material and invite fellow group members to join. Everyone in the group can then view, edit, and discuss the content without actually having to be physically together. ShowDocument could be used to help students learn to work with others, particularly those of different cultures. Students could be paired with other students in a partnering school in another country and be assigned a project to be completed using ShowDocument.

Study Jams <http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/index.htm>

It is an understood idea that most students enjoy and benefit from playing educational and entertaining games, and Study Jams is the perfect place to find just that! Study Jams contains interactive math and science games covering a variety of topics, such as writing equations based on word problems. Study Jams is geared toward younger students, with songs and animations to help students learn before taking a practice test. The topics covered in Study Jams are very elementary, but that does not mean they can't be useful in high school. Unfortunately there are always students who were not taught or did not learn basic skills needed to succeed in with more difficult topics, so Study Jams can be used to help students who never learned these skills or those who need a refresher. 

Chart Gizmo <http://chartgizmo.com/>

 Bar graphs, and line graphs, and pie charts, oh my! Chart Gizmo is a user-friendly website that is great for creating colorful, organized graphs, because we all know making graphs by had can be a time-consuming pain. You just enter the data, axis names, type of graph and choose your colors. This website could be used by students to create graphs for projects to be printed out our added to a presentation. Although the website is easy to use, students will have to apply their knowledge of graphs to be able to properly enter the information to create the graph.

What 2 Learn <http://www.what2learn.com/>

Similar to Study Jams, What 2 Learn has educational games in a variety of subjects. However, What 2 Learn addresses slightly more advanced subjects, such as 9-12 Geometry. What 2 Learn focuses on is vocabulary associated with a subject rather than working problems, and the games are actually pretty entertaining. The great thing is you can either use games already provided or create your own! Rather than handing out a vocabulary test, What 2 Learn can be a fun alternative that still allows teachers to ensure that their students are understanding the terminology by keeping track of their students' progress. The students commit the knowledge into their memory, and they have fun doing it. 

Slide Boom <http://www.slideboom.com/>

One of the most common forms of presentation in high school is PowerPoint, but Slide Boom takes this to a whole new level. Using Slide Boom you can upload your PowerPoint files, share your presentations to your blogs and websites, and collect feedback. Slide Boom is all about sharing and communicating with your audience. In a classroom setting, Slide Boom can be used to share presentations with the students and encourage discussion. Students would be able to enter comments regarding the presentation and perhaps answer assigned questions. 

SimpleVLE <http://www.simplevle.com/v2/students/WelcomeStudentV2.jsp>

Using the same concept as online classes, SimpleVLE allows students and teachers to communicate online in a private forum. Teachers can create and assign quizzes and upload information about the class, such as lectures and assignment information. Priding itself on its user-friendly set up, SimpleVLE provides teachers and students with quick and easy access to course content and the opportunity to 

communicate with each other. As an upper level math teacher, I will be giving many projects and assignments to ensure my students are understanding the material. Through SimpleVLE, I could post quizzes, provide helpful resources, and keep an open portal of communication with my students.

  Museum Box <http://museumbox.e2bn.org/>

This is a neat presentation tool that allows students to create a timeline of events by placing information into boxes that come together to form a cube. You can upload pictures, documents, and video, and they add voice over to narrate your "story." The boxes can be customized and multilayered, meaning the presentation can be as big as you want. Museum Box would be an excellent presentation tool for history, and that is how it can be incorporated into a math classroom, by using it to explore math history. It is important for students to understand where the concepts that we're studying came from, and they could use Museum Box to compile a chronological history of the development of mathematical methods were are studying, such as Rolle's Theorem.

Meeting Words <http://meetingwords.com/>

Another collaboration tool, Meeting Words allows people to communicate in real time. Ideal for editing documents, having a discussion, or doing homework, the best part about it is that it's free! Meeting Words is user-friendly and essentially works as a chat room, allowing members to receive

information from each other almost instantly. I could use this tool for tutoring outside of my classroom. I can set up a pad (forum) and invite a student who is struggling to join, allowing me to give them the extra help they need, even if it is outside of class.

Jeopardy Labs <https://jeopardylabs.com/>

We're always on the lookout for ways to make learning fun, and Jeopardy Labs is it. As the name suggests, Jeopardy Labs allows you to create your own Jeopardy game that can be accessed by anyone in the world. It is free and extremely user friendly; just enter your questions and voila! This would be a great tool to use in a math classroom, because students love games and competing against one another. The class could be divided into two teams that would pick the category and difficultly, and then they would work the math problem revealed and give the correct answer for points.

Photo Credits (in order of appearance):

http://diginota.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/creaza.jpg

http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/bto/20081020/Showdocument-inaction.png

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7cZgggR2nhWbK39wIhkP89XtylOFYgTwGl9P1VIZWSQsOe49O8BZW40DQE1VAvkxHmAA1WZSCopctn_9CE3VFBoSr3x8127w5uJ-VUQTxzzPeUW_EmERILh5yEszyFSVdl5auZG-ieZR/s400/study_jams_2.png

http://iwebask.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChartGizmo.jpg

http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/file/view/what2learn_com_angles1.png/378361368/what2learn_com_angles1.png

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjke3OBcNLD3yaDmDRMO3Z4pPGXjQgJgPd3Xjp5RVkKDSo77jg5IPIl_7di1Z31WF7EClCkiYvCIrL3wzV-_-5SRErHVADx20in8T___DigiUueV1g15zZ4gb5VxCR6ox_Kg7XH75B2IqE/s1600/slideboom.gif

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/b5uGeaf0c24/maxresdefault.jpg

http://museumbox.e2bn.org/images/mb.gif

http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/MeetingWords.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibo1-8pvNHEzxKroduuXpDcUYWO9_HVIqWqwLf7yBMjESiY6xcnm_E28mKnxmLiKjx2FKLYz7dudoR8kzxzwyJb5bAM6Wp6lrYMrRSnG802BF164ILpvgQ2uu_wI3ZnhEHFNCmemTiVPY/s1600/Aviary+jeopardylabs-com+Picture+5.png

The Many Faces of Facebook: An Analysis of Social Networking

Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, oh my! Social networking has taken the world by storm. It's how we keep up with friends, family, celebrities and the news, and without it, the entire teenage population would be forced to rediscover archaic forms of entertainment, such as reading books or exploring the outdoors. Horrifying thought isn't it?

But social networking is not just for teenagers anymore – everyone is doing it! People of all ages, businesses, schools, and apparently a few pets have discovered the wonders of status updates, tweets, and posting pictures. Parents and their children can now cross paths in the World Wide Web. (Trust me, there's nothing quite like getting poked by your grandma on Facebook or seeing your dad use a hashtag.)

Because social media has become so widely used, more and more employers are including it in their employee hiring process. This is explored in Jacob Davidson's Article "The 7 Social Media Mistakes Most Likely to Cost You a Job." According to Davidson, the majority of employers are checking the social media accounts of potential employees in order to get a better idea of who the candidates really are. Anyone can look good on paper or fake their way through an interview, but in most cases their social media accounts will tell the real story. Checking someone's Facebook or Twitter accounts can give you far more insight into their character than any hour-long conversation. They are in their comfort zone, so their true personality comes out. That is why Davidson warns users to be cautious about what they post.

Davidson found that some of the biggest red flags for employers are posts that reference alcohol or drugs, those of sexual nature, and those using vulgar language or incorrect grammar. Instead, those who wish to impress potential should edit out any questionable content and include references to volunteer work or work experience on their pages. Even if your privacy settings are on, there will always be someone out there who can gain access to your accounts.

However, social media isn't all bad. In fact, it has proven to a helpful tool. In Patti Neighmond's article "Social Media, The New Weapon In The Battle To Lose Weight," the role of social networking in motivated people to get into or stay in shape is explored. Neighmond opens with the story of Liz Paul, a woman motivated by her Twitter followers and Facebook friends to stay on her workout regime. Having so many people send her helpful suggestions and words of encouragement made her feel like she wasn't alone. According an assistant professor of nutrition at Arizona State, "it's the social push that helps make people accountable" (Neighmond). People know that their followers are watching, so at the very least they are motivated to stay in shape to impress them.

Growing up in a conservative household without any social networking accounts, I did not discover the world of social media until very recently. My Facebook isn't even a year old, and my Twitter and Instagram accounts remain mostly inactive. I mainly use my accounts to observe the activity of my friends and followers, and although I agree with Neighmond that social media has positive potential, I have seen much more questionable material, such as that mentioned in Davidson's article, than anything else. People have become consumed with these sites, updating their statuses several times a day, posting hundreds of pictures, and it's getting out of control. Sure Facebook allows you to connect with other users in all corners of the world, but it is hindering our ability to communicate with those around us. There is no such thing as privacy anymore, and people post intimate details of their lives for all to see. I can appreciate keeping up with friends and family, but in the long run I think we would be better off if people relied on it less.

Articles:
The 7 Social Media Mistakes Most Likely to Cost You a Job

Social Media, The New Weapon In The Battle To Lose Weight


Photo Credit
http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEyLzEyLzA0L2IzL3NvY2lhbG5ldHdvLmFDSS5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk5NTB4NTM0IwplCWpwZw/a70e26c1/618/social-networking-accounts-for-1-of-every-6-minutes-spent-online-stats--2f485fde48.jpg

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

"Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself..." – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Welcome to my blog! My name is Hannah Michelle Oden and I'm a sophomore at Henderson State University where I study Secondary Math Education. I grew up in Carlisle, Arkansas with my parents, Doyle and Stephanie, and my brother, Daniel. First and foremost, I am a Christian, as well as a passionate learner, singer and book collector. A lover of math ever since fifth grade, I decided to become a teacher after I started tutoring after school. I was fortunate to have wonderful teachers who encouraged me and were willing to do anything to help me succeed, and I hope to return the favor by being there for my students in the same way.

Born into a family with a passion for music, I started singing when I was eight years old, and in high school I became an All-Region and All-State soprano. I also discovered a love for learning at an early age, and through hard work and a lot of long nights I graduated valedictorian of my class (as you have probably figured out, I'm a huge nerd).

As a college student, I stay pretty busy, but I always make time for my friends and family. We are nothing without the people who love us. I try to remember that two of the greatest things in life are love and laughter, and to share them with everyone I meet. We are all different, so let us get to know each other! As for me, I'm a confirmed bachelorette obsessed with murder mysteries. (Yes, Nancy Drew, Scooby-Doo and Sherlock Holmes are my heroes). My literary, musical and cinematic tastes are generally eclectic, ranging from Pride and Prejudice and 1940s movies to electropop artist Sia and Avatar.

As an avid fan of movies, television shows, music and books, I decided to create this blog to share my "entertainment journey," if you will. I'll post reviews of my latest discoveries and updates on my favorites. My goal is not to be a spoiler or fan site, but rather a source for people looking for good music, movies, books, or television shows. If you have a movies/shows/books/music you want me to check out, leave a comment on one of my posts! I can't wait to get started, and I look forward to sharing with you!

To give you a sense of what I generally watch, read, and listen to, here are a few of my favorite:

                         Movies                                                          Television Shows
                        - August Rush                                               - Warehouse 13
                        - Stranger Than Fiction                                 - Once Upon a Time
                        - The Blind Side                                            - Castle
                        - The Phantom of the Opera                          - Rizzoli & Isles

                         Musical Artists                                             Authors
                         - Birdy                                                         - J.K. Rowling
                         - Florence and the Machine                        - C.S. Lewis
                         - Mindy Gledhill                                         - Eoin Colfer
                         - Andrew Belle                                           - Tess Gerritsen
                         - Adele                                                        - James Patterson

For lists of some of the biggest accomplishments in entertainment history, check out the links below!

Greatest Movies

http://movies.amctv.com/movie-guide/tim-dirks-top-100/Best Books Ever Written

Greatest Shows on TV

http://www.empireonline.com/50greatesttv/

Greatest Books Ever Written

http://thegreatestbooks.org/

Greatest Hits

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407