Pre Calculus students have finished their mathcasts of trigonometry involving right triangles.
Projects are now posted at Mathematics with Mrs. O’Flynn: Mathcasts under Pre Calculus, Periods 2 and 5, Ch 6 Triangle Trigonometry. Their next task is to evaluate their own movie using this checklist and feedback form and to get at least one other person (adult or student who is not a group member) to give them feedback.
My students would appreciate your feedback! Please send feedback to
Students were randomly placed in groups using the “pick a student” feature in CPS and were then given a problem having to do with polynomials from an ExamView problem bank. Each group or pair then created a mathcast of their solution and their reasoning. Some groups still have to finish up tomorrow but several are now posted at Mathematics with Mrs. O’Flynn: Mathcasts under Periods 1 and 6, Ch 6 Polynomials. Their next task is to evaluate their own movie using this checklist and feedback form and to get at least one other person (adult or student who is not a group member) to give them feedback.
My students would appreciate your feedback! Please send feedback to
I’m going to begin a book study soon of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works. There are four math teachers in our department with Hitachi Starboards, Avervision document cameras, and eInstruction student response systems, and we are going to use this book as a catalyst for our discussions of ways to better utilize these technologies in our classrooms. I plan to post my comments and reactions here throughout our book study.
I am also purchasing Engaging the Online Learner. I’ll be teaching an online math course next year and am definitely looking for ways to make it an interactive experience; hopefully this book will give me some ideas for this.
My Hitachi Starboard has been a real lifesaver this week. A student of mine had emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and will be gone until after Thanksgiving break. So, at the end of class each day, I am able to save my work from the Starboard as a pdf (built-in feature of the whiteboard software) and upload it to our webpage. Here are links to some of our recent class notes for Advanced Algebra:
My students have published their first round of mathcasts this year. My Algebra 2 classes recorded portions of their cup lab in which they find a linear function that approximates the height of stacked cups, and our Pre Calculus mathcasts show and explain how to graph a sinusoid. You can view these projects at our school site under Mathcasts at http://www.woodlandschools.org/index.php?q=node/741 .
Hitachi Software announced their new multi-touch whiteboard called the StarBoard FX Duo FX 77 that supports dual inputs allowing for multi-touch input. You can read about it here. I especially like the fact that the Duo allows you to use your finger or other object rather than only the electronic pen like my current Starboard panel, and it also allows you to control it using multi-touch hand gestures. I was impressed with it when I had the opportunity to preview this board earlier this summer and can’t wait to try it out!
The submission deadline for Hitachi’s Starboard Summer School Contest has been extended to October 31st. See http://blog.svconline.com/briefingroom/2007/09/19/hitachi-software-extends-starboard-summer-school-contest/ for details.
I’m at the AP Calculus workshop this week but I was able to attend a meeting yesterday where Hitachi presented some new technology.
First, they showed us their new Mult-e-Math software by Hitachi-Cambridge. This software has virtual manipulatives for probability and stats, graphing, number sense such as fraction modeling, and too many other things to list. Click here to see a demo or download the “lite” version, you’ll find it here. I’m excited to begin using this software this school year and will post more as I learn the features it has available.
Second, I got to see their new electronic whiteboard (FX 2 series) that should be available in October. It has several new features such as small programmable buttons on both sides of the board, but one feature that I really like is the board’s capability to have two students working simultaneously. That would be great for data collection, for having cooperative groups share information, and for brainstorming sessions.
Third, Hitachi America has launched a new teacher resource center where they have several sample lessons available for download. Hitachi is currently working on content development so the number of lessons available will grow considerably during the coming months.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA www.hitachi.us, July 31, 2007 – Hitachi Software Engineering America, Ltd. today announced the StarBoard® Summer School Sweepstakes, a program designed to encourage lesson sharing among K-12 educators via the Hitachi Software online Educators Resource Center. A strong supporter of open educator resources, Hitachi Software will offer prizes to the 10 most interactive and educational lesson plans, as determined by a third-party panel of judges.
The Summer School Content Contest will begin on July 25, 2007 and will close on September 30, 2007. Open to any United States K-12 teacher 21 years or older, there is no purchase necessary to win. Teachers simply visit the Educators Resource Center at www.hitachi-soft.com and upload their lesson plan designed to optimize the use of an interactive whiteboard and/or LCD projector.
Click here to view the original article in its entirety.
upload it to our webpage. Here are links to some of our recent class notes for Advanced Algebra:
First, they showed us their new 
