On-Line Learning Web Page Information
Intermediate Level Case
Lakehead Public Schools 7 - 10 Technology/Math Project
Presented by: Ann Kajander (Classroom teacher and mathematics educator)
The Project
The goals of the Math and Technology Project for grades 7 - 10 at the
Lakehead Board are to improve resources for teachers through the use
of technology, to enhance student learning in mathematics and improve
performance on the eqao assessment. A committee of teachers, a teacher
educator, and a resource teacher spent several days investigating and
trying various products. Training was offered to all teachers of up
to four half days once the software was chosen.
The Software
The math/technology committee was directed initially to recommend two
pieces of software for 7 - 10 math, with the strong recommendation that
one piece would be Geometer's Sketchpad. The other piece was to be chosen
by the committee. After trying many types of software, the Committee
finally settled on Destination Math from Riverdeep Inc.
Goals of the Software
The teachers who made up the committee had many different goals in mind
for the software. It is impossible to characterize all of the different
wishes, but to use very broad categories, the elementary teachers were
keenly interested in a tracking system that recorded and reported on
student progress - so much so in fact that one piece of software with
a good tracking system was considered even though the mathematics material
in it was highly traditional and in some places misleading. Many secondary
teachers were still struggling with how to use four computers effectively
in their classroom, and saw the potential of such software as mainly
remedial, and hence they were more interested in software for learning
technical skills and numeracy rather than for problem solving. The resource
teacher and teacher educator were interested in the quality of the mathematical
content in the software, as well as the potential for enhancing different
types of learning including problem solving.
The final choice of product was Destination Math from Riverdeep. There
were a number of factors that influenced this decision:
-Destination Math is web-based. This allows access from home, and allows
parents to see what students are doing.
-The instructional component of Destination Math incorporates realistic
mathematical models to illustrate concepts. The committee felt the concrete
modeling would be of great support to teachers. As well, the auditory
component should be of benefit to those students whose reading level
might otherwise impair their mathematical work.
-The learning Management system allows teachers to build tests, lesson
plans, and assignments, as well as providing formative assessment for
data driven instruction.
-Ease of use and increased student motivation were also taken into consideration
in the selection of Destination Math
Initial Responses of Teachers
During the training an attempt was made to model how stations of four
computers in the classroom could be used. While this was not new to
most elementary teachers, the concept of using rotating groups was not
comfortable for the secondary level teachers, and many felt that this
type of classroom organization would not work for them.
An informal observation of this training was that a significant number
of the teachers (including the secondary level teachers) were unfamiliar
with Sketchpad and were not yet using it at all in their classroom.
There were however a few teachers who were highly familiar with it.
Once the Destination Math product was introduced, surveys from the training
indicated that most teachers liked the product. Secondary teachers still
had concerns about access to computers, as well as how to use four computers
in their classrooms in an integrated way. Many teachers also felt they
needed more time to learn to use the learning management system effectively.
The original plan for the Destination Math training included modeling
sessions, in which teachers would go into classrooms and teach a class
with the regular teacher present, to model how a class might be run
utilizing four computers in the room. The secondary teachers were not
receptive to this idea, and the plan was not used.
Research and Implementation
The Board is now in the final stages of training. Both pieces of software
are now available for use. No research on the effectiveness of the project
in the classroom is available as of yet.
For comparative data on another schools board's implementation of Destination
Math, see link 1
Possible Discussion Questions
-What balance between numeracy practice and open-ended problem solving
is most appropriate for on-line learning?
-How can teacher needs such as support with learning management and
assessment be balanced with student learning needs which include more
than right-answer style assessment?
-Who should make the decision about such priorities?
-What might help teachers become more open to a classroom organized
in groups or centers to facilitate use of technology?
Try Destination Math
Go to
www.riverdeep.com
Go to Destination Math link
Userid: deanh4
Password: deanh4
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