Activity 6: Cloud Mapping Relationships of Roots, Solutions, and Zeros

Web 2.0 tool: http://www.bubbl.us/

Explanation: In this activity, each student will be given a quadratic equation and be asked to solve it as many ways as possible. Have the students put an equation into the center bubble and have each of the different ways to solve as a spoke off of it. Through bubbl.us, students can then share their quadratic with others to compare results. Through doing this, students can begin to see and make the connections of the words root, solution, and zeros.

Example:

Activity 5: Google Docs Forms and Formative Assessment

Web 2.0 tool: docs.google.com - Excel and Forms

Explanation: This activity allows teachers to create short formative assessments of the material to gain feedback on the holes in learning. Teachers can use the "Form" function to create several different types of questions. The form easily embeds in a wiki for students to access and the results populate on an Excel sheet in Google docs. By simply scrolling, teachers can see a snapshot of the learning that has taken place and the holes that need to be filled.

Example: Click Here is an example of a form created for a professional development session that has been embedded in a Wiki.

Activity 4: Wiki Class Notes

Web 2.0 tool: http://www.wikispaces.com/

Explanation: Students become an integral part of the class by being responsible for posting the class notes on the the class wiki after each lesson. By setting up a class wiki, you can keep notes, link to blogs, have discussion, embed video, etc... Through this activity, students create ownership of the material and collaborate with their classmates to get the best information out on the class site.

Activity 3: Digital Journaling with Blogs

Web 2.0 tools: http://www.blogspot.com/ or http://www.posterous.com/

Explanation: In the age where 21st C. skills are needed, this is a great way to get students thinking and using online tools. Teachers can give students a typical journal prompt, but instead of students recording their answers in a notebook, it goes on their blog. Once students post, they can share the post with others in their class and have continued discussion on the topic. Doing this throughout the year will create a "Math History" for each student.... a great way to see progress made throughout the year.

(This activity was inspired by: misterteacher.blogspot.com)

Activity 2 - Graphing Quadratic Functions using Flikr and GeoGebra

Web 2.0 Tools: http://www.geogebra.org/ and http://www.flickr.com/

Explanation: In this activity, students will identify real world situations where parabolas occur and will search Flikr.com for images that show these situations. They can then import the picture onto the coordinate plane in GeoGebra and set it as the background. Once the image is in the background, students will have to use their knowledge of quadratic graphs to find the equation of the parabola that matches the picture. Students can save the file as a picture or as a pdf to post to a discussion board or wiki.

Here is an Example:


Activity with Standards: Coming Soon

Activity 1 - Ratios and Fractions with Wordle

Web 2.0 Tool: http://www.wordle.net/

Explanation: Wordle,net creates visual expressions of text. The size of the fonts are based on the number of times the word appears in the text.
Here is an example:
Phrase - I love love to teach teach teach math math math math.
Wordle.net word cloud-

Notice that "Math" is the biggest word because it is used the most often in the phrase. In fact, it is 4 times bigger that "I" and "to." So, we can say that "I" is 1/4 the size of "math." Using these ratios, we can allow students to explore ratios and fractions in a visual, interactive, and creative way.

Activity with Standards: COMING SOON!