Pageflakes is a cool tool that can be used for any theme for your classroom. For the math classroom, your pageflakes page could be made to reflect the topic the class is studying. Geometry basics would be a good topic with Flickr pictures of geometry objects, podcasts about math and geometry, problem of the week, etc. displayed on your pageflakes page. Students could easily create their own page with resources from different subjects on their page.
July 17th, 2008
Google docs is a powerful tool. Being able to collaborate on one document rather than someone having to manage changes from several people is a great time saver. I can think of many ways to use this in collaboration with other teachers. For instance, if we both teach the same class, we can work on the same document for a class resource or project rules or . . . This allows input from both of us without some one person being “in charge”.
How, though, can I use this in my math classroom? Project collaboration would be one way – a presentation with input from all team members. Using a spreadsheet for each student to input their data would work. A couple of years ago I had students keep track of how they spent their time. Then I input their data into a spreadsheet. With Google docs, I only need to set up the spreadsheet and each student could input their own data. I periodically have students take a partner quiz. Students work together to answer questions and explain how and why they worked the problem. Google docs may be a way for one paper to be turned in with both students input. I would love to hear other ideas for the math classroom.
July 17th, 2008
