Science+&+Math+Academics

= ** ﻿ Science** = //By: Ashley Beckham//

There are many types of technology that can be incorporated into the classroom that are beneficial to the students and the teachers. With the world using technology everyday, all day, students need be able to have access to technology that they can learn from and engage in.



 **Computers** are great tools  for the classroom. Most students use computers to do research, type papers, and type up notes. For younger students, computers can be used to play science games and simulations. For instance they can play a game on learning about the weather, and take a quiz after playing the game to see if they have correctly understood what they were suppose to be learning. For older students, if your school is not able to provide specimens for each student and the tools to do dissect with they can do a virtual dissection using the computer. It is good for research projects, and if you want to make it somewhat fun make a scavenger hunt where they have to search the internet using sites that you have provided to find the answers to the questions or statements.

** Clickers **  are a good investment for a classroom. They are easy to use and are something different. Teachers can use clickers as a way for students ﻿ to take tests, quizzes, attendance and warm up activities/ questions. Students can benefit from clickers because they are learning with the use of technology rather than having to write on paper. An advantage to teachers is that the clicker program is able to grade the tests, quizzes, warm ups, etc.. After everyone has answered a question, everyone can see the correct answer and it shows a bar graph of who picked all the answer choices but you do not have to see who picked it. When taking tests, teachers can choose to go question by question on the slides or they can choose to print off a paper test and the students can answer the question at their own pace and no one can see their answer but students have to be careful to not enter the wrong answer. Teachers can use the clickers to have students discuss with other students the solution to the problem and answer through the clickers or just discuss through the class. For example a question could be asked:

** Discuss with your group to figure out which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Kingdom Protista. ** **A) Eukaryotic B) Multicellular C) Some are plant-like D) Some are animal like **

**Microscopes ** are fun and easy to use in the classroom. There are many types of microscopes out there. If your school is not able to provide a classroom set of microscopes, talk with the principle to see if you can get your own microscope that is able to be shown to the whole class through a projector. A personal microscope is very beneficial to the teacher and the student because the teacher can find exactly what he/she wants the class to be looking at through the microscope rather than having multiple students asking if this is what they are suppose to be looking at, how to work the microscope, and telling you that they broke the slide. Microscopes are beneficial to the students because it is good for them to get that hands on learning experience by finding the correct slide, putting it on the microscope, and looking at the specimen. However, the teacher also has to take the time to teach the students how to use the microscopes properly and go over the care that they require. 


 * Want more info? Check out these websites:**
 * Computers || Clickers || Microscopes ||
 * [|Science and Technology in the Classroom] || [|Clickers in the science Classroom] || [|School and Technology Resources] ||
 * [|Virtual Frog Dissection] || [|Educause Quarterly] || [|K-12 Techsters: Digital Microscope] ||

Mathematics

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">By: Courtney Bargsley //
When people think of technology in a math classroom, there minds go blank. But there are actually good resources out there that can help both the student and teacher out in making math a little more easier for everyone to understand.

Calculators we think of the basic generic 10 key calculator but actually graphing calculators are a good resource. They can help the students when having to perform test for which a hypothesis is already formed. These helping the student to be more confident in themselves by allowing the student to do thing s that couldn’t be done on their own with a basic calculator. The graphing calculator also makes the students dig deeper into finding material needed to find the answer. The benefit is that they help save tome and effort for the students, plus the students can use this calculator all through out their school career, making it a good investment for the students to purchase, as well at the teacher for the classroom.

Java Applets is software that requires an Internet browser in order to run. This mat software is good for many uses of math, this software can be used with a lesson that would be difficult to relay in a traditional lecture form to the students. It can provide immediate feedback to the students along with the software can generate data quickly for the students to analyze. With this being a quick software and easily accessible for students it then makes it a good software to use as a review or study guide for future references. The applets provide animation picture proofs that can help the students watch and form conjectures about their topic they are having difficulty with.

Geometry can be a difficult subject for students to learn especially is it’s only taught out of a book with no hands on experience or visual objectives to help. But there are two software systems that can help with the confusion; those are the geometers sketchpad and simcalc.


 * The geometers sketchpad is an interactive geometry construction, demonstration, and exploration tool that students/ teachers can use on the computer. It’s a very versitile software system that can be used for algebra, geometry, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus subjects. This helps teachers teach the various learning styles of students in the classroom. The downside is that students who do have a hard time drawing on the software can have a turn-off due to the fact that the student could see it as a road block in the way of them understanding the subject. The software is a faster, more accurate, more engaging for the students than drawing the figures on a chalkboard. This software works with smart boards, LCD projector, and a computer connected to a television. This program is good for middle school students and above and there is however a cost for the school district to use the software.
 * The other system is that Simcalc, which is designed by mathematics education research group. This is a free download system and has uses for both the computer and calculator. This system however is good for third grade though college calculus students. So this is a little more directed towards the younger students all through college and is free and available for the students on their calculators.

[|Guidelines for Technology-based activity development:] - Five guidelines of appropriate uses of technology in mathematics teaching: 1. Introduce technology in context 2. Address worthwhile mathematics with appropriate pedagogy 3. Take advantage of technology 4. Connect mathematics topics 5. Incorporate multiple representations

For more information here are some website with useful help:

__ Graphing Calculator: __ Texas Instruments Education Technology [] Using Technology in the Mathematics Classroom [|https://www.msu.edu/~bowersc2/MAET/cep805/graphingcalcs.html]

__ Geometer Sketchpad: __ Using Technology in the Mathematics Classroom [|https://www.msu.edu/~bowersc2/MAET/cep805/gsp.html] Dynamic Geometry [] Geometer's Sketchpad purchase information []

__ SimCalc: __ Using Technology in the Mathematics Classroom [|https://www.msu.edu/~bowersc2/MAET/cep805/simcalc.html] Federal Resources for Educational Excellence [] University of Massachusetts Dartmouth []

__ Java Applets: __ Using Technology in the Mathematics Classroom [|https://www.msu.edu/~bowersc2/MAET/cep805/applets.html] Mathlets: Java Applets for Math Explorations [|http://cs.jsu.edu/~leathrum/Mathlets/] The Interactive Library []

__ Whiteboards/Smart boards activities: __ The Teachers Guide []