I selected the new CCGPS Algebra standards that will be implemented for 9th graders. We are currently planning to develop this course when the DOE Math Curriculum people get their frameworks and pacing in place.
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Standards/Georgia%20Performance%20Standards/GPS-Algebra-Standards.pdf
As I scroll through the standards, I'm shocked at how "low" the expectations are. There isn't much critical thinking. The first says Students will represent and operate with complex numbers. The sub standards say "write", "simplify", "add, subtract, multiply and divide". Simple operations. There are several more standards that involve operations. These are the ones students don't want to do and don't see value!
There is one standard that says students will "investigate" piecewise and step functions. However the sub standards are simple recognition.
I'm disappointed! It appears that teachers will really need to take matters in their own hands in order to make some good applications of this content.
There is a section on Data Analysis and Probability. It certainly lends itself to more real world application and technology assistance. I would likely focus on the linear and quadratic regressions for curve fitting. The students can use spreadsheets like Excel or graphing calculators. The students can collect their own data and then plot the graphs. Then they can determine which curve fits best. With technology, they could certainly explore curves beyond linear and quadratics. Some other curve may fit better. Then students can use these equations and predict results. This is a real world application where students can see the usefulness of the information.
As we get ready to develop this course, I'm glad I've had a chance to take a look at these standards. I'd like for our developers to incorporate more critical thinking and application problems as the students work through the course.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Critical Thinking
As a Math Teacher, there are plenty of possibilities for critical thinking. I really feel like students need some sort of background information in order to participate in critical thinking. As a high school teacher, I have the opportunity to present them with information that requires them to really apply what they know and use their critical thinking skills to come up with a solution. I wonder how elementary school teachers use these critical thinking skills. (I have blog buddies who are elementary teachers...so looking forward to comments.)
But here is the big problem, It's much more difficult as a teacher to create such assesments or assignments. Making a handful of open ended plug-and-chug problems is easier. They are easier to create and easier to grade! So teachers looking for the easy way out will go this route.
Let's say there is a teacher who has the students think critically and apply some of their learning. There will also be push back from the students. So many students have become acustomed to the plug-and-chug assessments, they may not want to THINK!
But if we really want our students to LEARN, this is where we need to be!
I would like to think I'm a good model of a critical thinker! I like to solve problems. I like to know why and solve problems creatively. I do struggle on how to convey that love of solving problems to students! Some get it and others don't!
But here is the big problem, It's much more difficult as a teacher to create such assesments or assignments. Making a handful of open ended plug-and-chug problems is easier. They are easier to create and easier to grade! So teachers looking for the easy way out will go this route.
Let's say there is a teacher who has the students think critically and apply some of their learning. There will also be push back from the students. So many students have become acustomed to the plug-and-chug assessments, they may not want to THINK!
But if we really want our students to LEARN, this is where we need to be!
I would like to think I'm a good model of a critical thinker! I like to solve problems. I like to know why and solve problems creatively. I do struggle on how to convey that love of solving problems to students! Some get it and others don't!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Telecommunication Projects
I enjoyed the reading and discussion during class regarding telecommunication projects. I wonder if teachers are utilizing such resources in their classroom. Here are a few examples I've had personal experience with:
1. We had David Wiley - OER Expert and BYU Professor - come and train our Georgia Virtual School Development staff on the use of Open Educational Resources. We did actually pay his travel expenses for him to come and train us face-to-face. This was certainly valuable. Since the training, we have had opportunity to skype with him to get additional clarification or even email him with specific questions. To be able to get that immediate feedback is valuable! We should explore more options for training with outside experts.
2. At GAVS, we have recently moved from Elluminate to the Adobe Connect software for interacting synchronously with our students and fellow teachers. One of our Educational Technologists developed some online training that we attended each Friday so we can learn the software. We met synchronously, but from our own locations. This gave us the opportunity to learn a little at a time and put into practice what we learned each week. If we had to travel to a central location to have this training, it would have been a world-wind of information and we would have not learned nearly as much!
3. Lastly is a wishful project. I would love for students in the Georgia Virtual school to have to seek out experts in whatever they are studying. It could actually be a friend of the student's parents or someone they have found on the internet. But if the students could reach out via email or skype and ask them questions about what they do and how they use what they know, I think it would help students have a valuable real-world experience with what they're learning in High School.
Overall, I hope teachers will think outside the box and begin making strides to incorporate some of these important tools in their classrooms!
1. We had David Wiley - OER Expert and BYU Professor - come and train our Georgia Virtual School Development staff on the use of Open Educational Resources. We did actually pay his travel expenses for him to come and train us face-to-face. This was certainly valuable. Since the training, we have had opportunity to skype with him to get additional clarification or even email him with specific questions. To be able to get that immediate feedback is valuable! We should explore more options for training with outside experts.
2. At GAVS, we have recently moved from Elluminate to the Adobe Connect software for interacting synchronously with our students and fellow teachers. One of our Educational Technologists developed some online training that we attended each Friday so we can learn the software. We met synchronously, but from our own locations. This gave us the opportunity to learn a little at a time and put into practice what we learned each week. If we had to travel to a central location to have this training, it would have been a world-wind of information and we would have not learned nearly as much!
3. Lastly is a wishful project. I would love for students in the Georgia Virtual school to have to seek out experts in whatever they are studying. It could actually be a friend of the student's parents or someone they have found on the internet. But if the students could reach out via email or skype and ask them questions about what they do and how they use what they know, I think it would help students have a valuable real-world experience with what they're learning in High School.
Overall, I hope teachers will think outside the box and begin making strides to incorporate some of these important tools in their classrooms!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Supporting Student eLearning
I loved this chapter! And working with Georgia Virtual School, I have a lot of experience in several of these categories. So as not to bore you with tons of information, I'm going to focus on two areas!
First, there was discussion of Meeting the Standards of eLearning (p. 208) They discussed Curriculum, Instructional Design, Teacher Quality, Student Roles, Assessment, Management and Support Systems, and Technological Infrastructure. As I read each of the descriptions, I was very proud of my school. I feel like we've really thought through each of these issues and are working to incorporate an online classroom while meeting each of these needs. I did think that our Support Systems might be a weakness. We have a "support team" who serve as guidance counselors in a way. However, they are not able to give students guidance on what courses to take. Because some schools have different requirements even thought they are a GA Public school, we have decided that the individual school should do this. I think we could really help students by giving them information regarding course choices. They could take that advice back to their school to make a final decision, but I'd like to give them information.
The second part in this chapter that I really liked were the three different options. The first they discussed was the teleconferences. The best part of that is the synchronous interaction. The scenario presented at the first of the chapter introduced a teacher with a need for a group of gifted students. This interaction would allow the students to feel a part of a real class as they participated. The second choice was online courses. It was described as asynchronous. And there are some such classes. I tutored a student who was taking a BYU Independent study course for high school credit. It was just a series of lessons he completed on his own without interactions with other students or teachers. I don't think this is the best environment - especially for high school students. Our online courses are not like this. We do include a synchronous element where students and teachers interact. So I think that is a real plus for our courses. The final option was blended. I love this option. So much of what a student needs is that personal interaction, but the addition of the technology makes for a much richer learning environment. We are currently piloting our blended program. So time will tell how effective it is!
First, there was discussion of Meeting the Standards of eLearning (p. 208) They discussed Curriculum, Instructional Design, Teacher Quality, Student Roles, Assessment, Management and Support Systems, and Technological Infrastructure. As I read each of the descriptions, I was very proud of my school. I feel like we've really thought through each of these issues and are working to incorporate an online classroom while meeting each of these needs. I did think that our Support Systems might be a weakness. We have a "support team" who serve as guidance counselors in a way. However, they are not able to give students guidance on what courses to take. Because some schools have different requirements even thought they are a GA Public school, we have decided that the individual school should do this. I think we could really help students by giving them information regarding course choices. They could take that advice back to their school to make a final decision, but I'd like to give them information.
The second part in this chapter that I really liked were the three different options. The first they discussed was the teleconferences. The best part of that is the synchronous interaction. The scenario presented at the first of the chapter introduced a teacher with a need for a group of gifted students. This interaction would allow the students to feel a part of a real class as they participated. The second choice was online courses. It was described as asynchronous. And there are some such classes. I tutored a student who was taking a BYU Independent study course for high school credit. It was just a series of lessons he completed on his own without interactions with other students or teachers. I don't think this is the best environment - especially for high school students. Our online courses are not like this. We do include a synchronous element where students and teachers interact. So I think that is a real plus for our courses. The final option was blended. I love this option. So much of what a student needs is that personal interaction, but the addition of the technology makes for a much richer learning environment. We are currently piloting our blended program. So time will tell how effective it is!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Student Communication
With Georgia Virtual school, we've had to be creative with our student communication. We currently use the D2L Discussion tool to facilitate student "communication". The students are required to participate in one discussion per module. Typically teachers ask the students to respond to two students' posted discussions. This plan is adequate, but I think it's very contrived. When you "discuss" in a classroom you can potentially have a deep meaningful discussion in a matter of a class period. Since online students are available during different times, they are required to post, check back, make a comment, and perhaps come back to check again. It is not the same as a discussion.
We also use Adobe Connect (similar to Wimba) where students and teachers meet to review material live. Unfortunately, we have had to stop making these mandatory. So not all students attend. This would be a much better method to facilitate "discussion". Then students can submit a summary of what was discussed in their group.
For my specific project, you could use this in a face-to-face setting where communication would be much easier. They could work in their groups during the class period and get what they need. I intend to let them use this activity for our online class as well. The students will need to work together to get their project together. I've started the communication process by incorporating a Google spreadsheet. This sheet will be accessible by all group members. Google docs would be a great way for them to create their final document. This way the students can contribute to the overall summary and all members can see and edit.
I think there needs to be some live discussion and collaboration as these students complete the project. If I were teaching it, I would either have them come to Adobe Connect meetings as a group. Or perhaps encourage them to get Skype or Google Talk so they can have some real-time interaction about what they are doing.
The important part as a teacher is to include these requirements in the rubric. I've been working on my rubrics and this is something I need to add. I need them to include how they met and whether everyone participated.
As a parting thought...I've noticed in my own two teenagers that the increased reliance on cell phones and social media such as Facebook, are making their face-to-face communication skills suffer. In the end, this is going to be an issue in the workplace and life in general. I'm happy that they can utilize digital communication but I think we need to continually required actual collaboration so students also learn those skills!
We also use Adobe Connect (similar to Wimba) where students and teachers meet to review material live. Unfortunately, we have had to stop making these mandatory. So not all students attend. This would be a much better method to facilitate "discussion". Then students can submit a summary of what was discussed in their group.
For my specific project, you could use this in a face-to-face setting where communication would be much easier. They could work in their groups during the class period and get what they need. I intend to let them use this activity for our online class as well. The students will need to work together to get their project together. I've started the communication process by incorporating a Google spreadsheet. This sheet will be accessible by all group members. Google docs would be a great way for them to create their final document. This way the students can contribute to the overall summary and all members can see and edit.
I think there needs to be some live discussion and collaboration as these students complete the project. If I were teaching it, I would either have them come to Adobe Connect meetings as a group. Or perhaps encourage them to get Skype or Google Talk so they can have some real-time interaction about what they are doing.
The important part as a teacher is to include these requirements in the rubric. I've been working on my rubrics and this is something I need to add. I need them to include how they met and whether everyone participated.
As a parting thought...I've noticed in my own two teenagers that the increased reliance on cell phones and social media such as Facebook, are making their face-to-face communication skills suffer. In the end, this is going to be an issue in the workplace and life in general. I'm happy that they can utilize digital communication but I think we need to continually required actual collaboration so students also learn those skills!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Creativity - Valuable or Just More Work
This is perfect timing this week for the blog topic. I've been working with my daughter and my nephew - both 7th graders - on some math assignments. Give me a second just to explain!
Taylor: She was working on graphing Cartesian coordinates. She had a worksheet with 150 points to plot. As she plotted the points, certain ones were connected to create a pictures. She was then required to color the picture. The goal for the homework was to plot the points! This is a necessary skill for mathematics. However, if she could successfully complete 5-10 of these, she had mastered the skill. There was no need for 150 points! So I feel like the "creativity" of the assignment defeated the purpose of the assignment itself.
Ryan: He has a project due on Monday. He has to come up with five word problems that involve solving equations. He didn't have much problem coming up with the problems. Nor did he have issues solving the problems. But the project included a power point. As a technologically savvy adult, I don't enjoy typing math problems and solutions. I can't imagine how frustrating this will be for a 12-year-old boy! So again, he understands the material however the extent of the "creativity" is making it much more difficult!
So with all of that said, I'm going to keep my project relatively simple. I want for them to focus on the math calculations regarding credit cards and interest. They will just be writing up a report with the information. If they feel like adding graphics and sprucing it up, that's their prerogative. I would imagine that high school students have a better skill set to complete a power point and this may work just fine. But for this project I want for the focus to be on the knowledge and not so much the "fluff". The assignment itself is creative in that they are "pretending" to be a financial adviser. So the creativity is focused there.
Taylor: She was working on graphing Cartesian coordinates. She had a worksheet with 150 points to plot. As she plotted the points, certain ones were connected to create a pictures. She was then required to color the picture. The goal for the homework was to plot the points! This is a necessary skill for mathematics. However, if she could successfully complete 5-10 of these, she had mastered the skill. There was no need for 150 points! So I feel like the "creativity" of the assignment defeated the purpose of the assignment itself.
Ryan: He has a project due on Monday. He has to come up with five word problems that involve solving equations. He didn't have much problem coming up with the problems. Nor did he have issues solving the problems. But the project included a power point. As a technologically savvy adult, I don't enjoy typing math problems and solutions. I can't imagine how frustrating this will be for a 12-year-old boy! So again, he understands the material however the extent of the "creativity" is making it much more difficult!
So with all of that said, I'm going to keep my project relatively simple. I want for them to focus on the math calculations regarding credit cards and interest. They will just be writing up a report with the information. If they feel like adding graphics and sprucing it up, that's their prerogative. I would imagine that high school students have a better skill set to complete a power point and this may work just fine. But for this project I want for the focus to be on the knowledge and not so much the "fluff". The assignment itself is creative in that they are "pretending" to be a financial adviser. So the creativity is focused there.
Monday, September 26, 2011
PBL Assessment
How to assess PBL Assignments? This is one of my main concerns. I do believe that Rubrics are the key to actually assigning a grade. That isn't the difficulty. The problem comes when you are really trying to assess if the student has learned what they should have learned.
At the Georgia Virtual School, we require a project for every module, but we still require a multiple choice objective test as well. This has been the best way for us to marry the two at this point. It gives the student opportunity to demonstrate they know what they should know. It also allows them practice for high-stakes tests they will be required to take later (EOCT, CRCT, SAT). However, this shouldn't be necessary.
The ideal situation would be for a teacher to build such a good project that it would be obvious the student had mastered the standards. But that isn't done overnight. This requires skill and probably trial and error!
I have one other concern with PBL as the main assessment. Most PBL assignments require group work. Now I'm not sure who in the group has learned what when the project is complete. Did one student do the majority of the work while the others watched? Did most do what they needed and one was left out? Here's where I'm not sure where to go as a teacher if you don't have the independent objective test to really see how things worked!
So I will continue to investigate and read up on information. Learning from other's good and bad experiences!
At the Georgia Virtual School, we require a project for every module, but we still require a multiple choice objective test as well. This has been the best way for us to marry the two at this point. It gives the student opportunity to demonstrate they know what they should know. It also allows them practice for high-stakes tests they will be required to take later (EOCT, CRCT, SAT). However, this shouldn't be necessary.
The ideal situation would be for a teacher to build such a good project that it would be obvious the student had mastered the standards. But that isn't done overnight. This requires skill and probably trial and error!
I have one other concern with PBL as the main assessment. Most PBL assignments require group work. Now I'm not sure who in the group has learned what when the project is complete. Did one student do the majority of the work while the others watched? Did most do what they needed and one was left out? Here's where I'm not sure where to go as a teacher if you don't have the independent objective test to really see how things worked!
So I will continue to investigate and read up on information. Learning from other's good and bad experiences!
Monday, September 19, 2011
PBL
One of the great things I've learned about throughout this IDD program is Project Based Learning. Although I've participated in some PBL as well as used it in some degree in my classroom, I wasn't aware of it formally.
In all the time I taught in a face-to-face classroom, I can't count the number of times I was asked "when are we going to use this?" Probably the same situation with most math teachers. Often times I would respond by telling them that they didn't want to limit their possibilities and they may need some higher level math as they develop plans for the future. Which is completely true. But I think as a teenager, you don't have that long-term vision. They needed to know how to use what we were learning right now.
This is where PBL comes into play. A Project based learning experience is a huge benefit to the students. However, I think the stumbling blocks come with the teachers. Teachers have been teaching for a long time or it's just much easier to teach like you were taught. As a math teacher now and an excellent math student in high school, doing the math was never my problem. I could DO math all day! However taking the time to apply math is where the students will really grasp a true understanding.
This brings me back to my project. What I'm doing is fairly straight forward with some basic high school math. But I really think the students will be excited when they see what they can DO WITH math! the information they can figure out. The good decisions they can make. And maybe this is the type of information they need to be excited about the parts that are a little harder to apply.
At Georgia Virtual school, we require our course developers to include a project after each module. It allows the students in whatever subject area they are working with to apply their learning. This has truly enhanced our courses and made them more engaging to students.
In all the time I taught in a face-to-face classroom, I can't count the number of times I was asked "when are we going to use this?" Probably the same situation with most math teachers. Often times I would respond by telling them that they didn't want to limit their possibilities and they may need some higher level math as they develop plans for the future. Which is completely true. But I think as a teenager, you don't have that long-term vision. They needed to know how to use what we were learning right now.
This is where PBL comes into play. A Project based learning experience is a huge benefit to the students. However, I think the stumbling blocks come with the teachers. Teachers have been teaching for a long time or it's just much easier to teach like you were taught. As a math teacher now and an excellent math student in high school, doing the math was never my problem. I could DO math all day! However taking the time to apply math is where the students will really grasp a true understanding.
This brings me back to my project. What I'm doing is fairly straight forward with some basic high school math. But I really think the students will be excited when they see what they can DO WITH math! the information they can figure out. The good decisions they can make. And maybe this is the type of information they need to be excited about the parts that are a little harder to apply.
At Georgia Virtual school, we require our course developers to include a project after each module. It allows the students in whatever subject area they are working with to apply their learning. This has truly enhanced our courses and made them more engaging to students.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
LoTI and More! (September 12)
I was so glad we took time to really look at the LoTI levels during class on Thursday. Most of the examples I found were 3 or 4a. I don't think I was too far off, however when we talked about student-focused or teacher-focused and that being a major difference between the 3 and 4a, that helped me make a few changes in my list.
Working for Georgia Virtual school, we use technology lessons. However, some are very basic. Tutorials, or simple interactive activities that focus on practice. We do have many projects that require students to use the internet for research and use those findings to make good decisions. We try to make these projects real-world type applications! It's nice as we start a new development term with our courses to have really reviewed these standards. I plan to share them with my developers so we can make sure we are using technology properly.
As I've gone through these examples, I now want to make a great lesson for us to use in our finance class. I think several of the examples I found were relatively basic or that the teacher had a great part in what they needed to learn. I'm hoping to walk them through a set of scenarios that will teach them about credit card use. The tricky thing about credit cards is they are really necessary. You must be able to establish credit in order to purchase a car or a home. So you need to know the pros and cons in order to properly use them. As a college student and newly married person, I got myself into some trouble with credit cards! Oh how I wish someone had set me straight then! So I'm hoping to help a few students avoid what I did!
Working for Georgia Virtual school, we use technology lessons. However, some are very basic. Tutorials, or simple interactive activities that focus on practice. We do have many projects that require students to use the internet for research and use those findings to make good decisions. We try to make these projects real-world type applications! It's nice as we start a new development term with our courses to have really reviewed these standards. I plan to share them with my developers so we can make sure we are using technology properly.
As I've gone through these examples, I now want to make a great lesson for us to use in our finance class. I think several of the examples I found were relatively basic or that the teacher had a great part in what they needed to learn. I'm hoping to walk them through a set of scenarios that will teach them about credit card use. The tricky thing about credit cards is they are really necessary. You must be able to establish credit in order to purchase a car or a home. So you need to know the pros and cons in order to properly use them. As a college student and newly married person, I got myself into some trouble with credit cards! Oh how I wish someone had set me straight then! So I'm hoping to help a few students avoid what I did!
Monday, September 5, 2011
LoTi Examples (September 5)
I've read about the Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi). It's interesting that they are talking about using technology to enhance student learning. I work for a Virtual School, so we use many resources that are entirely technology based to develop a course. Students use all sorts of information. Now I'm having to go in and look at how classroom teachers are using such resources. This is where we could really step in and train Face-to-face teachers on proper use of technology.
Technology allows teachers to implement differentiated instruction. It teaches students how to collaborate effectively. They'll need these technology and collaboration skills as they enter the workforce! So besides teaching them subject matter, they'll need to know how to use it.
Before I talk about my examples, I want to discuss my project. After really looking at what is required, I think I'll need to change my initial project. Although, I'll still be helping his son and possibly his friends with his college algebra class, I don't think it meets the criteria of the project.
I'm a certified High School math teacher and during the summer I had the opportunity to attend a training for the new Advanced Mathematical Decision Making course. I was fascinated by the finance unit of this course. I think we leave so much of this out of the current math curriculum. At Georgia Virtual School, we are currently developing a Math 4 - Finance course. So I'm planning to use what I learned in the AMDM training as well as the GPS for our finance course to develop a lesson we can use in that new course! I'm excited about developing a lesson that will really help students apply their math knowledge in a very real-world situation.
With that said, I've been focusing on various HS level Finance lessons that use technology. I've found five activities so far, but here are a couple...
Pay Credit when Credit is Due:
This first lesson is very lengthy. It's actually a 3 day lesson. Students would walk through a variety of activities to explore what happens when you delay paying credit or pay the minimum amount. Students will use the internet to research various credit cards. Annual fees, rates, penalties, and benefits. They will work in groups and come up with 3 possible cards they may be interested in and create an infographic that displays the information. They will also be required to write up a "report" justifying their selection of card.
I really like this lesson as a senior level activity. I have a freshman in college and we explored credit cards with him. We knew that credit card companies tend to focus on college students and credit is something that can cause problems for a newly independent student. Knowing what to look for will be very helpful to these students.
Introduction to Mortgage Loans
In this activity, students are introduced to Mortgage loans through a video lesson. The students then have to do some investigation of various banks and requirements for getting a mortgage. They will determine available rates as well as down payment requirements. The students will then look at real estate prices in their area and find a property to "purchase". They will compare three different available loans and determine which would be the best option for their situation.
Again, being an adult who has experienced the housing crisis, this is something these students should know about. So many people who have lost homes were in the situation because they got themselves into a loan they could not afford. The bank made some special financing available in the immediate future that allowed people to get into houses they could not afford. When the adjustable mortgage went up, they quickly found they were in over their head. Some knowledge ahead of time might help these students to avoid this as home-buying adults.
I'm excited about this new direction in my project. I think I can develop an intriguing lesson that the students will be very excited about. And the best part is that we can use it in a real Georgia Virtual School course!
Technology allows teachers to implement differentiated instruction. It teaches students how to collaborate effectively. They'll need these technology and collaboration skills as they enter the workforce! So besides teaching them subject matter, they'll need to know how to use it.
Before I talk about my examples, I want to discuss my project. After really looking at what is required, I think I'll need to change my initial project. Although, I'll still be helping his son and possibly his friends with his college algebra class, I don't think it meets the criteria of the project.
I'm a certified High School math teacher and during the summer I had the opportunity to attend a training for the new Advanced Mathematical Decision Making course. I was fascinated by the finance unit of this course. I think we leave so much of this out of the current math curriculum. At Georgia Virtual School, we are currently developing a Math 4 - Finance course. So I'm planning to use what I learned in the AMDM training as well as the GPS for our finance course to develop a lesson we can use in that new course! I'm excited about developing a lesson that will really help students apply their math knowledge in a very real-world situation.
With that said, I've been focusing on various HS level Finance lessons that use technology. I've found five activities so far, but here are a couple...
Pay Credit when Credit is Due:
This first lesson is very lengthy. It's actually a 3 day lesson. Students would walk through a variety of activities to explore what happens when you delay paying credit or pay the minimum amount. Students will use the internet to research various credit cards. Annual fees, rates, penalties, and benefits. They will work in groups and come up with 3 possible cards they may be interested in and create an infographic that displays the information. They will also be required to write up a "report" justifying their selection of card.
I really like this lesson as a senior level activity. I have a freshman in college and we explored credit cards with him. We knew that credit card companies tend to focus on college students and credit is something that can cause problems for a newly independent student. Knowing what to look for will be very helpful to these students.
Introduction to Mortgage Loans
In this activity, students are introduced to Mortgage loans through a video lesson. The students then have to do some investigation of various banks and requirements for getting a mortgage. They will determine available rates as well as down payment requirements. The students will then look at real estate prices in their area and find a property to "purchase". They will compare three different available loans and determine which would be the best option for their situation.
Again, being an adult who has experienced the housing crisis, this is something these students should know about. So many people who have lost homes were in the situation because they got themselves into a loan they could not afford. The bank made some special financing available in the immediate future that allowed people to get into houses they could not afford. When the adjustable mortgage went up, they quickly found they were in over their head. Some knowledge ahead of time might help these students to avoid this as home-buying adults.
I'm excited about this new direction in my project. I think I can develop an intriguing lesson that the students will be very excited about. And the best part is that we can use it in a real Georgia Virtual School course!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Project Ideas
Well, I'm thinking about what I might do for my project. My son recently went off to college and is taking College Algebra! He's found that his math professor is not as helpful has he had hoped. So I've ordered a second copy of his textbook and have been helping him via skype! I was thinking about creating a Google Site where I could give him sample problems and review videos so he can access the information when he needs to see it! I can help him review for tests as well. He could also share the website with his fellow classmates for more information!
I just know it would really help him and it would give me a chance to create some good math instructional material.
I just know it would really help him and it would give me a chance to create some good math instructional material.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Welcome to the 7500 Blog
This blog is dedicated to my EDIT 7500 course for my Masters Degree in Instructional Design and Development at the University of Georgia. Stay tuned for information regarding my experiences!
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