Blog #7 Spreadsheets

I reviewed the M@M project that Mr. Huckins did with his 4th graders for a math section. The lesson is made to help kids learn how to collect, organize and analyze data. He had kids use bags of M and M's and break them up into color and record the data. After recording the data, he had them put it into a pre-made spreadsheet to help organize and analyze the data.

You could do the same project with older kids, say 6th grade, but instead of having a pre-made spread sheet the kids would need to design their own, and come up with some of the formulas on their own as well. They wouldn't need to create the spreadsheet from scratch, but I could give them more options as to how they could make it.

Netiquette

Here is the URL for my Netiquette rules. Google Docs for some reason would not let me post it.http://docs.google.com/View?id=d3886nx_0sr9ndxgm

Blog #5 The Jigsaw

The jigsaw method is a great way to teach, I have had many of my professors in college teach some of their units that way. I feel like I remember the section I had to learn and present with my group very well. I think one of the draw backs to this method is of one group does not do a very good job on the task that was given the rest of the class will not get the information that is needed from those students. Also you have the problem of the slower student in the group who does not work at the same speed as people in the group. This can probably be remedied by having a good team leader that includes all peers equally and delegates well. 

If I only had five computers in my class, depending on the size of my groups and classes I could one computer per group, with the group leader using the keyboard. Or have the leader have someone use the keyboard to search for specific things that the leader and one other person suggests, and the others in the group will look for information in the text or other resources available to them.