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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Math Supported by Internet

This chapter describes the opportunities available to educators and students through the Internet. Many resources are provided that have lesson plans, curriculum materials, and interactive activities. These websites are very valuable in helping educators prepare lessons. The section then gives examples of data resources that give way to data sets, real-time data projects, and collaborative and group projects. These Internet sites help support mathematics learning in the subject of statistics, but also in other subject areas to show how mathematics works in everyday situations. As we have noticed in our class already, access to videos can make learning entertaining while still being educational. Also, the Internet provides opportunity for students who miss class to watch the lesson via video. Finally, similar to our Wikis, this chapter talks about the opportunity for teachers and students to publish their work online. This allows others to benefit from it, as well as the producer to benefit from criticism of others.

What I was most surprised by was that as I went to the various websites suggested in the chapter, I realized that in all of my 'google' searches for our previous class topics, I have not come across even one of those resources. I am actually bothered by this. I would expect to find reliable sources when searching the Internet. However, it seems that the unreliable sites come up instead of the good ones. Thus, I am glad I now have a list of reliable sources and I like the advice given in the chapter about selecting Internet resources. 

Did anyone else find it odd that all the book's supposedly well-known sites are not ones that come up in searches?

2 comments:

Ben D. said...

Wow Danielle, I never really thought about that. I have noticed that when searching for websites to incorporate in my previous projects, I have failed to find ones as reliable as the lists provided in this chapter. I researched some of the websites provided and I was surprised to see how helpful they can be when conducting a classroom. They not only provide interactive activities that can be done within the classroom, but also become great study tools for students to use at home. Let's just hope that these websites will become better known because they are great learning tools for students. The not-so-good sites on the other hand, let's just hope that their life will quickly come to an end.

awilkey said...

That really bugs me too!! I have often found that the most valuable websites are very hard to get to. I think this is ridiculous because it would be so beneficial if they were easily accessed- without having to hear about them from a book!