Microsoft has done it...

FINALLY!

Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 is here.
*click above to download now, hurry!

• It calculates



• It graphs



• It factors



• It solves equations



• It simplifies



• It does Physics & Chemistry



• and It's free!

COMPUTERS as part of LEARNING MATH

Teaching Kids Real Math with Computer Programming


This 20-minutes video is one of hundreds of videos from the TED project (Technology, Entertainment, Design), a non-profit organization with the Mission of SPREADING IDEAS.


This talk is given by Conrad Wolfram who runs the worldwide arm of Wolfram Research, the mathematical lab behind the cutting edge knowledge engine Wolfram Alpha.
He discusses the idea of using computers to perform the computational step when solving math problems. Conrad Wolfram says, "the math we teach - calculations by hand - isn't only tedious, it's mostly irrelevant."
Please click on the link to view the video.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html

Bit Strips for Schools

BitStrips for Schools is an OSAPAC title that is registered for Ontario Teachers and Students to use at home or at school.  Bitstrips is a cloud application which means it can be accessed simply by visiting
the website http://www.bitstripsforschools.com .  It doesn't matter which platform you are using.

Once you visit the site click on Ontario Teachers link which will allow you to quickly and easily register.

The next question may be why should I use BitStrips in my class?

Even teachers can get involved in the action!  Meet the virtual Mr. Sadler. 

Bitstrips is not a new product so I am sure there are many teachers who could comment below and let us know how they are using BitStrips in their classrooms.  Please do!

When Smartboard Meets Voicethread

This voicethread tutorial outlines how two tech applications (Smartboard + Voicethread) can be merged to make for one great lesson. The example provided discusses how to measure angles using a protractor; however, the visual and audio cues that are evident throughout would help to make this lesson resonate for all students. In addition, the opportunity for multiple attempts and various question manipulations from one starting point is quite impressive.

Welcome to the WECDSB Technology in the Classroom Blog

Welcome to the WECDSB's new Blog which was designed to create a space where educators can share resources and ideas for incorporating technology in the classroom. Each of the posts in this blog will be archived and tagged for easy reference.  For example if a teacher visits www.osapac.org and finds out Ontario teachers can access streamed music for use in there class from a website called Naxos.  Just visit the blog and type in "Naxos" in the search box and all the posts on Naxos will appear.

Some of the categories will be:

photo © 2009 Rogers Cadenhead more info (via: Wylio)

Resources - Web sites that contain educational resources for teacher or student use

Production - Creation web sites or software used to produce or publish something

Cool - Neat web sites that you just have to see

Elementary - Specific information or lesson for Elementary Teachers.

Secondary - Specific information or lessons for Secondary Teachers.

Instructions - Steps on how to use a resource

( For example, the image above was found at http://www.wylio.com/ . This is a free image site that automatically sources the image for you. )

New categories will be added as the blog progresses. Please leave suggestions in the comments.

The blog will provide one location to find ideas, resources, and most importantly your comments.  The Blog format allows for teachers to ask questions or comment after each post.  Hopefully teachers will choose to add personal examples of the technology used in their classrooms.

Joe Sisco and Doug Sadler will oversee the blog but will be supported by both Elementary and Secondary Computer Education Teachers. Our hope is to add posts from guest bloggers (teachers) who wouldn't mind sharing their technology success in the classroom.

Doug Sadler is a Vice Principal of Online Learning at St. Michael's Catholic School. Duties include Site administration at St. Michael's Rhodes and Tech Support for both the Elementary and Secondary panel. You can follow Doug Sadler on twitter @SadOne.

Joe Sisco is an e-Learning Consultant with WECDSB. Joe is responsible for the the Homework Help Project and support for the Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB).

One of the most important components of a blog is the ability to comment. Once again we encourage teachers to comment on the posts in this blog by telling us what you think, your experiences with the topic, and ask questions. Only then will we have a successful blog that acts as relevant source of information.

We hope you enjoy this one stop shop for excellent Technology in the classroom applications and even more we hope you choose to jump in.

ClassMouse - Learning Objects K-8 Home and School Use

The ClassMouse resource tool is now available to WECDSB Teachers through the STAFF and STUDENT portals. This resource is available for Teachers and Students at home and at school.

New objects and materials are added daily. For those Teachers who enjoy Student Link you now have a choice of which resource to use.

ClassMouse does not require a login. Just enter the Staff or Student Portal and ClassMouse will be available. Learning materials are organized by grade. Select a grade and choose the type of search you would like. MouseSearch allows for a keyword search such as "space". MouseGuide will allow objects to be filtered by Expectation.

For this example I chose Grade 3 Science and Technology. A list of subjects will be available to choose from. A fantastic addition to the list of subjects is Catholic Education.

Colouring Page

ClassMouse is designed to satisfy the ever-changing content demands of the educational community. WECDSB staff will benefit from rapid access to over 40,000 resources specifically related to the expectations of the Ontario Elementary Curriculum.

Next I chose the strand "Forces Causing Movement".

ClassMouse will post a list of expectations to choose from.

There are some filtering options available and icons for each resource to identify what category the learning object is such as "Student Activity" or "Teacher Planning"


For this example "Friction" was selected. A web site with many resources on the topic was available. A PowerPoint on Friction was selected.

The real benefit of ClassMouse is it's simple navigation menus and the ability to find activities based on Curriculum Expectations. Vist the Staff or Student portal and try it out. Most importantly please post your opinions in the comment section below this post. If you need the passwords for the staff or student portal contact your school tech. They cannot be posted here.

Math Teacher's TOOL KIT

Please visit the following link to access a very useful document created for Math teachers. The docuemnt is incredibly useful for any math teacher who wants to create professional-looking tests, quizzes, and assignments. It is essentially a collection of hundreds of grouped objects (graphs, angles, shapes) ready to copy and paste into your document... then you can edit it as well!

Math Tool Kit