Blog Pilot
This year my classes will pilot a program designed to help you improve your math skills. You will complete practice problems, ask for help from other students, and answer each other’s questions online. You will be using a web log, within a secured environment, to post your writing on the Internet.
A web log, or blog as it is commonly called, is a special type of web page that can be created and easily updated using a web browser. Each new entry has its own date stamp. Each entry has a comments section where visitors to the blog may leave comments for the author.
Why a Blog for Homework / Practice Problems?
Homework problems are assigned nearly every day. The purposes of homework are many, including practicing concepts/techniques learned in class, identifying concepts not clearly understood by a student, improving speed in successfully completing exercises, and moving learned concepts from short-term to longer-term memory.
At times students (even you) make mistakes (they know it is wrong since they’ve checked the answers in the back of the text) or do not know how to solve a problem. Asking friends is a great way of learning: it helps both the person asking questions and the one demonstrating how to do the problem. This is a form of active learning, and research has demonstrated that active learning improves learning. The blog extends your group of “math friends” to everyone in my classes.
Further, students are comfortable on the web, and enjoy being on the web. This provides you a means of combining your learning with a comfortable and enjoyable environment.
Why a Blog for HSPA Practice?
The HSPA exam is taken in your junior year. You are required to pass the HSPA to graduate from high school. Students that fail the HSPA are required to give up their senior year lunch period, study math, and pass alternative tests. The HSPA subject material contains Algebra II and earlier concepts, so none of the new concepts learned in Trig/PreCalculus CP are included. Therefore, if you have a solid mathematical foundation, there is no reason for a Trig/PreCalculus student to fail the HSPA. Yet several students either come into class with a weak foundation, or do not take the HSPA test seriously, and fail it. Don't let that be you!
The mathematics department has deemed it appropriate that all students practice for the HSPA test. Instead of using valuable classroom time, I am asking you to do HSPA Problem of the Day (PODS) practice as homework.
This blog project is designed to minimize risk to you. The site I have selected is designed for teachers. Individuals who are not registered are not allowed in the area where our blogs will reside. I will maintain the list of students, and only these individuals are allowed within the specific “room” where our blog can be viewed and is maintained. As an additional security measure, you are NOT allowed to post your age, addresses, or other sensitive information.
Homework Blog: Homework is assigned nearly daily. You have the opportunity to post questions asking how to do assigned problems. You have the opportunity to respond to those questions and show a solution to the exercise. These solutions should show the same amount of detail I provid during class. Assessment will be done weekly and based on the homework due that week.
HSPA Prep Blog: Daily problem of the day (PODs) will be available to help you prepare for HSPA and firm up your mathematical foundation. You have the opportunity to show solutions to those questions. These solutions should be detailed enough to allow another individual with a basic mathematical understanding to follow the steps. Assessment will be done monthly, based on the POD date.
Because this is a pilot, depending on the blog project results, the rubrics may be changed during the year. However, the initial rubrics are as follows. Note that this grade will be entered at the end of the posting period, and will not be reflected in the ongoing average.
Homework Blog: An increase to a weekly homework grade will be earned by the number of homework questions posted by you if you are unsure of how to complete specific problems. To generate opportunities for you to answer questions online, one half (1/2) point will be earned for posted questions, up to a maximum of 5 points each week. For questions answered validly, you will earn 5 points for each problem, up to a maximum of 50 points each week.
HSPA Prep Blog: A mini-quiz grade will be earned by the number of valid solutions a student posts each marking period. Since there can be multiple ways to solve problems, multiple solutions are possible. The initial rubric is as follows:
# posts Grade
0 0
1 35
2 70
3 80
4 90
5 95
6 100
Multiple choice or short answer PODs are worth 1 post. Open-ended PODs are worth 3 posts..
Students without approval to participate in this project will be assigned alternative hand-written assignments.
Permission & Blogging Terms / Conditions
Permission:
Before you may start posting to these blogs, I am asking for your and your parent/guardian signed agreement.
Blogging Terms & Conditions:
1) Students using blogs are expected to act safely by keeping personal information out of their posts. You agree to neither post nor give out your family name, password, user name, e-mail address, home address, or any other information that could help someone locate or contact you in person.
2) Students using blogs agree to not share their user name or password with anyone besides their teacher and parents/guardians. You agree never to log in as another student.
3) Students must do their own work. Getting solutions from others is considered cheating.
4) Our student blogs are a tool for learning. All posts must reflect the assignment at hand.
5) Our first classroom rule applies to our blog space: respect others. If you see errors made by other students, you are expected to identify corrections. But this must be done in a respectful and upstanding manner.
6) If you ever receive a comment that makes you feel uncomfortable or disrespected, tell Mr. Reimer right away. Do not respond to the comment.
7) A transcript of all conversations within any of the rooms on the website will be collected, regardless of who is in the room at that time.
8) Our second classroom rule applies to our blog space: respect property. The integrity of the blog must be upheld.
9) All VTSD rules about computers and Internet use must be followed.
10) Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions will face multiple consequences, including lost opportunity to continue to take part in this project.
I have read and understood these blogging terms and conditions.
I agree to uphold them.
Student’s signature: _________________________ Date: ______________
Student Email Address to be used____________________________________________
(School or Home email address can be used)
(Print very carefully and distinguish letters/numbers)
Parent/Guardian signature: __________________________ Date: _____________