As both a teacher and student I know when I see something cool that uses technology, it captures my interest far more than just sitting and listening to someone talk on a topic. If there is something I can be looking at, even if it is notes to go along with the lecture, it helps me focus better. Visual literacy is an opportunity for teachers to capture the interest of their students so that they are more engaged in learning and listening. Visual literacy is not THE answer to learning, but it may be the answer to helping students focus in the classroom like they would focus on sports or video games or other activities that they are involved in.
The new text book that my district has purchased for next year includes PowerPoints that align with each lesson in the book. I used these lessons this year experimentally with our geometry unit and my students were so much more engaged in the lesson than when I was just doing notes on the SMART Board. Next year I would like to continue using those along with other PowerPoints that I make myself. Other visuals I would like to explore are virtual field trips that would include examples of how math is used in the world around us.
As I've gone through my Master's course, I have found many great resources on the Internet that I feel would benefit my students. I feel like the Internet can open up a whole new world to my students through math games, examples, etc. While using the Internet this year, I have faced a lot of frustration with the Internet working at random on certain computers and the Net Support I have set up not working accurately so that students get off track and go to websites or applications that do not involve math and/or learning. I desperately want computers to be an asset in my classroom, but I want to find a way to make them a positive teaching tool, rather than a fight with the students about which websites they can see - when the Internet is working correctly.
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