Chapter 9: Visualizing W/ Technologies

Chapter nine is about visualizing technologies. One of the major focuses on this chapter is how to use technology as a visual benefit. A lot of the ideas offered in this chapter are beneficial to students that need to visualize problems or work in order to fully understand the message being conveyed. One of the programs discussed is “Visualizing Geography With Geographic Information Systems”, students can use manipulative in order to express a number, compound, or possibly an entire equation. Students can solve just like they would with a pen and paper and writing out numbers and calculate them but with the manipulatives students can get a better understanding and can learn what it is the numbers are representing. Visualizing with technologies can be used in so many more ways than this, however; computers and computer programs can be used for maps, Google Earth, and for more mathematical ideas like on a graphing calculator. On a more contemporary level, this chapter explores visualizing with digital cameras and mobile phones. Cell phones, cameras, and cell phones with cameras are steadily becoming a commonly used item across the board and that includes our elementary school students. Finding ways to use these in a classroom will help to grab the students attention and become interested in more ways they can use their cell phones. Recording students presentations and allowing them to watch them back can be extremely beneficial because students get to see their own work and can help give constructive criticism to themselves. Also, it gives students new areas to learn and possibly specialize in like filming, editing, production, etc. This is beneficial because this is not a commonly explored area in classrooms so some students may actually have a knack for this but they are never really given the opportunity to explore it. This chapter was very informative and helpful, I even saw things that would help me as a teacher like video modeling and feedback.
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