November Entry
 I let the kids write the word problems.  They enjoyed doing the work.  Some wrote good problems.  Some did not.  I did not send them to the other schools.  I thought I would get time to type them, but of course that didn’t happen.  Jennifer and I did send pen pal letters back and forth.  The kids did love that !!  We will do better next time.  Maybe doing it on ICQ would really help. 

 Our lesson plan was on order of operation.  We are going to use a PowerPoint demonstration to introduce the rules and then let the kids practice problems.  After this practice the students will play a game using order of operation rules. 

December Entry
   I tried to use the Math Forum problems of the week.  I found that the problems were just too involved to use in a forty-seven  minute class period.  I do not have time to work long drawn out problems like the one on this project.  I need short problems that I can use when some of the kids are doing make-up or when I am reviewing a set of students. 

 Jennifer Campbell from White Pine sent me a set of crossword puzzles made up by her 7th graders from the vocabulary words in the first 3 chapters.  I used them and the kids loved doing that.  They were full of questions and it worked beautifully.  My students made another set of puzzles that I will give Jennifer so that her students can work them.  This was a great learning experience for my students. 

 I showed the students the web page and they used it during some extra time at the end of class after a test.  They liked the math games.  I will have to learn more about web page design, so that I can do a better job of finding useful materials on the web and put it to use in my classroom. 

January  Entry
I use PowerPoint all the time.  When I do problems on the board, I use the PowerPoint presentations to show the problem to the students.  Then I let the two students at the board do the problems.  I show the next slide for the answer.  The kids love the bells and whistles.  I love the ease and convenience.  I also use PowerPoint all the time during geometry.  I have programs written to introduce new material and I use other programs to review for the quizzes and the tests.  That is great for kids that are absent. I just let them sit and go through the review by themselves.  It is wonderful. 

I have let the kids use the laptop when I need more computers.  I have two computers down and the laptop is a great help.  It will do all the same things that my other computers will do.  It is a great addition to the classroom.  I can take it home and work on PowerPoint demonstrations.  I could send a child out into the lunchroom and let him use the laptop, if he missed something that I presented the day before. 

February Entry
      In my Technology Literacy Learning grant, I submitted my first entry and got a review back.  When I resubmitted the changes, I did not get any answer.  I e-mailed my evaluator and I still have not gotten an answer.  I want to do more while I remember how, but if I don’t get any response it is hard to finish.  I did not get to teach my lesson because of the snow and because of a death in my family.  I had to miss two days for the funeral. 
 I use Powerpoint to teach many lessons the whole year.  I use the Internet to bring sounds, backgrounds, and animations to my presentations.  I let my students go through a presentation alone if they missed the presentation because of absence. That is a big help. 
I use the Internet to get Powerpoint presentations from other teachers in the county.  It helps to get another teacher’s ideas on how to teach a skill.  I just taught a unit on geometry and I used a website to show the students that other schools are teaching the same things—the website had a list of exactly the same terms we were learning.  They were impressed.  I use the Internet to answer questions that the students have, if I don’t know the answer. 
 I let the students use the laptop just like any other computer.  They can use a disk if the program is not loaded onto the laptop.  It is small and in our overcrowded rooms, a laptop is a good solution. 
 

March Entry
 I have tried to get my evaluator to re-check my unit plan and I ran into a lot of problems.  I think I did not check the right boxes in the right order.  I talked to Debbie and Joy and finally I must have done it right.  Lori e-mailed me back and said that my changes were approved.  I think this plan has a few problems in it—the directions are not really very clear. 
 I use PowerPoint nearly three times a week.  I am doing ratio and proportion now. 
I have made up a lot of proportion problems with student names in them.  The kids love to see their names on the big screen.  They enjoy the problems and they do better because to they enjoy the work. 
 I use the internet for answers to my students questions whenever something comes up that I cannot answer. 

April Entry

May Entry
We did some of the group projects on the problem of the week web sites as a means of integrating the Internet into the curriculum.  The class liked to do the problems and they learned a lot about how to use the internet and how to do word problems.  I used the Internet much more this year than last because I knew more about the Internet.  I plan to do even more next year after I get more experience on making web pages.  I want to do lessons that can be used by students who are absent, so they can get the notes that they missed.

I have read several lesson plans that I have gotten from the Internet.  I have used these lessons to help me decide if my lessons are as good or if mine need improvement.  It is great to see ideas from teachers who are doing the same thing I am doing.  I incorporate their good ideas into what I have already found to be helpful in my classroom.

I have used email and ICQ several times a day most of the year to talk to other teachers in my school and in this county about things they are doing that would help me do a better job with my students.  One of the bad things about being in a classroom is that you feel limited by the classroom walls—email opens up your room to the outside world.  I do not feel as isolated as I did during my first twenty years of teaching.  It is nice to know that I am doing most of the things my fellow teachers are doing and it also is nice to know what I am not doing as much as I could.  It gives me a goal to work toward.

I use PowerPoint all the time.  This week I am teaching geometry terms to the 7th graders.  I used the PowerPoint to introduce all the terms: ray, line, vertex, etc.  I can draw examples, give definitions, add sound, and use animated gifs, to help hold the students interest.  I am teaching the same terms that I have in the past, but I can do it in a much more interesting manner.  When I get ready to give a quiz, I have another program to review the students.  I can use pictures of the terms or the definitions.  

I use this program all year long.   I write a problem on the slide.  The students do the problem, and then I show them the answer.  I have a lot of games on my classroom web site.  The students use these games in class and at home to practice math skills.  I need to do more work on my web page, so that it will be even more use to the students.  I have worked on the Tennessee Learning Grants and have learned a lot about finding good sources for the students to use in class.  I plan to have the students do a project on the computer about careers in math.  They seem to love anything connected to the computer, and I hope this will help them see just what is available if they apply themselves in school.  I use the laptop provided through this project as an extra computer for the students and I take it home when I need to work away from the school.

The students do a geometry portfolio completely on the computer.  They do a better job with this subject, because they are completely involved with the project.  We use spreadsheets in graphing.  It is just one more tool to keep the students interested.  It really helps as a motivational device.  

I found the Interactive PowerPoint lessons the most beneficial beneficial aspect of participating in this project.  I plan to make lessons that the students can use as make-up lessons when they are absent, and also as review lessons if they have trouble with a special concept.  

I try to help anyone who has a problem with technology in my school in any way that I can as a means of sharing what I have learned.  The more that I know, the more I can help.  I show my PowerPoint demonstrations to teachers all the time.  The math teachers in this county help each other all the time. I have programs that I use that other teachers have made.  I think this type project would be great just to learn how to use the computer in the classroom.  We need to share all our good ideas with each other.  It would make teaching so much easier.  The teachers who do not have computer skills need to learn to use it themselves before they can use it in the classroom.  I find being with other teacher really motivates me to do a better job when I get back in the classroom.   Anything that helps the teacher must also help the students in her classroom.