Assignment Four: Digitizing
A) Create a lesson for college algebra that incorporates the digitizer software.
******The lesson I created is called Slope Digitizer
B) Write a one page paper on how digitizing can be used to enhance a student’s understanding of a math concept
Teachers are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways to engage their students in the learning. The students seem to think that Algebra is a subject that they have to take for their degree and that the material does not relate to their lives at all. One way to get the students involved with some Algebra concepts is to use the digitizer software. The digitizer software is a very useful tool in teaching Algebra because it gets students’ interested, relates the material to students’ lives, and allows the students to work hands on with material and develop critical thinking.
The digitizer software gets students attention because they have the freedom of choosing what picture they would like to digitize. When the students can choose the object of discussion they put a personal investment into their project. For example, the picture used in the digitizer lesson is the Tower of Pisa. If a student has been there he/she has stories about the tower and the surrounding area or if the student is traveling there in the future he/she has a heightened enthusiasm for the visit. The instructor can make suggestions to the students that may peak their interest. Suggestions can include the Eiffel Tower, St. Louis Arch, the students’ roof, various roller coasters like the Incredible Hulk roller coaster in Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios in Orlando, and the McDonalds arches. If you get the students attention, the material will make be meaningful and easier to understand.
Another benefit of using the digitizer software is the algebra material can relate to the students’ lives. It may seem difficult to find applications of slope, linear and nonlinear equations, and graphing functions. Using the digitizer a student can think of real life applications and actually apply it. For example, a student may want to know the slope of the roof of their house. The student can take a digital picture of their roof and find the slope with the digital software. Another application is to determine if a bridge in their city is a parabola or not. The student can take a digital picture of the bridge and using the digitizer can determine if it is a parabola. Just telling students that algebra can relate to real life is not enough, teachers must show them.
Finally, the digitizer allows to students to work hands on with the material which develops critical thinking. A student can learn an algebra concept and then think about how it can relate to his/her life. Once the relationship is made the can use the digitizer software to apply the concept. Deciding what the relationship is and how to apply it develops critical thinking. Algebra problems are given to the students with the information to solve the problem is given, but there is no discussion about where the given information is derived from. For example, if a student needs to decide the equation of the line, points on the line are given. Using the digitizer software the student can pick points on an object they are interested in and then determine the equation of the line. Solving a problem from nothing involves more critical thinking than solving a problem with most of the information given.
In conclusion, the digitizing software can be a valuable tool in teaching algebra. The digitizing software used correctly can utilize critical thinking and problem solving to solve real life applications. This will make the material being taught meaningful to the students. Educators do not want their students to just recite information, they want their students to truly understand the material and use it to better their lives.