Week Seven

The focus of Week Seven was software and the management of files. We explored different types of educational software, including drill-and-practice, problem solving, creative/critical thinking, tutorial, simulation, image editing, and draw/paint software. Each type of software can be used for a different purpose in the classroom.

This week I was challenged to choose one piece of software to use with my students and reflect on the experience. In my Algebra Two classes, we are learning how to solve systems of linear equations, which can be a difficult concept for many students. Many students do not know how they can utilize a graphing calculator to help them solve complex problems, so I focused this assignment on teaching my students how to perform specific tasks on the TI-84 graphing calculator. My instructional objective was to teach them how to solve a system of linear equations graphically. They had to understand the concept that solving a system of linear equations means that you are trying to find where they two lines intersect when you graph them. By utilizing the TI-84 SmartView software, I was able to display the graphing calculator on a large screen so that they entire class could follow along on their own calculator. They were able to see how to input each equation into the calculator, graph each line, and use a list of procedures to determine where the two lines intersect.

Using the software had its advantages and disadvantages. Besides being able to display the calculator on a large screen, one advantage of using the software was the fact that I was able to split the screen to show my students the procedures on the calculator, and at the same time show them the history of the keys pressed in case some students were falling a little behind the rest of the class. One of the challenges I faced while using the software with my class was that many students had individual questions that had to be addressed because they were on a different step than the rest of the class. Some students were behind, and other students tried to work ahead unsuccessfully. Overall, the TI-SmartView software was very beneficial in my instruction of graphing systems of linear equations. If I were to use this software again when teaching this lesson, I will make sure to keep each student on the same step by not moving to the next step until everyone was on the same page.