Blogging the new Mathematics frontier

A blog creates a space for people  to express themselves where as they may not want to express themselves verbally. I am experiencing those hesitations and fear of participation from some students currently. Many are afraid of speaking out in fear of being wrong or just not in " the mood" . The pandemic has strongly affected the way students interact with each other and the teacher. Using a blog can open more horizons for open discussion where a question van be posed by both teacher and student to create dialogues even outside the scheduled virtual classroom. I teach a wonderful clientele of high school students in a predominantly urban school district. The availability of digital and tech resources are a challenge for many families. Some students work in addition to attending school in order to contribute to the financial responsibilities that parents have to bear. Upon taking this course I did not know the reach and the positive effects that blogs and social media can have on the school community. I intend to utilize blogs in my classroom as a warm up or closure through various topic that I teach in mathematics. In addition to my normal routine I want to continue to emphasize the social emotional well being of my students. I believe blogs and social media forums can be another outlet for students to express themselves positively. Teaching mathematics is a science that changes in approach all the time. There is never " one " right way to do a problem. The concepts never change. Two times two will always result in the answer four but the approach can always change. Critical thinking skills are emphasized but never followed through enough. Many times throughout our careers people " teach to the test" complete curriculum as a form of a race. Sharing ideas and responding to questions that require deeper understanding of what you are taught are more relevant than ever even more so in the state of the world in the midst of a pandemic. "They can be used as a forum for teachers and students to express their opinions, co-produce ideas and share information in order to communicate in an environment" ( Sütçü, S. S. ,2020). Renee Hobbs stated , " Math doesn’t need to be impenetrable and dull (in fact, if it were, I doubt so many people would study it). Given the right perspective, math is elegant and simple, and it is as much of an art form as any of the mediums that frequently misrepresent it." (
Hobbs, R. , 2010). Educators are lifelong learners and as a lifelong learner and a math educator students should learn how mathematics is relevant to their everyday lives. Two ISTE standards that I will be focusing on is " Using collaborative tools to expand students' authentic, real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and students, locally and globally."  and "Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students." (ISTE ,2016).  Blogs are a big part of fulfilling that need. I will not be able to advocate and expand opportunities without educating myself and collaboration with  both colleagues but also additional stake holders.  The student ISTE standards that I would like to focus on are" Empowering the student learner by helping students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences." Students will take a more active role in their education if they feel that it is relevant. Giving students a choice in how they receive information or even how they respond to knowledge also helps strengthen a student's confidence. Students can use playlists to show what they learned through out blog posts and even share their views on trending topics within a subject area.  The second student  ISTE standard to focus on is creating the Global collaborator by guiding students to use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.  (ISTE , 2016).  Students  spend less time talking to one another verbally even in the classroom but through social media means. Through blogs students can communicate and share ideas even outside of the classroom. This seems to be the trend and will only grow and grow.  It is time to join this technology blogging  band and not be part of an island.

 

 

Reference:

Hobbs, R. (2010). Voices from the Field: Math Goes Pop: Making the Media and Mathematics Connection. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 2(2), 169–176

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-teachers

Sütçü, S. S. (2020). Blogging in EFL Learners’ Academic Writing. International Journal of Progressive Education, 16(6), 344–351. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.29329/ijpe.2020.280.21