Running Head: Activities Using Technology

Activities Using Technology

Michael Angelo
Daytona State College

Author Note: This paper was prepared November 22, 2015 for EME 3434 taught by Dr. Tashana
Howse.
Daytona State College Honor Pledge: As a DSC Falcon, I give my word that this work is my
own and that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help.

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

Task 1
Name of Activity: Design Your Room (Middle School)
Objectives:
Students will be able to find the volumes and surfaces of known shapes
Students will be able to find the volumes and area of irregular shapes by using the
fundamental structures of these equations.
Description of the activity
Students will work in groups and use Google Sketchup to design a room with a
theme of their choice (a mad scientists lair, a house, Doctor Whos TARDIS, etc.).
Students will be required to incorporate the following solids: rectangular prism,
pyramid, square pyramid, right cylinder, sphere, and cone.
Students will then determine what material their pieces of furniture/object will be
made up of and use their knowledge of how to find surface area and volume to price
the room and its pieces.
Describe the technology used to enhance the activity as well as explain
how this technology will enhance the activity.
Google Sketchup is a 3D modeling and design program that will allow students to
express their creativity and give the mathematics a real-world context. Even if
students choose to ventures into fantasy/scifi, they will build real-world skills and
use applicable technology.
This technology enhances the lesson because students are thinking critically about
constructing a room and how to find the volume/surface area of their objects, whose
shapes will vary, which will require them to break the shapes down and delve into
the equations for SA/volume.
What type of questions will be asked to ensure students are engaged in
higher order thinking?
How can the general form of the surface area equation be used to find the surface
area of hybrid shapes and irregular polygons?
How can you construct necessary objects from the geometric figures we have
discussed?
How will you assess students understanding of objectives of the activity?
Describe an authentic assessment that is appropriate for the activity and
grade level.
The students will prepare a presentation on their room that will incorporate a
presentation on their projected budget, an argument for the funding of their room,
and highlight three challenging shapes, how these were solved, and their thought
processes behind the solutions.

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

How will you accommodate students with special needs as well as ELL
students? Be sure to discuss how the technology can used to assist these
students in the learning process.
As this task required computer use, students will have access to online translation
services if they are necessary. Further, the Google Sketchup program is offered in a
variety of languages. This allows ELL students equal access to content during the
project.
ELL students can be grouped together if they require one anothers levels of L2
acquisition for communication.
This activity will be highly accessible for students with special needs via computer
assistive technology. The presentation can also be done in a variety of ways (Deaf
students can deliver the presentation via text, and so on.)

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

Task 2
Name of Activity: Sierpinskis Triangle (Highschool)
Description of the activity including objectives:
High school pre-calc activity.
Students will be able to generate a sequence and write an nth term for the
sequence.
Students will be able to recognize convergent and divergent series.
Part 1
As a hook, the lesson will begin with the following:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Sierpinski_zoom_2.gif
Students will then investigate the history of Sierpinskis triangle via the internet
Part 2
Once the investigation is complete, the class will discuss how one might construct
Sierpinskis triangle from a given equilateral triangle. This construction will be done
using geogebra. The students will begin with a single, large equilateral triangle, and
will then be asked, How can we make this single equilateral triangle start to look
like a Sierpinski triangle?
The following will be used to scaffold the discussion:
http://www.tnellen.com/alt/sierp2.gif
The students will then construct the first three stages of Sierpinskis triangle with
assistance from the teacher if necessary.
Part 3: Students will work in groups on a Sierpinski Triangle lab
From the above question, students will use the construction in geogebra and be
asked to write a sequence to represent how many shaded triangles there are at
each stage (1, 2, and 3)
They will then write a formula for the nth term of the sequence and answer the
question What does each term in the sequence represent?
Find the area of the shaded triangle in stages 1 3 and write a formula for the area
of the nth stage triangle.
Describe the technology used to enhance the activity as well as explain
how this technology will enhance the activity.
The initial hook will get students thinking about the intensity of fractals and
infinitely iterative shapes. Students will use geogebra to construct the first three
stages of Sierpinskis triangle. This will facilitate a visualization of the iterative

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

construction of the triangle and help students see the physical division of the side
lengths of the shaded triangles.
What type of questions will be asked to ensure students are engaged in
higher order thinking?
Let the side of our stage 1 triangle be 1 unit, as has been done on the shodor
website. What is the length of a side of a shaded triangle in stage 2? How about
stage 3?
How can we make this single equilateral triangle start to look like a Sierpinski
triangle?
What does each term in the sequence represent?
What happens to the total shaded area as we approach the nth stage?
What happens to the perimeter of the shaded triangles as we approach the n
stage?
How will you assess students understanding of objectives of the activity?
Describe an authentic assessment that is appropriate for the activity and
grade level.
The lab sheet will have students answer written questions that stimulate critical
thinking. The teacher will also assess students through informal observation while
the students are discussing the task.
How will you accommodate students with special needs as well as ELL
students? Be sure to discuss how the technology can be used to assist
these students in the learning process.
ELL students will have access to translation software. If necessary, the students can
be given assignment directions/lab sheet in their native written language. ELL
students can also work in a group together.
ESE students may work alone in a quiet space, and students with mobility/motor
issues will have access to assistive technologies.
This technology provides an engaging way for students to think critically and
discovery learning.

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

Task 3
Name of Activity: Survey the Landscape (Middle school)
Objective: students will be able to understand that statistics can be used to gain
information about a population by examining a sample of the population.
Description of the activity
Students will work in groups to create surveys on surveymonkey.com on a topic they
choose that is measurable. The students will then determine the mean, median,
mode, and variability of this data by hand and calculator, graph it in excel using a
histogram, and present the meaning of their data.
Describe the technology used to enhance the activity as well as explain
how this technology will enhance the activity.
The technology used to enhance the activity is an online survey and excel. The
online survey will allow access to a larger sample population than paper surveys
would. It works with the digital literacy of the current generation. The use of excel to
graph will present students with a valuable life skill. This activity will also engage by
allowing students to be in control of the specifics of their learning.
What type of questions will be asked to ensure students are engaged in
higher order thinking?
When do we want to look at the mode versus the mean?
What does the mean of your specific data tell us about your sample population?
Why might the mean and median be similar?
How will you assess students understanding of objectives of the activity?
Describe an authentic assessment that is appropriate for the activity and
grade level.
Students will present their findings and rationale to the class.
How will you accommodate students with special needs as well as ELL
students? Be sure to discuss how the technology can be used to assist
these students in the learning process.
The technology allows these students access to assistive programs. ELL students
will be able to work together if necessary.

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

Task 4
Name of Activity: Angry Parabolas (High school)
http://math.uttyler.edu/ut3mc/resources/presentations_papers_projects/angrybirdsm
ath/Angry%20Parabolas-Lamb%202012/Angry%20Parabola.pdf

Description of the activity including objectives:

Algebra 2 high school
Students will be able to create a quadratic function in vertex form to model the
birds trajectory in order to win the level
Students will be able to determine the quadratic equation form a given trajectory
using zeros of a function and the vertex.
The teacher will project angry birds onto the whiteboard and discuss the physics of
the game and its various parameters. Students will then be given laminated
printouts of various game screens and be asked to predict the quadratic equations
that will produce the path of best fit for the bird in order to complete the level.

Students will work together, using their knowledge of parabolic functions to discover
a functional model of their own. This will require them to develop an XY plane for
the game screen and determine unit size.
Students will use iPads to test their predictions before the class comes together to
test on the main board.
Describe the technology used to enhance the activity as well as explain
how this technology will enhance the activity.
The activity will use iPads and a projector for access to the angry birds game. This
enhances the activity as it provides a basis and context for critical thinking about
parabolic equations. With the technology, students can test hypothesis and have
immediate feedback. The technology also has students think about how they can
create an XY plane, and what context this plane should be in.
What type of questions will be asked to ensure students are engaged in
higher order thinking?
Given the game screen, where should we place our origin for our XY plane?
How does the placement of my origin affect my generated coordinates?
How does the angle of the bird affect the trajectory?
How does the force affect the trajectory?

ACTIVITIES USING TECHNOLOGY

How will you assess students understanding of objectives of the activity?
Describe an authentic assessment that is appropriate for the activity and
grade level.
Students will present their groups findings in front of the class and use the angry
birds app on the projector to demonstrate these findings. It will be a performance
assessment with a rubric.
How will you accommodate students with special needs as well as ELL
students? Be sure to discuss how the technology can be used to assist
these students in the learning process.
ELL students will be able to work together if necessary, and students with special
needs will have available assistive technology. This technology assist be providing a
new and engaging context for working with parabolas. Instead of having students
find functions from basic graphs, or graph functions, they are using their knowledge
is a real-world context via their understanding.