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Larry's School Website

Search Engine Assignment:

     Yahoo

1. What is the text entered into the search box?
   Pythagoras
2. For the basic search, how many results are returned?
   3,180,000
3. Using the first 10 results, how many appear to be useful?
   10
4. Make links to three sites that appear to be useful.
    
   Stanford
    
   Ancient History
    
   Discoveries
    
5. Refine your search by using the advanced search features.  What did you do to refine your search?
   I changed to the exact phrase, not just any words in the title.
6. Are the results returned significantly different in number or content?
   No, the results are exactly the same.
7. Compare and contrast the homepages for each of the search engines.  What features do you like/dislike about them?
   Google and Ask have very simple homepages with only the necessary functions showing.  Yahoo has news, weather, celebrities, entertainment, sports ad nauseum.
   I don't dislike any of the three, however, for just searching, Google and Ask seem to have the least distractions.
8. Compare and contrast the results pages for each of the search engines.  What features do you like/dislike about them?
   Google and Yahoo have very simple results pages, while Ask puts narrowed search and expanded search options as well as related topics close at hand.  Video, encyclopedia, and images relating to the topic are also displayed.   I don't dislike any of the three.  They each seem very usable and returned many of the same results and as long as we are focusing on the first 10.
9. Which of the three do you find best?  Why?
   In reviewing all three of the search engines I find that I prefer the simpler homepage just because of less distraction while beginning a task.  However, when the results page is shown, I find that I prefer the page that offers the most related information, images, etc. immediately.  Being a "digital immigrant", I consider the computer to be a tool that should offer as much information as possible as quickly as possible so that I can direct my attention to the more important task of interacting with my students.  Therefore,  in my humble opinion, Ask seems to meet my search needs the most satisfactorily.

     Ask

1. What is the text entered into the search box?
   Pythagoras
2. For the basic search, how many results are returned?
   458,000
3. Using the first 10 results, how many appear to be useful?
   8
4. Make links to three sites that appear to be useful.
    
   Summary
    
   Pythagoreans
    
   Theorem
    
5. Refine your search by using the advanced search features.  What did you do to refine your search?
   I changed to the exact phrase, not just any words in the title.
6. Are the results returned significantly different in number or content?
   No, they are exactly the same.

     Google:

1. What is the text entered into the search box?
   Pythagoras
2. For the basic search, how many results are returned?
   3,040,000
3. Using the first 10 results, how many appear to be useful?
   9 out of 10 are on the topic of the mathematician/philosopher.  One is a CAD program.
4. Make links to three sites that appear to be useful.
    
   Google
    
   History for Kids
    
   Harmony and Proportion
    
5. Refine your search by using the advanced search features.  What did you do to refine your search?
   I changed to the exact phrase, not just any words in the title.
6. Are the results returned significantly different in number or content?
   There are less results, only 1,860,000, but the first 10 are the same.
    
    

   Del.icio.us assignment

     

   Simply Del.icio.us!

    

    

    

   Graphics Software Assignment

    

   This is a picture of my favorite equine friend.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   Webquest Assignment:

    

   Probability

    

   This WebQuest is an interdisciplinary investigation of DNA/Genetics and has a section with probability in it.  It is simple, yet for the basic dependent and independent events that I teach in my eighth-grade Pre-Algebra course it demonstrates what is sometimes hard to grasp for my students.

    

   Dream Car Project

    

   This WebQuest is an offshoot of a project that I have been doing for the past four years with my students, though certainly not as in-depth as I do not require my students to design their own car.  This tool guides students through the loan process and even requires a presentation to a loan officer.  Budgeting skills and calculating interest amounts are practiced. 

    

   Dream Car Project 2

    

   I had to include this WebQuest too because this one fits almost directly with the project that I referred to above.  It addresses lease versus buying options and deals with percentages too.

    

   Pythagoras

    

   With any Pre-Algebra course comes lots of practice with the Pythagorean Theorem.  This WebQuest gives students the opportunity to write about Pythagoras as a historical figure and to show understanding of finding the leg or the hyptenuse of a right triangle.  It also includes real-life applications of the Pythagorean Theorem.

    

   Polygon Court Case

    

   One of our most important jobs as teachers is to motivate students through real-world examples of how our content-area is relevant.   This WebQuest utilizes a mock courtroom in which the students have to prove that the use of polygons in the real world is a valuable tool in construction and other areas. 

    

   Fibonacci

   This WebQuest is also a valuable one because it motivates students to look for patterns in nature and architecture and see how the Golden Ratio was evident in many naturally occurring things (pine cone, conch shell, etc.)  and how it was used in the construction of so many historical buildings.

    

    

    

   Blog Assignment:

    

    

   Question of the Day 

    

   This Blog is useful in my situation because I am always looking for questions that are out of the ordinary to hook my students' attention.  These types of problems help me create situations that motivate my students to think beyond just the facts.  I have found other problems that I could add to the blog and give credit to the respective authors.  In order to publish in this Blog I would have to become a member.

    

   Technological Immigrant Learns 

    

   We are all at different points in our technological journey.  I consider myself to be definitively a TI who is struggling to master new things in order to be able to meet the ever-expanding needs of my junior high mathematics students.  The reason that I chose this Blog is that the teacher who created it seems to be experiencing the same things.  She has moved from the classroom situation into a technology integration  program for the state of Alabama.  She touches on Podcasting and many of the resources that we are studying in this course.  Maybe I chose this because of the feeling that she is a kindred spirit.

    

   Helpful Teaching Tactics 

    

   This Blog seems to me to be the most useful of the three becuase it actually offers many, many nuts-and-bolts type resources that address day to day situations.  It also utilizes a resource that many in public education deny the value of:  homeschooling.  There seems to be free worksheet creators and other helpful tools.

    

    

    

    

   Podcasting Assignment:

    

   Here is a little Podcast that those of us who are taking EDUC464 put together:

    

   Handbook 101

    

   Podcast #1

    

   Video or Audio?  Audio 

   Average length? 3 minutes 

   Authors?  Eric Seligman 

   My Purpose for this Podcast?  Mathematical tricks are sometimes great attention-getters. 

   Comments?  This Podcast is one in a series of 40 called Math Mutations.  It is short, it doesn't take up         93M of memory like several others, and it doesn't require a subscription to hear it.

    

    

   Podcast #2

    

   Video or Audio?  Audio with visual aids

   Average length?  5 minutes

   Authors?  Staff at :  IsAllAboutMath.com

   My Purpose for this Podcast?  Triangular numbers are very important when we discuss patterns in          8th grade.  It also discusses Gauss' summation of the numbers 1-100.

   Comments?  This Podcast was most interesting in that taught a lesson in the 5 minute time frame        and encouraged the viewer to solve Gauss' problem prior to it being shown.

    

    

   Podcast #3

    

   Video or Audio?  Both

   Average length?  3 minutes

   Authors?  Flora05/TrickLife.com

    

    

   My Purpose for this Podcast?  Rapid multiplication of 3-digit numbers is a skill that can be useful to  

    

   catch students' attention.

   Comments?  This was a short, neat way to learn to do something more quickly.

    

   In general, Podcasts seem to be very useful for tutoring or teaching a lesson.  I can see students paying close attention to this mode of learning because of its novel approach.  There seems to be a Podcast that deals with nearly every topic, unfortunately.  People seem to push the envelope of decency when it comes to internet resources.