Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Rethinking old tools

A few things are different at the blog this year.  Kids are into doing homework .... assignments on the blog and wanting to do them more frequently.  I am accomidating them right now because they can get what they want.  Are there negative aspects of kids writing more at the blog? I am not sure yet.  Will quality of work suffer because they are doing more assignments.

cc licensed flickr photo by CarbonNYC: http://flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/2281515041/

One of the beautiful things about the blog was that scribeposts were to be done only once every 35 classes which meant that kids only scribed 4 times a year.  My students have already in 6 weeks created 6 posts.  Twice as many as usual.  So once again I ask has the quality of work suffered.

No.  Work has not suffered.  In fact kids do great are doing even better, good kids are doing great and some just are doing math.  Instead of hitting it out of the park on a few posts kids are getting doubles and triples but still scoring the same amount of runs(do you like my baseball analogy?).

A new beast has emerged in this new class set up.  Commenting.  Kids are commenting so frequently I am amazed by their ability to be an audience.  Between the chat room

cc licensed flickr photo by merezha: http://flickr.com/photos/merezha/2668654829/


20 Oct 09, 20:10
laura: yes, because it has 3 parts, but it is still a 2 TERM ratio :)
20 Oct 09, 20:08
abby: but if theres a comma is that still considered as 3 part ratio??
20 Oct 09, 20:01
laura: and then you just use the last number of the ratio as the denomonator
20 Oct 09, 20:00
laura: but if you add the 2 numbers that have a comma, that becomes the numerator.
20 Oct 09, 19:55
Harvey: laura that isn't a fraction. You can only make 2 term ratios
20 Oct 09, 19:53
laura: ABBY: Unless there is a comma between 2 of those numbers, (4,5:12) you can't
20 Oct 09, 19:39
abby: does anyone know to make a fraction on 3 part ratio??
20 Oct 09, 19:33
Eric.P 8-73: Guys gotta comment on those australian blogs

and leaving 100's of comments every few nights they have got the whole community of learners thing figured out.

So where do I go next.  One mainstay of the blogging program over the past few years have been BOB's. These Blogging on Blogging assignments are meant as reviews before a test.  Last year they were simply a reflection of a few sentences.  This year the assignment was changed.  I have included a commenting component.  The students will do the BOB and then ask a series of questions as a built in study guide for their fellow students.  The other students then will answer the questions in the comments and this will be the studying needed for the test the next day.

Here is their first BOB.

Here are the instructions to complete your BOB on ratios.  Remember this is a way of preparing for a test.  Please take time to do a good job on understanding your ratio unit.

  1. Title Must include BOB and RATIO.
  2. labels, displayname, bob, ratio
  3. You must include one of the pictures from today's lesson.  The easiest way to include it is to use its location address.  Click the picture link provided, right click the picture, copy location.  Once you have copied the location add image to the blog but use add url not browse my computer.  Paste the url into the window and click ok.  Your picture should be there.  (Just get the picture on the post)
  4. Once the picture is at your blog you must create the following.  3 part to part ratios, 2 part to total ratios and 2 three part ratios.  Please for each have a word ratio and ratio notation.
  5. Choose one ratio that you have done and show how to write that ratio in ratio notation, fraction, decimal and percent form.
  6. Choose one ratio that you have written and show how to create equivalent ratios.
  7. Finally create 3 questions that you want people to answer in the comments. Do not make them to hard or too easy. 
  8. Answer your questions in the comment section of your post.  
  9. Go and answer as many questions as you can about ratio at other posts in your room and the other rooms in grade 8.
  10. Look for cheats in comments.  I will post helping hints and questions in comments around the blogs.  

 Now if you have read this far.  CONGRATULATIONS!! Here are 2 examples of the BOB's on Ratio.

Bob 1 Bob 2 Bob 3 Bob 4

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