Summary and Reflection:

    Like many topics in mathematics and any other subject, student's want to know why they have to learn a particular topic and when will they ever use it. I was addressed by one student wondering why he even needed to learn math, because he was going to be a professional baseball player. I proceeded to explain all of the uses of math in sports, especially baseball. It was then that the student was a little more receptive to topics we discussed in class. I can think myself wondering why in the world we had to learn some of the things we did in school. That is what made me realize the importance of relating topics to real-life, real-world situations. It makes the topics much more valuable to the student. That is the intentions of the lessons. Area and Perimeter are very useful topics and easy to relate to most anyone in the right contexts. Everyone at one point in time will be building, buying, or maybe remodeling a home. By discussing area and perimeter in this context they can easily relate it to the home they live in or one day would like to own for themselves. Once again, this puts more personal value on the topic. This is all possible while still incorporating many important Georgia Performance Standards and NCTM Principles.
For this project I used both Geometer’s Sketchpad and Fathom. The GSP application was used to look at different shapes and see how the area and perimeter of the shapes changed as the actual shapes themselves changed.  By assigning the students an activity using GSP, it allowed them to further explore it themselves. Fathom was software that I was not at all familiar with working. It was very interesting software that can be used for many helpful activities. Statistics is my least favorite area of math and this would make it much more entertaining to teach. It would also easily make things relative.
    I enjoyed working with all of the software that was introduced in class. As I working with it, I was thinking about lesson that would benefit from the use of that particular software. I came into this course with some knowledge of mathematical software, but not enough. I took a previous course in technology, but mainly worked with basic commands on Graphing Calculator and Geometer’s Sketchpad. The gap between the first course and this one was about two years so the commands were only vaguely familiar. My purpose for taking this class, of course, was to learn how to use technology to teach more effectively. Even though, I have learned a great deal there is still a lot to learn. I do not feel that with my current knowledge I can effectively use technology as a teaching tool. However, what I have learned in this class will make it easier to broaden my knowledge on my own so that I will be a more effective teacher. Working through activities in class helped to make the software more manageable.
    The articles and discussion were also a beneficial part of the course. It addressed many questions and concern about using technology that I have thought about when planning a lesson. It also confirmed a belief that it is not how much technology is used, but how effective. It is quality not quantity.