# data[].attributes.headline
A Layered Approach to Building a Blended-Learning Math-Talk Community

# data[].attributes.subject
A Layered Approach to Building a Blended-Learning Math-Talk Community

# data[].attributes.body
Given our intention to enhance collaborative learning in mathematics by using ICT tools in a Math-Talk Learning Community (Hufferd-Ackles, Fuson, & Sherin, 2004), we started by working to develop this type of sharing environment in the physical classroom. In face-to-face settings students were encouraged to work together, contribute ideas to lessons, ask questions, and to explain their thinking.

Having established face-to-face communication, the wiki was added to provide online sharing in text. Parallel to this GeoGebra was introduced as an investigation and problem solving tool used within the classroom. The wiki and GeoGebra were then combined in the online setting and finally the use of Jing for video screen capture and sharing was added to the mix.
To introduce Jing video skills, just prior to the Christmas holiday break, we used a creative fun in-class activity in which groups of students created and posted online seasons' greetings messages. For more details, see “Creating a YouTube-Like Collaborative Environment in Mathematics“ (Lazarus & Roulet, 2013).
As we approached the end of the course individual students and groups used the full combination of the wiki, GeoGebra and Jing videos to share their work and collaborate on the development of problem solutions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Integrating a Wiki, GeoGebra, and Jing in a Grade 10 Blended Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Integrating a Wiki, GeoGebra, and Jing in a Grade 10 Blended Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
In 2012 we integrated a wiki, GeoGebra, and Jing to facilitate communication in Jill’s Grade 10 Academic Mathematics class at General Panet High School in Petawawa, Ontario, Canada. There were 23 students in the class (11 male, 12 female).

A summary of the project is provided in the poster below and a fuller description is included in an article for the Ontario Association for Mathematics Education (OAME) Gazette (Lazarus& Roulet, 2013).

# data[].attributes.body
While we view these technologies as providing a natural medium for communicating in mathematics, we did experience a range of digital literacies and enthusiasm among students. Today's students are said to be members of the “net generation” but, although some embraced the technologies; providing creative and unique contributions and using the wiki more frequently than expected, others were less comfortable with learning new technologies and with communicating in this way. When given a choice to submit a task online or using paper-and-pencil, many chose to use paper and pencil.
Our experiences raised questions for us, particularly in terms introducing online communication/sharing tools as well as for assessment expectations in mathematics. Some students thrive on opportunities to communicate in an online environment yet we cannot assume that all will easily pick up on the processes. While online collaboration is viable, it requires effort on the human side to prepare students in terms of attitudes and skills.

# data[].attributes.headline
           Reflections in Vertices – An Investigation in
Wikispaces

# data[].attributes.subject
           Reflections in Vertices – An Investigation in
Wikispaces

# data[].attributes.body
What happens when you repeatedly reflect a point through the vertices of a polygon? What is the pattern formed by the image points? Does the reflection process cycle? If yes when and for what polygons?

This investigation is in progress. Read the contributions already there and then join in with your ideas presenting them in text, embedded GeoGebra applets, and screen capture videos.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The page you are looking for is no longer available. As stated in our communication in January 2018 and subsequent site banners; as of July 31st, 2018 all Free and Classroom Wikis were disabled and are no longer accessible. We thank you for your interest in Wikispaces over the years and wish you all the best with your future endeavours.

# data[].attributes.headline
   

Trig
Match – Collaborative Problems Solving in a PBworks Wiki

# data[].attributes.subject
   

Trig
Match – Collaborative Problems Solving in a PBworks Wiki

# data[].attributes.body
In this problem the task is to build a sinusoidal function that graphs on top of the given Red curve. Following the instructions linked in a posting above, you can pick up on the efforts of others and add your contribution towards constructing the function.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Online Team Collaboration: shared workspaces for working with colleagues, clients, and partners.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                                                   An Invitation – Join an Online Collaborative
Investigation

# data[].attributes.subject
                                                                   An Invitation – Join an Online Collaborative
Investigation

# data[].attributes.body
We invite you to join one or both of two investigations using the wiki, GeoGebra, and Jing environment described in the postings above. In the postings below are links to an investigation in a PBworks wiki and a second in Wikispaces. In both cases to contribute to the investigation you will need to edit and create wiki pages. This requires that you Join the wiki.
To join the PBworks wiki click on the To join this workspace, request access link in the upper right of the page, complete the form, and click Send to administrator.

To join the Wikispaces investigation click on Join found in the upper-right corner of the page, complete the form, and click Join.

We, as administrators of these wikis, will monitor the Users/Members pages and approve your registration.

# data[].attributes.headline
How To –
The Technical Details when using Wikispaces

# data[].attributes.subject
How To –
The Technical Details when using Wikispaces

# data[].attributes.body
The links below will take you to Wikispaces pages that hold instructions in text and video formats.

Create and Link to a New Wiki Page

Embed a GeoGebra Applet in a Wiki Page
Create and Embed a Jing Video in a Wiki Page

# data[].attributes.headline
How
To – The Technical Details when using PBworks

# data[].attributes.subject
How
To – The Technical Details when using PBworks

# data[].attributes.body
The links below will take you to PBworks wiki pages that hold instructions in text and video formats.

Create and Edit wiki pages

Embed a GeoGebra applet

Record and Embed a Jing Video

# data[].attributes.headline
     

Example
of Collaborative Problem Solving – GeoGebra, Video & Text

# data[].attributes.subject
     

Example
of Collaborative Problem Solving – GeoGebra, Video & Text

# data[].attributes.body
We found that students are not prepared to use text to present detailed explanations of their thinking. Video is their medium for communication. Thus our students use video screen capture (Jing) to record and share their thinking as they work in GeoGebra.

In this example a teacher uses text on a PBworks wiki page, an embedded video and an embedded GeoGebra applet to present a problem; build a mathematical model for the increasing intensity of light as distance from a source decreases. Then three students use embedded GeoGebra applets and videos to share and build on their work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This is the teacher's introduction where they set up the problem and provide GeoGebra with the initial settings.

When a person holding a flashlight walks towards us the light gets brighter. We are going to investigate this situation and build a mathematical (function) model for the changing light intensity.

Click on the image below to get a video that explains the task more fully.

The spreadsheet in GeoGebra contains the light intensity measured at various distances. Construct a function model for this situation.

Use the GeoGebra applet below to work on the problem.

problem start - GeoGebra Dynamic worksheet

This is a Java Applet created using GeoGebra from www.geogebra.org - it looks like you don't have Java installed, please go to www.java.com

Geoff, Created with GeoGebra

When you have some ideas on how to start the problem and have tried them out in GeoGebra, create a Jing video showing your actions and the thinking behind them. Create a new page linked to this one and on the page place your Jing video and the GeoGebra sketch as you have left it.

If some people have already worked on the problem look at what they have done and visit their GeoGebra sketches. When you see a place where you can contribute to the solution create a Jing video showing your work in GeoGebra and explaining your thinking. On the page where you joined the solution process create a link to a new page where you will add links to your Jing video and the revised GeoGebra sketch.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
model of simple online collaboration with video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the teacher's introduction where they set up the problem and provide GeoGebra with the initial settings. When a person holding a flashlight walks towards us the light gets brighter. We are going to investigate this situation and build a mathematical (function) model for the changing light intensity.

# data[].attributes.headline
         

Example
of Collaborative Problem Solving – GeoGebra & Text

# data[].attributes.subject
         

Example
of Collaborative Problem Solving – GeoGebra & Text

# data[].attributes.body
In this example a teacher uses a PBworks wiki page and an embedded GeoGebra applet to present a problem; build a mathematical model for the increasing intensity of light as distance from a source decreases. Then three students use embedded GeoGebra applets to share and build on their work and describe their thinking in text.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
collabmath [licensed for non-commercial use only] / model of simple online collaboration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the teacher's introduction where they set up the problem and provide GeoGebra with the initial settings.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Video
Screen Capture and Sharing – Jing & Screencast

# data[].attributes.subject
 Video
Screen Capture and Sharing – Jing & Screencast

# data[].attributes.body
Today's youth do not conduct detailed and extended conversations by text. Text for them means SMS or the 140 characters of Twitter. Longer exchanges are conducted via video – witness the rapid growth of YouTube (comScore, 2012). YouTube can be used as a video sharing service for education, but some school boards, concerned about student privacy and the presence of inappropriate videos, block access to the site. Fortunately TechSmith through its Screencast.com service provides an alternative service that addresses these issues.

TechSmith also provides Jing, free software that students can use make video recordings of their computer screen. When you download Jing and install the program you are invited to establish a Screencast.com account that links with the software.

# data[].attributes.headline
GeoGebra
– Dynamic Mathematics Software

# data[].attributes.subject
GeoGebra
– Dynamic Mathematics Software

# data[].attributes.body
GeoGebra is an open-source dynamic mathematics tool. It allows users to build and manipulate linked numeric, graphical, geometric, and algebraic representations. Go to the GeoGebra.org website to download the software for your computer platform and to access a vast array of support material.

GeoGebra is written in Java and thus integrates well with the web. If your school or parents of students in your class will not permit the installation of the software it can be run through a browser. An HTML5 version of the software, presently under development, will increase the connection between GeoGebra and the web.

The File > Export function in GeoGebra permits the capture of Java code that can be embedded in a wiki page to create a GeoGebra applet to accompany text and video.

# data[].attributes.body
Wikis are productive spaces for collaborative work. Members of a group can edit pages to build on the ideas of others and if they wish to initiate an alternate direction in a discussion they can add a new linked page. The result is a network of pages holding the emerging collective ideas of the group. Most wiki services support the embedding of images on pages and some also permit users to embed videos and applications such as GeoGebra.

Many school boards in Ontario do not provide wiki services on their servers and are not prepared to install such software to serve the needs of an initially small number of teachers. Thus teachers need to seek a wiki service outside their board's network. Fortunately two wiki services; PBworks and Wikispaces, provide free space for educational purposes. In our experience teachers and students are able to access these services from school-based computers via board networks.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                   
The
Collaboration Environment – Wikis, GeoGebra & Jing

# data[].attributes.subject
                                   
The
Collaboration Environment – Wikis, GeoGebra & Jing

# data[].attributes.body
We have experienced the negative consequences arising when teachers attend a workshop demonstrating some exciting ICT possibilities only to later find that costs or school board policies make using the tools impossible. Thus two criteria for us in selecting ICT and online tools are that they be free and that all teachers can gain access. In addition, to build the collaboration environment that we desire, there is a need to integrate the ICT tools. We have found that two wiki services; PBworks and Wikispaces, the dynamic mathematics software GeoGebra, and the video screen capture service provided by TechSmith fit these criteria.

Information on how to access these services and software are provided in the postings below. Below that are postings presenting examples of online collaborative problem solving using these tools and then postings providing links to text and videos giving instructions and technical details.

# data[].attributes.headline
Is Mathematics Communication Online Possible? - The Debate

# data[].attributes.subject
Is Mathematics Communication Online Possible? - The Debate

# data[].attributes.headline
         Our View - Mathematics & Teaching and Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
         Our View - Mathematics & Teaching and Learning

# data[].attributes.headline
 Jill Lazarus - Background Interests and Work

# data[].attributes.subject
 Jill Lazarus - Background Interests and Work

# data[].attributes.headline
Combining
GeoGebra with a Wiki and Screencasting to Support Online Collaboration in
Mathematics 

-  Geoff Roulet & Jill Lazarus

# data[].attributes.subject
Combining
GeoGebra with a Wiki and Screencasting to Support Online Collaboration in
Mathematics 

-  Geoff Roulet & Jill Lazarus

# data[].attributes.headline
                Note – Viewing Our Padlet Postings and Following
Links

# data[].attributes.subject
                Note – Viewing Our Padlet Postings and Following
Links

# data[].attributes.body
Most of our Padlet postings are uploaded PDF documents.
You can access the documents by clicking the View Document icon in
the middle of the posting. This will open the document in the
Padlet viewer. This viewer does not give you full PDF functionality.
In particular the URL links in some of the documents do not work.
To follow these links click Source. This will give you the document in
your browser's PDF viewer with all the usual PDF tools including active links.

# data[].attributes.headline
Geoff Roulet –
Background Interests and Work

# data[].attributes.subject
Geoff Roulet –
Background Interests and Work