Ms.

Munday
Issue 1, Volume 1
September 2015

The New Role of Technology

in the Classroom
In this Issue

It seems that every day, there is a new technology

that claims to be the best way to educate

The Khan Academy

Website: How It
Can Help Us All

students. Although there is no foolproof way to

ensure that every student succeeds, there are
some outstanding websites and software programs
that can play a large role in creating a better

The Geometers
Sketchpad: A New
Approach to
Visualizing Math

understanding of mathematics. Two of the

technologies that we will be utilizing in class this
year are the Khan Academy Website, and the
Geometers Sketchpad software.

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The Khan Academy

Website
trigonometry section of the Khan Academy website,
there are several broad topics, including basic
trigonometry, the unit circle, graphs, and more.
Then there are more specific subgroups, such as
radians, inverse trig functions, and trigonometric laws of
sines and cosines. Once clicking on a subgroup, there is a

You can learn

anything
Khan Academy is an educational
website that contains
instructional videos, practice
exercises, and a personalized
learning plan for each individual
student. The videos cover a very
wide range of topics, and math
specifically covers basic
kindergarten level mathematics,
through high school level

list of relevant videos and practice problems that go along

with the topic. When completing the problems, students
have the options to reference the video, check their answer,
and receive a hint if necessary. For the purpose of our
class, students will be assigned a selection of videos to
watch and a number of problems to complete each week as
review, and will receive a certain number of points for each
assignment. As a teacher, I am able to connect to each
student account and receive feedback on each individual
right away. This will give me a better understanding of
where students may be struggling, and I can use this
feedback to adjust my lesson plans and future assignments
in order to better address the needs of your children.

calculus and beyond. Khan

Academy is free, and accessible
by students on any computer,
including the library computers
after school. In the next week,
we will begin our in-depth
exploration of trigonometry, a
complex unit which we will
spend a great deal of time on
this year. When you enter the
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The
Geometers
Sketchpad

The Geometers Sketchpad software is an interactive computer program that we have

downloaded onto all of the computers in the school library. Once a week, we will spend our
class in the library computer lab using the software to get a better understanding of the
mathematical concepts that we are currently studying. For our upcoming unit on
trigonometry, the sketchpad will help us to visualize and draw the triangles that serve as
the basis for trigonometry, as well as the eventual construction of our own unit circles and
trigonometric graphs as we proceed with the unit. The Sketchpad can be used to
manipulate the graphs we create, providing a great representation of how graphs can be
transformed when their equations are changed. By using this hands-on approach, I am
hopeful that the students will be more engaged, and also gain a more complete
understanding of the concepts involved in trigonometry. The Sketchpad will provide a
clearer depiction of graphs and diagrams, and will serve as a stepping-stone before we
learn to draw them by hand. This will be by first year using The Geometers Sketchpad, and
I am excited to learn along with the students.

I am looking forward to a fantastic year of learning with all of your

children! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions I
can answer or topics you would like to hear about in the next
newsletter. My email is mundayl@bc.edu, and my phone number is
(518) 956-3829.
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