Many classrooms (elementary through high school) have a couple (2-3) computers (with Internet connection) in the classroom. The purpose of Quickie Online Activities is to put these to use to help students understand mathematical concepts in new ways. Quickie Online Activities utilize Internet applets which represent mathematical concepts in ways that are often not possible with paper and pencil.
Quickie Online Activities
- Are interactive, online computer activities done by students during the individual work time. While students work on homework in class, the teacher sends a few students to the computers to complete the quickie online activity.
- Typically take about five minutes.
- Are done at the few computers that are in the regular classroom ("over on the side of the room").
- Are done by students individually, a few students at a time (depending on how many computers there are in the classroom). As students complete the activity, other students are rotated to the computers. It may take a week to get all students to do the activity.
- Should be fairly self-explanatory (requiring minimal teacher help).
- May be used to improve conceptual understanding or as drill-and-practice of skills.
- Often have a short recording sheet for the students to fill out.
Quickie Online Activities
- Do not "take away" time from instruction.
- Do not require the students to move to a computer lab.
- Utilize existing (and free) Internet applets.
- Can be put on web pages for use by students outside of class/at home.
To use Quickie Online Activities effectively, the teacher should
- Have the computers booted up to the Internet and to the appropriate web page (this can be done by a responsible student, if you wish).
- Have any handouts available at the computers.
- Have a recording sheet (or utilize the gradebook) to record student work as they complete the task.
- Instruct students to raise there hand to indicate when they have completed the activity.
- Check the student's work for correctness, record student work as desired, and click Refresh before calling over the next student.
- Be available to answer questions.
James R. Olsen, Western Illinois University
E-mail: jr-olsen@wiu.edu
updated:
August 13, 2007 6:58 PM