Instructional Applications of the Internet - July 6

Yesterday, I finally selected and submitted my topic for the Instructional Website Assignment.  I deliberated for a long time between different topics.  I considered a few that might be useful to me in my teaching position (8th Grade Math & Algebra):

- a website about Scientific Notation, a topic that we currently have no resources for in our math classes at my school.

- a website about Surface Area & Volume, a topic that we do have resources for, but that a well-designed, clear, concise website may be beneficial to help the Math students quickly review it prior to their tests over the topics and to the Algebra students that don't learn about the topics, but are assessed on them on the OATs.

- a website about a set of Geometry skills that we have some resources, but not a complete or satisfactory set, for and, like Surface Area & Volume could provide a great basis for learning & reviewing the skills.

- a website about different Algebraic Patterns (linear, quadratic, etc.) that would provide a good "one-stop location" for a quick review of these important topics, especially for my Algebra students.

- and finally, my favorite topic, designing a web site for one of the skills I would teach in the "Instructional Technology" course that I dream of teaching in my school.

So, I had 5 choices, 4 that were of varying use in my current teaching position and 1 that would be of use in a position that I hope to have some day, but may never have.  I knew that the first 4 were the most useful & the final one would be the most engaging & fun to design.

My conscious got the better of me . . . I chose one of the first 4.  My Instructional Website will focus on the Geometry skills relating to two-dimensional Geometry, including vocabulary, transversals, polygons and  angles.  I decided that this topic would be the most useful for me, as I need an organized "unit" of instruction for these topics as well as an organized manner of going over them quickly with my Algebra students before the OATs in the spring.  An instructional website presents an ideal way to make this work.

Now to select a program to use and get to work!