Students will compile, refine, and revise a digital class glossary of conic section terminology by contributing a minimum of x entries to the class wiki.
For this learning activity students will contribute to a class glossary of conic section terminology a specified number of times. Students will be responsible for refining and revising their glossary entries and will be assessed on contributing a minimum number of entries to a class wiki.
Student glossary entries will be continually revised until the entry is accurate. This allows students in the course to use the glossary for learning and reviewing important conic section terminology. The interactive nature of the wiki provides students with the opportunity to collaborate and assist one another in developing their understanding of important terminology that will be new to all of them.
Students will be given instructor feedback on their glossary entries using Petersen's cybercoaching techniques (2004) until each glossary entry is 100% accurate. At the end of the module, students will receive Blue Harvest audio feedback on their performance with regard to meeting the appropriate number of glossary entries.
This learning activity was selected because the study of conic sections will present an entirely new vocabulary for these students. Requiring students to submit glossary entries solidifies their knowledge of the meaning of these new terms and guarantees their participation and collaboration in developing solid, useful definitions. This is one place where plagiarism might become an issue, so cybercoaching techniques will be utilized to guarantee that students are describing new terminology in their own words with appropriate graphics and supporting mathematics.
This learning activity relies on a good internet connection as well as the ability to use a free wiki service such as PBWorks or Wikispaces. Should the school filter exclude student participation with these services, moodle, the school course management system, has a wiki module and a glossary module as alternatives.
Student glossary entries will be continually revised until the entry is accurate. This allows students in the course to use the glossary for learning and reviewing important conic section terminology. The interactive nature of the wiki provides students with the opportunity to collaborate and assist one another in developing their understanding of important terminology that will be new to all of them.
Students will be given instructor feedback on their glossary entries using Petersen's cybercoaching techniques (2004) until each glossary entry is 100% accurate. At the end of the module, students will receive Blue Harvest audio feedback on their performance with regard to meeting the appropriate number of glossary entries.
This learning activity was selected because the study of conic sections will present an entirely new vocabulary for these students. Requiring students to submit glossary entries solidifies their knowledge of the meaning of these new terms and guarantees their participation and collaboration in developing solid, useful definitions. This is one place where plagiarism might become an issue, so cybercoaching techniques will be utilized to guarantee that students are describing new terminology in their own words with appropriate graphics and supporting mathematics.
This learning activity relies on a good internet connection as well as the ability to use a free wiki service such as PBWorks or Wikispaces. Should the school filter exclude student participation with these services, moodle, the school course management system, has a wiki module and a glossary module as alternatives.