Keeping the old, adding the new

By Ralph Tolbert, Educational Technology Consultant ()

The ancient Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, who faced backwards looking toward the old year and forward looking into the new. Preparing for a work session titled Math and Computers, I looked farther back than a single year as I pulled old worksheets and math puzzles out of their dusty boxes where they had been stored (it's amazing how much a math teacher can collect over 35 years). Even though the pages were faded, much of the material was still relevant to today's math classes; it just needed to be updated ? using technology of course.

Proficiency test questions were put into PowerPoint shows with animations; graphics were added to drill work sheets; Excel made graphing data come to life; mathematicians became real with Google searches for faces and history; and classroom review games like Jeopardy were also put into PowerPoint shows.

My first quote today, "The more things change, the more they stay the same," implies that as technology changes the way you teach students, good content will always be the key. To find some interesting links, try a Google search with "Mathematics + PowerPoint" to get pointed in the right direction (yes, other subjects may be substituted in place of math). My search results led to the Web sites listed here:

http://www.nebo.edu/nebo Web site contains downloadable PowerPoint shows for grades K-12 covering many different topics.

http://www.stcharles.k12.la.us/ci/intech/LessonPlans.htm Technology connected lesson plans keyed for standards for grades 7-12 including using Excel and M & M's.

http://www.wfu.edu/users/millwf2/Jeopardy.htm A PowerPoint template for creating a Jeopardy game for review of classroom topics is available at this Web address.

http://www.nynetresources.org/Future%20Grant%20Projects/math68.htm Watch Geometry in Our World to see the shapes discussed in class as they appear in the world around us.

http://teach.fcps.net/trt18/Teacher_helpers.htm Go here to find online drills such as AAA Math and many other topics, plus additional links.

http://www.actden.com/pp/print.htm This site offers printable tutorials on PowerPoint, but if you go to the actual Digital Education Network homepage, http://www.actden. com, you can get help in programs from FrontPage to Outlook Express.

http://stjames.k12.mo.us/district/pdc/resources.html Globalize your teaching of economics with the use of Excel and grocery lists from around the world, with teaching strategies included.

http://www.thwww.com/mrwizard/homework11.htm A direct quote from this Web site: "Free educational Web site featuring interactive math lessons, homework help, worksheets, puzzles, message boards and more." I found topics such as an index of famous mathematical curves, math in Scotland, Pell's equation, and the history of mathematicians.

http://www.utrichmond.org/pages/links.htm Hands-on drills, math forums for teachers, Algebra help for students.

Finally, while the quote "Out with the old and in with the new" is often heard around the beginning of each new year, teachers sometimes just need to update the best of the old instead of replacing it with something new.