Technology Evaluation

Technology Evaluation
Technology must be evaluated for its benefits to instruction and student learning, prior to being utilized in the classroom. Please see the examples and explanations below for how technology is evaluated for content, cognition, and pedagogy... before being implemented with your kiddos.

FunBrain.com Area and Perimeter Shape Surveyor

Content Fidelity: This application provides practice for students in calculating the area and perimeter of rectangles using either multiplication and/or addition. While this application provides examples and practice in which students will utilize the formulas for area and perimeter, it lacks in showing students what area and perimeter actually represent in the mathematical world. In addition, the majority of the representations presented are very similar in size...with tremendous variations in the number dimensions provided. This could lead to some misconceptions and confusion for our kiddos.

Cognitive Fidelity: This application does not allow a teacher to determine students' true understandings of area and perimeter, as it is redundant in asking the same type of question repeatedly with little variation. As a teacher, this would be a major drawback as it gives me very limited information regarding how, and if my students are able to apply their knowledge of area and perimeter to various real-world situations.

Pedagogical Fidelity: I find this application to be very limiting to students in allowing them to show what they know regarding area and perimeter. It is very limited in allowing the students to explore the concepts necessary to show and develop a full understanding of area and perimeter. Based on this application, the only information I would gain from my students is that they can identify the terms area and perimeter...and use those terms to guide them in answering simple multiplication and/or addition facts.

Mr. Nussbaum Area and Perimeter Zoo Designer

Content Fidelity: This application provides practice for students in creating and determining area and perimeter representations, when given dimensions and guidelines. This application allows students to create example representations using background knowledge of area and perimeter, while providing visual information and representations necessary to enhance student understanding and mathematical knowledge of what area and perimeter actually mean. In addition, after each representation is formed/created, kiddos could easily use their multiplication and addition skills to check/correct their work as number dimensions are also provided. I also find it a plus that when the number dimensions are provided...units of measure are also provided...which is a must when working with measurement!

Cognitive Fidelity: This application does allow a teacher the opportunity to check a student's true knowledge and application skills as related to area and perimeter. In addition, this application allows students to answer/create with differentiation...which is great considering all minds think differently. For example, my created example of having an area of 24 ft squared...may look different from your created example of an area representing 24 ft squared. That's a plus!

Pedagogical Fidelity: I find this application to be very beneficial in allowing students to show what they know regarding area and perimeter, as it involves tapping in on knowledge, skills, and application. In addition, I think the theme behind this application is very intriguing to most kiddos! However, the music and the volume could be deemed as somewhat distracting...but that's an easy fix...turn off your volume!

$Picture$

Math Playground Area and Perimeter Area Blocks

Content Fidelity: This application provides practice for students in creating representations that have specific guidelines and dimensions predetermined for area and perimeter simultaneously. This application allows students to create example representations using background knowledge of area and perimeter. However, I find this application to be a bit confusing...as it provides the opportunity to create various shape representations (not just rectangles) and provides no numbers and/or units of measurement for students to make necessary mathematical connections.

Cognitive Fidelity: This application could possibly allow a teacher the opportunity to check a student's knowledge and application skills as related to area and perimeter. However from my experience, students would be able to continue to play with the blocks until they arrived at the correct representation...regardless of actually being able to apply their knowledge and skills of area and perimeter.

Pedagogical Fidelity: I could see how this application could be somewhat beneficial in allowing students to show what they know regarding area and perimeter. However, as stated above, we want our kiddos to work to find the answer...not just stumble upon the answer through trial and error! That is a major drawback...unless trial and error is being used as a method for problem solving. In addition, I find the presentation of this application to be somewhat confusing and difficult to follow.

GoeGebra Area and Perimeter Fixed Perimeter-Changing Area

Content Fidelity: This application provides practice for students in the realm of how area and perimeter are related. Students are able to determine a fixed perimeter, and slide the "b" slider, in order to see various examples of representations that have that same perimeter but different areas. In addition, this application shows students how that same perimeter is deciphered when the area of each representation changes. Students would be required to show their knowledge, skills, and applications on paper, which could be deemed as a drawback.

Cognitive Fidelity: This application would only allow a teacher the opportunity to determine an individual student's knowledge and application skills of area and perimeter...should the teacher conference with the student and check the student's corresponding paper work. This could be deemed a tedious task. However, I could definitely see how this application could be beneficial in the instructional process of introducing the relationship between area and perimeter in the whole group setting.

Pedagogical Fidelity: I could see how this application could be somewhat beneficial in allowing students to show what they know regarding area and perimeter...in a small group or in an one-on-one learning session. This application would also require a teacher to demonstrate several times the purpose and usefulness of this application...as it can be confusing at first, even for adults!

Comparison
The examples presented on this page allow us the opportunity to see the wide variety of tools that are available to enhance the learning process for our kiddos. However, technology is not perfect...but what is? The tools identified above have drawbacks and benefits. For example, a major drawback of Funbrain is that it provides redundant practice that lacks in rigor and variation. However, it does have the benefit of being easy on the eyes and easy to navigate, along with the benefits of practicing multiplication and addition facts. Let's take the Math Playground tool and the Geogebra tool...they are both somewhat difficult to navigate, are lacking in the area of being visually appealing, and may require a tremendous amount teacher guidance...which would all be deemed as major drawbacks. However, they both are attempting to connect area and perimeter for our students and are providing a sense of application...which could be deemed as a plus. As an educator, it is extremely difficult to find the perfect tool to enhance instruction. With that being said, I find Mr. Nussbaum's site to be a pretty cool tool for implementation when covering area and perimeter. Although it is not a perfect application, as it is loud and slightly redundant in its delivery and appearance, it provides students with the opportunity to create, differentiate, make mathematical connections between layouts and numbers, and provides units of measurement for the examples/representations created. The features in Mr. Nussbaums' application are the features that I find essential to enhancing students' understandings of area an perimeter and their abilities to connect prior knowledge to new learning experiences. In addition, I think the theme would be kiddo approved!

YOUR CART