Jeanne Reed

Equations for All

My problem of practice has been the inability to incorporate mathematical symbols into digital format for use in both instruction and assessment. This issue is increasingly more problematic as my classes are all 1:1 for the 2017-2018 school year. Keyboards do not have mathematical symbols readily available. Therefore, I have been more inclined to instruct and assess my students in a paper/pencil format. As we strive to prepare our students for a 21st Century job market, the digital format of instruction and assessment is an essential skill our students need to practice to proficiency.

To address this problem, I have added a chrome addon “Equatio”. This addon will convert mathematical symbols such as exponents and square root symbols from handwritten to typewritten format. Math problems including symbols can simply be “written” on a touch screen and Equatio will convert them to digital format. I need a touch screen device such as an ipad to deliver quality 21st century instruction to my students. I would also utilize this device as a control mechanism for nearpod lessons, class dojo, zipgrade and other mobile operated instructional tools. The mobile nature of this device will allow me the opportunity to interact more freely with my students and quickly identify misconceptions and clarify those mistakes before they become habitual. The research question that will guide the study of this investigation is “How will integrating technology into daily math instruction and assessment improve student performance?”. The outcome that will prove my innovation has succeeded is that students will demonstrate mastery of grade level math standards through a variety of assessments including, but not limited to digital format. I will evaluate my program through pre- and post- assessments in August and May. Intermittently, students will maintain their individual standards performance data. As they record their performance on each standard, they will also record the delivery format (paper/pencil, project based, digital). This data will allow me to discern if student performance is affected by delivery format. Should my students performance improve in digital format assessments, I will know my innovation has been successful.