EDTC 6431: Blog Post #1

Questions: How can I have my math students utilize technology in order to reflect on their 

learning in such a way that it provides a greater feeling of wanting to improve in the future?

In my classroom I strive for my students to be masters of their own learning. Working in 
a low-income school is difficult. Students come from households that are chaotic with absent 
parents or they are the parents to their younger siblings. Even with all those problems in their 
lives I am still pushing them to learn mathematics. I mainly want them to be successful in their 
understanding of the math and to be reflective on their learning. My school has pushed hard for 
extrinsic motivation through Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems (PBIS). In my classroom 
I strive for intrinsic motivation. I want them to strive toward learning more and not find it a chore.
With my school being a one-to-one school with each student having an iPad to help in their
learning this has brought strategies for me to think about.

Currently I use a tool to create a conversation with each of my students. Enclosed below titled, 
Figure One is what I use. 

Figure One:

 

I give it when they finish their tests. Students have to honestly tell me where they rate themselves on this 

rubric, then they explain in detail why. The goal is for them to rubric how well they have studied for an 

exam and their grade on the test in the end. When I hand back their tests I include the test preparation as 

a score on it as a reminder of the work they did to study for the exam. If I see a trend in their work I talk 

with them individually about why they give their reasons and they have to construct a plan to work 

toward improving their grade. From the research article I found,

 “Using Technology to Motivate Student Learning” clearly views the same about struggling students as 

I do. “Issues with students failing to reach their full potential concern parents, schools and school 

systems, resulting in the adoption of a variety of approaches which seek to improve the educational 

participation and learning outcomes for these students” (Handley, 2008, p. 83). Technology can be 
used to create intrinsic motivation toward student learning.
 
Currently I am looking toward more resources that would help with students wanting to pursue 
learning more. A classmate in the EDTC 6431 class, Mary Hudson brought up a resource that 
would help my students to work harder. The use of the website khanacademy.org as a way to 
give student time to review concepts so they have more opportunities to reflect on their learning 
by receiving extra assistance. I remember using this with summer homework for my AP 
statistics students. When they entered into my classroom at the beginning of the year they  
understood all the foundational knowledge they needed to be successful in the course. 
What made it more enjoyable is the use of an avatar creator that levels up over time when 
you watch certain amount of videos and have completed problems. There are also achievements 
to get the students to pursue a need to push themselves farther. When I have more time after 
my masters I want to focus on reconstructing my curriculum to emphasize Khan Academy 
more as a review tool and an intrinsic motivator.

Works Cited:

Handley, R. (2008). Using Technology to Motivate Student Learning. University of Wollongong 
Research Online, 80-91. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&
context=etc08

Resources:
Google Forms
Khanacdemy.org