The beauty of this technology is EVERYONE has a phone, and completing assignments outside of class become easy to track. Also, I can save these voicemails as mp3 files and use them in podcasts or presentations.
What I love about this type of assignment is students are accomplishing something at home that I don't have time to cover in class. One of the most frustrating times I have as a Math teachers is dealing with students who don't know their basic math facts. With my new Google voicemail, I set the assignment for practicing skip counting by a certain number. They study, call in and try beat a certain time limit I set. After a couple days of practice, those who accomplished the task within the certain time receive a special privilege or prize . Next week, we're searching for answers about severe weather in our textbook, and the first five callers with the correct answers from their reading, win a Skype call with their 2nd Grade buddy!
Sounds a little like bribery right? Well, I choose to consider it training for intrinsic motivation, and preparation for 21st Century technology. In considering the perspective of what I've been learning this week, I see this type of activity as a way of training students in motivation, how to figure out answers, distributed thinking, decision making and complex communication. These are all ideas discussed by Dr. David Thornburg and Dr. Chris Dede in the videos, "The Changing Work Environment." As I prepare my students for this type of work force, any budding skills started now will blossom into viable competing skills for a globally competitive work force.
Thornburg, D. (2010). “The Changing Work Environment: Part 1” [Video file]. Laureate Education. Unknown.
Dede, C. Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). [DVD]. In The Changing Work Environment Part II. Baltimore: Author.
2 comments:
Kitty,
I love this idea. I set up a google account number, but can't find information on how to set up an activity similar to yours. Would you guide me to some websites, tutorials or provide some information on how you set up your google voice activity?
Keri, if you have set up your google voice account, then create a voicemail with your assignment message. Then set your account to that message. I also talk with the students about the assignment at school and walk them through how to call into our google number and complete the assignment. The class I took on this activity didn't give me any handouts or tutorials...I've had to get in and play with the system to figure out everything I've learned. I did do a google search for a tutorial and found this: http://www.viddler.com/explore/andytraub/videos/6/
Let me know it goes for you!!!
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