Classroom Tour Final Movie

My Parabola Podcast (graphing parabolas)

Great TeacherTube Video

I am not sure this is my favorite, but wow!  I said to my wife, 'I can't do that!'  She responded, 'Who can?'

This guy is incredible!
http://www1.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=24266&title=Mr_Duey___Fractions_Official_Video

Rocket Launch Video

This summer I introduced my son, Harrison, to the joys of model rocketry.  We had a blast.  Buzz, the lil skinny rocket flew about 1200' up and we had to chase him quite a ways.  Stinger, the stubby blue rocket, flew only about 800' up, but we had to get a long pole and stand on the van one time to get him out of the tree.

Podcast

I subscribed to TedTalks and the Video Math tutor. I have watched TedTalks many times, but have never been an iTunes user.  I am not an Apple guy. iTunes drives me crazy. It is pretty easy just to go to the TedTalks site and watch the videos.  On iTunes it takes forever to download one. I can see how iTunes can be useful for finding the podcasts, but I would just as soon find the URL and set the sites as favorites and download them from there.
TedTalks is a site which has speeches on just about any subject. I find the site very  interesting.  They have people talk about how to change the face of education, motivation, how to teach math, the economy, the environment, etc. It is a great site. I watched one by Bill Gates about state budgets and their affect on education.
Another site I really like is Khanacademy.  There are videos on just about any subject, but these are more focused and will teach you how to do specific things. I already use this site in my classes.  Kids can go here for extra help, or for ideas on topics to make videos for in class projects. I did find these podcasts on iTunes.

The Video Math tutor has 3 great podcasts on iTunes and gives a URL where he has placed many more podcasts about doing math at many different levels.  After watching the one about measurement, I had a student in my class watch it on his site, as I couldn't upload iTunes at school, and then go work on the measuring problems they had in their assignments.

Article Review: Bombarded By Barbie, article written by Barbara Solow

About me and this blog

Hello and welcome to my blog!
I hope to use this a bit more in the future.  I used it sparingly last fall, as a way to get to my forum.  I will have to decide which type of site I want to be my homebase. Currently I have a forum, a blog, a webpage on the school site, an Angel site and a google docs site.  To me, this is a bit redundant.

Algebra Classes

October is flying by!
Make sure you are prepared for the Chapter 5 test on Tuesday, Nov. 9.
We will be having a quiz this Friday, Oct. 29 and probably another next week.

You can find review sheets, worksheets and help sites on Angel (http://yps.myelearning.org/default.asp)
or my school site(http://york.ne.yph.schoolinsites.com/PageName=TeacherPage&Page=1&StaffID=113990).

  I have also added the link to a new curriculum page on the toolbar above.

On this curriculum page in chapter 5, you will find a game in the knowledge level, a quiz in the synthesis level and in the next few days a second game in the knowledge level. 
There are also help links on the front page as well as in the knowledge level page.
Happy Hunting this weekend!

2nd blog post!

You guys did an excellent job finding games last week!
Your task this week is:
1.  Play one of the games another student chose and post a response to it.
2.  Find another game that the student could use to learn those skills.

To get to the forum, click on the link above, Mr. Gocke's Forum Page

Students first blog post: A game

The goal for today is for you to complete your login request and profile, then play some math games.
(If you don't know where to start with finding games or help sites, try one of these first:
http://math.com/homeworkhelp/PreAlgebra.html
http://www.suffolkmaths.co.uk/pages/1ICT_FlashOnline.htm
)

After you play some games, I want you to post one of the games to this site on a new topic.

I also would like you to post what topic you are working on in Plato.  ie: I am working on adding fractions
or I am working on multiplying integers.

editors note:
(This is the post that I used in my lefora forum that I created a few days ago.  The kids had a good time and found some neat games.  I still have to work on how to manage it during class, and direct them.  So next time we will find games that deal more directly with what they are working on.  I have been doing some homework based on what they told me and have already been looking for games or help sites for their topic.)

Welcome Students

Students, this forum is for you to find websites which can help you learn and practice math skills.
Please be respectful of all of our members and make sure to use appropriate language and references in all of your posts.
Remember, when you are on this site it is just like you are in your classroom.  Please be responsible and accountable for your actions.
Thanks, let's all learn a lot,
Mr. Gocke

Curriculum Page

Is this what we are supposed to do with the curriculum page?
Just get it started in google docs?
Then add the things as we go?

Welcome to my blog

I know I don't have any idea what I am doing, hence the title of my blog.
I hope to learn quickly.