Tim Reinheimer's Blog

Analysis

• My blog users are math students from my Honors Precalculus class.
• I want my students to be able to better understand the different topics from math class. With my prompting, students will clarify a current chapter’s mathematical topic from an English point of view. Students will write their understanding of a topic, definition, or example so that a fellow math student or layman off the street could understand.
• There has been a push for teachers to get their students to write about math. Those pushing state that if a student can explain something then they probably understand. I agree with this point of view, but unfortunately it takes a lot of time and hasn’t taken priority in my classroom. By using a blog, I can cover the best ideas from students without taking too much class time.
• I think the biggest problem will be getting students to understandably express their mathematical thoughts. This will be very hard at first, but ease will come with experience. Students will probably first get their experience through me, and then they will become better by reading the posts of their fellow classmates. In order to be motivated, students will need a grade tied to the blog. I must also give plenty of time to respond for the students that do not have a home computer, for they must use the computer lab at school.
• Given a mathematical topic,

students will be able to post their description of the address issue using the English language.

students will be able to use other postings to refine their own, or another’s, explanation.

Design

• I want the users to first read anything I have posted about topic. Then I want the users to respond to the post on the blog. Finally, I want the users to come back to the blog to read any approved postings from their classmates.
• Students will see the approved postings of their classmates so they can add to an existing definition to give it more depth or clarity.

Development

• The topics in which I expect students to respond will have an associated definition or example on the actual blog.
• The definition or example will help the students formulate a coherent explanation to the post.

Evaluation

• I will know the site is helping my users reach the objectives by the definitions that have been posted: some will be completely original, and some will be a refinement or revision of a definition that is already posted.
• I will evaluate my users based on the definitions they have posted. There is really no definitive right or wrong answer because the students are posting their personalized version of a definition based on their understanding; however, their definitions must make mathematical sense.
• I have found a rubric on which the students will be graded. There are four possible points that are categorized by Exceptional, Satisfactory, Underdeveloped, and Limited. I possibly might give extra points to the students whose comments actually show up on the blog or to those that contribute by refining other posts.

Development (Part 2)

• Overall, I am happy with the blog site; however, my happiness is something that will fluctuate overtime, for I must better learn how to formulate posts, help instigate conversation, evaluate comments, take advantage of the blog settings, and change into an instructor who’s good blogging characteristics are perfunctory. As far as the look of the blog is concerned, I like its minimalist features with my school and name as identifiers.
• I learned that a blog can be a wonderful way for students to learn from each other and can be a supplement to the actual class without taking away from time spent in class. Also, I learned that a blog is a great way to get students to think about a concept, which helps promote understanding a definition.

Implementation

• The blog will a category within my students’ overall grade—I’m considering 5% right now. I am also considering putting pieces of the blog on a quiz or test. For instance, the students could match a mathematical definition with an English definition.
• Users must be registered and subscribe to the blog in order to comment.
• I am not worried about getting permission from the powers-that-be. I will simply start using the blog and deal with would-be any problems. However, I do not anticipate resistance with the blog, for I only anticipate acceptance and excitement. I plan on being as transparent as possible.

I’m interested in creating a blog that helps students with their homework. Students could post questions to the assigned problems. In efforts to get support from other students, I could offer extra credit to those who help their classmates. Even when there are no questions, students could offer their suggestions for solving some of the more difficult problems. Most of the problems I assign are similar to examples problems done in class, so students could cue others in by associating homework problems to example problems—47 is just like Example 3.

I’m interested in creating a blog that helps students think of real world application math problems. I haven’t been able to pursue this in years past because I have felt restricted by time, so a blog forum is the perfect way to bring real world problems back into the classroom. Students and I could post problems on the blog, and then give answers to them a couple of days later. The postings would mainly be about problems that are relevant to the current class section. I think that I would have to make some of problems appear on the tests in order to make sure the students follow the blog.

I’m interested in creating a blog that helps students with issues beyond what is typically taught in a classroom. For instance, some students don’t have any clue how to organize their social and academic lives for success in the classroom, but some students seem to have been born with organizational talent. Students could post their questions and ideas regarding ideas like organization. I believe many students are capable of helping each other, yet sometimes stay silent, and would do well helping from the distance of a computer.

My name is Tim Reinheimer, and I a 3^rd generation native of San Diego. My grandma was born in Old Town, and my dad grew up in North Park and La Mesa. I am blessed to have my whole immediate family reside in “America’s finest city.” I love music, biking, surfing, outdoors, and reading. I am married with children. My wife is Greek and that aspect of my life is very pronounced: huge family, friends, culture, vacationing, food, etc. My in-laws are from an island in Greece, Paros, and I’ve been fortunate to spend seven summers swimming in a baby blue ocean. My daughter Stella just started preschool, and my son Jimmy just started walking. They are awesome, weird, beautiful, crazy, smart, fun, inspiring, innocent, relentless, thirsty, hungry, binding, charged, hilarious, annoying, and perfect.

Sometimes I am surprised that I became a high school teacher because I had a solid 2.0 GPA in high school—with As in PE. At the local junior college I started off in the lowest classes offered: my first English class book was called The Least You Need to Know about English, and my math book was Beginning Algebra. Because I enjoy having a definitive answer, I kept taking math classes and got my degree in mathematics from SDSU, circa 2001. I decided to get my credential the following year and was hired in the middle of my credential program. I have had nearly 10 amazing years working at Clairemont High School and hope to have another 20.

A) I am a gambling addict.

B) I love San Diego.

C) I have never worked summer school.