November Entry
 My class was very excited about the problem exchange project that we would be doing with two other schools in the county.  We received our first problems from Dandridge Elementary.  My students were anxious to tackle the problems, but they were also interested in who had created the problems.  They wanted to tell the other students about students that they knew from that school.  They were also excited about sending their problems to see if they would be able to work them. 
 Our next set of problems came from Jefferson Elementary and again the challenge was on.  This time they had attached a time challenge.  They were use to taking the facts time tests so they were comfortable with this challenge.  Our next quest was to send our problems to the two participating schools.  We had worked on this before on an individual basis but when working in our groups, it was hard to get the group members to complete the task.  Everyone wanted to do his own problem.  When the task was finished, I found some complex problems.   One group had added some information that was not necessary.  They remembered this from some problems they had from previous years.  I also had a group who added a challenge problem.  One step had to be completed before attempting the other part.  They were very proud of themselves.  This project was very beneficial because word problems are very difficult for students.  Working the problems that other students created gave them the added incentive that they needed. 

 We created a lesson plan concerning timed facts test that also involved doing bar graphs to compare groups.  A teacher in the county used the lesson plan and sent an e-mail saying that she had found the lesson plan to be helpful.  This was a nice surprise! 

December Entry

     I shared my web page with my class, and they were very excited to see my math links.  We visited each of the sites so they could see what I had accomplished while participating in the Cyber Exchange program.  They were very impressed with the mouse character on my web page! 
     My class is participating in the Brain Teaser project.  They use one of my math links to get the math problem of the week.  The problem also includes a hint, if needed.  I have not let my class use the hint because the problems have not been that difficult.  It is good to know that it is there, should the problems become more difficult. 
     I have also created a poster with the students’ names on it.  They are given a star each week if they have successfully worked the problem.  When they have received five stars, they will receive a surprise.  Each week, the students who have successfully worked the problem also receive a piece of candy.  The students who receive A’s or B’s are required to attempt the problems.  The other students are encouraged to participate in the project. 

January  Entry
I have enjoyed working on my PowerPoint presentation for my math class.  I have shared this with my class, and they are excited about doing their own presentations.  I have not completed the presentation on fractions yet, and my class keeps checking on my progress.  We had so many things going on during Christmas that I didn’t have time to work on it.  The fraction presentation will be taken care of this week.  I also hope to let some of my advanced students begin their own presentations on math topics that might be of help to some of the other students. 
The Brain Teasers site that I am using for my math project is continuing to be beneficial.  This is a required project for my A-B students, but now some of the other students are working on the problem of the week.  I’m not sure if they like the challenge of the problem or if they like the candy reward.  Whatever works! 

February Entry
I have been working on the TLG 2000 by teaching a unit on addition and subtraction 
of fractions.  We are progressing at a steady pace, but the days missed because of snow have put us a little behind schedule.  My class is excited about using the Internet to help them understand the process involved in changing unlike fractions to like fractions.  I am anxious to see the results after completing the unit.  This will be the first time that I have used the Internet to help teach fractions. 

My class has continued to work on the “Brain Teasers” Internet project.  I can tell that they are improving on their critical thinking skills.  There are also a bigger percentage of the students who are coming up with the correct answers.  When they have the correct answer to five questions, they receive candy.  This has made it a huge success. 

I am enjoying using the PowerPoint Presentations with my class.  They have not starting their presentations but I hope to let them begin in the near future.  I hope to be able to use my students’ presentations to help the students who have problems with particular skills or students who have been absent. 
 

March Entry
I have been teaching a unit on fractions using the Internet to work on the TLG.  I had a little delay with the Internet unit because my classroom received new computers to help up-grade my 21st century classroom.  The Internet connection was disrupted for about two weeks, but fortunately we were able to schedule some extra time in our school’s computer lab.  My class was excited that the entire class was on the Internet at the same time.  I am glad that I decided to work on the grant because I see so much benefit in using the Internet to work on class units.  The students are more motivated, and they are also learning necessary technology skills to help them be ready for the future. 

My class is continuing to work on the Internet project Brain Teasers.  The students are now reminding me that we have not gone over our weekly problem.  They are also making comments about this one being easier than the last one or that this one is harder.  These comments are being made after they just scan the problem.  This shows that thinking is taking place immediately instead of waiting until they actually begin to work on the problem. 

April Entry
The TLG 2000 gave me an opportunity to put together some web sites that I will be able to use in the future.  It did take some time to complete, but it was beneficial.  The only problem that I had was with the Track Star.  I received a message from my evaluator saying that she could not find my track or that my number might be wrong.  I sent the information again and received the same message.  I was glad to find out that the problem was with Track Star.  I was then quickly approved to receive the grant. 

My class has been using the Internet to gather information about famous women to create a PowerPoint presentation.  They have been learning how to copy the pictures to include in their presentations.  We have also use the math sites that I created with the Track Star to help review for the TerraNova testing.  I have used the County Web Site to review and copy the TerraNova test information concerning test section and number of items. 

May Entry
This project has enabled me to be more comfortable using the Internet in my classroom.  We have been working on a Brain Teaser project that the students have enjoyed.  I feel like the students will score higher on the achievement test this year because they have had to think about how to work the math problems.  I have also found many web sites that I plan to continue using in the future.  I was not aware of how helpful the Internet can be to the classroom teacher.  It is such a timesaver.  When a student is absent, the Internet can be used to help the student get the information missed.  Also, I have been able to use different web sites on the Internet to help students who were having some problems with skills involving fractions.  I am looking forward to the next school year because I now know where to get help for my students when time is a major problem.  They can also take the web sites home to practice or share with their parents what they have learned in class.

I have developed lesson plans involving fractions because this is a part of the 5th grade curriculum that many students have problems with.  These lesson plans were used to help with drill and practice, reinforcement of skills, and also challenge for the students who were ready to grasp new skills.  It was wonderful to be able to have six students working on six different skills on the computer and to also have time to be working with the rest of the class at the same time.

My class worked with two other classes in the county on a word problem project.  We emailed the word problems that the class created to the two other participating schools.  They worked the problems and emailed us the answers.  The class enjoyed working the problems that the other schools created.  We also have emailed web sites to other teachers in the county.

Some of my students who had grasped certain fraction concepts were able to create PowerPoint presentations for the other students to use. When a student had a problem with a particular skill, they could use the PowerPoint to help them grasp the skill.  I now have several presentations available for next year.  The class enjoyed working with PowerPoint and any time someone seemed to have a problem with a certain skill, they volunteered to create a slide show!  I have math web sites that the students are able to use at school and are encouraged to use at home.  The students were able to use different web sites to practice math this year.  They enjoyed using the computer and didn’t complain when they were doing more practice.  We also found a web site using math in every day life.  They worked on figuring out how much tip to leave for a meal or how much money you would save by buying something with 25% off.

The project has been a wonderful experience.  We were able to work with other teachers who were on the same grade level.  Sometimes we worked on projects together involving three schools.  We emailed word problems as one of our projects. This helped to create some competition in the classroom.  They didn’t realize that they were also learning.  My class was always curious about what I did or learned at the training sessions.