When I reflected upon the work I did for my previous interactivity, I discovered a lot of areas where I could have made substantial improvements. In my revisions, I sought to emphasize the importance of a mixture of whole class discussion, individual work and group work using a variety of technologies, particularly, the overhead, internet, Excel and the calculator. I also flushed out the strategies I thought the lesson was using by adding more detail and writing more about the intent of the strategy in achieving the standard. This also meant speaking more as to effective uses of the technology noted in the next column in the corresponding strategy.
If there was one technology in particular I wanted the revisions to emphasize, it was Excel. I think the case of any kind of data analysis, Excel can serve a vital tool in not just representing data, but performing calculations and regressions that give students a greater insight into what the data actually means. If the lesson can effectively incorporate these aspects of Excel, along with a student-applicable real-life scenario, I think it becomes all the more stronger.
Much along the same lines, if time permitted and the lesson could be extended, I would very much like to send students out to collect their own data for a scatter plot. Student-collected data just feels much more organic and relatable to students. It also would present a great opportunity for students to learn more about a major player on the internet (ebay.com), as well as how to collect, interpret and classify user-collected data. Any experience that can further strengthen students’ 21st-century life skills is definitely a must-do in any classroom.
In terms of copyright and fair use issues, the only major ones were those involving short-length printed material, software and the internet. As mentioned in the spreadsheet, the use of the worksheets and overhead sheets in this lesson is covered by law. A teacher would be allowed to make enough copies for his/her class, and in turn, the students could also incorporate the worksheets and such in any projects. Another issue was that of legal and licensed copies of Excel. As pointed out in the readings and videos for this interactivity, software used in the classroom must be purchased and licensed legally. If I suspected this was not the case, I would be sure to check the status of the program with the school administration or district, if need be. Finally, if students or myself incorporated any aspect of, in the case of this lesson, ebay.com, it must be properly and legally presented. If data is gathered on bids or other ebay.com related features, specific dates must be noted, as well as the particular link where the information was gathered from.
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