My Open Math

Another great OER I've been using for my math classes is My Open Math. My Open Math just about does it all - course management, prebuilt math courses at several levels, the ability to customize courses or build courses from scratch, extensive problem banks - and it's all free.

Signing up for a teacher account is quick and easy, but does require verification by MOM. Once you've set up your account, you can create as many course sections as you'd like. You can base your course on template courses ranging from a 010-level arithmetic course up to 150 Calculus, with a number of course options in between. Or, you can start from scratch with a blank course. Template courses generally are set up as chapters or modules, and offer a variety of resources - textbook sections, video tutorials, problem sets, quizzes and tests. 

Assessments in MOM can be customized in numerous ways. Problem types are chosen from libraries and generated for each assessment. You can choose to have multiple copies of a problem generated, give students one or multiple attempts, control scoring and feedback, and set open/close dates for assessments. One of the things that I like best about MOM assessments is that students can complete them online or you can generate print copies (with up to three versions) and answer keys.

When I first started using MOM, I had students create accounts and join the classes I created. I used template classes, occasionally adding my own material to the course shells. Mainly, I used the online assessments to give students practice working math on the computer in preparation for the math placement test and the 2014 GED test. I referred students to the other materials as supplementary study materials. I also created a number of print version problem sets to use in class and for homework assignments.

This term, I'm essentially doing the same thing, but I've connected my MOM classes to Moodle, so students never have to log in to MOM. (There are basic instructions on this process in the help section of MOM, and videos on YouTube covering this - it's a bit of a tricky process, but once I figured it out, it didn't take long.) Once a week, we have computer lab time, and students log into Moodle, where they can access an assessment I've created to review concepts from previous weeks and practice concepts we're currently working on. I leave the assessments open and available to students for the remainder of the course so that they can go back and complete problems for review throughout the term. 

In the future, I may try to import and use an entire course template in Moodle. This would be an easy way to create some variety for students who repeat the course. In any case, I've found My Open Math to be an invaluable resource for my math classes.

Creating OER Text with CK-12

 

One of the resources that I've been using for my math class this term is CK-12. CK-12 is a nonprofit foundation supporting OER for STEM subjects, with content from elementary to high school level. On the student side of their website, students can complete assessments and lessons, access text and videos, and work on interactive activities. Teachers can not only access these materials, but edit files or create new materials from scratch.

I've been using the CK-12 textbook resources for both of my math classes. CK-12 calls their texts "Flexbooks," because there are a number of options for selecting, editing, and downloading texts, and I've tried a few different things. On one end of the spectrum, you can access and print or download full textbooks that have been created by other educators. There are dozens of Flexbooks on the site - almost 20 just for Algebra alone. For each subject, there are generally a variety of basic, standard, and advanced  level texts, as well as texts in Spanish. Some are better than others, but they are all generally high quality. Some have answer keys; many do not. Flexbooks can be copied, printed, and downloaded as pdf's or ereader files - you just have to include the attribution page for each file if you plan to distribute it. On the other end of the spectrum, the site has tools so that you can upload and create your own text, completely from scratch. (Texts must be approved by CK-12 before being shared publicly on the site.)

I have two Flexbooks that I've selected for use with my algebra and geometry classes, though I sometimes I will use a section from a different text if I like that particular section better than the one in my Flexbook. (You can search the site by topic to find stand-alone copies of text, quizzes, activities and other study materials.) Flexbooks are divided up into lessons which can be downloaded individually; I usually select a section for a lesson I'm going to teach, edit it to remove references to content we haven't yet covered or that I don't want to cover and make any desired adjustments to the problem sets. I then save my edit and download the lesson file as a pdf. I've been posting the pdf's to Moodle so that students can access the files as a reference; sometimes they are required to read the section for class.

I have also used some of the online activities on CK-12 (interactive quizzes, etc.), but I've found that I have to preview them before directing students to them, as some are glitchy or simply don't load correctly. Another resource that my students have found really useful is a series of study guides, which are two-page summaries of important concepts, suitable for printing out and keeping in a binder.

Overall, I've found CK-12 to be a great resource for basic OER math texts - the site is easy to navigate, stocked with a good variety of resources, and pretty reliable. If you're looking for a math or science text, give it a try.

New Term, New Student Survey

Last term I created a Google Forms survey for my reading students so that I could assess their reading skill, comfort, and habits, and gather some basic information about their goals. Students accessed the survey through Moodle and completed it during the first week of classes. This worked well for me as an instructor, because I was able to quickly get a sense of who my students were as readers and gather information that helped me decide how to focus my class. For example, I learned that while I had some GED students in my class, the majority of those students planned to go on to take the LCC placement test. Knowing this, I was able to set up a term plan that included some GED-type questions, but a greater focus (especially at the end of the term) on Accuplacer practice.

The other thing that I really like about using the Google Form is that after the survey results are in, Google Drive can generate a graphic summary of the data.  I went over this with the class once everyone had completed the survey, and it lead to discussions about reading preferences, anxiety, and goals. Seeing the similarities and variations among the group was really valuable to students, who often have trouble seeing other students as a peer group and may not know how they fit in to the group.

This term, I'm teaching only math, and I wanted to collect similar information from my math students. I also had a second goal, which was to collect up-to-date contact information for students. To do this, I created a Google Form similar to the Reading Survey, but with questions about contact information and preferred means of contact. Students again accessed the survey through Moodle during the first week of class. Results for Google Forms compile in a Google Drive spreadsheet, so when all of the surveys were completed, I was able to assess the data and print out a contact list for my own records. I was then able to share some of the survey summary with my class (I took out data for the questions relating to contact information) so that we could discuss the range of previous experience, math anxiety, etc. in the class.

I imagine that I'll continue to adjust this survey over time, but I feel like I've created a useful tool that I can continue to use in my classes for many terms. If you'd like to see the survey in full, click here. If you'd like an editable copy of this form, email me and I will send you a copy.