Ministry Provided Digital Numeracy Resources

Numeracy has been a high priority for the Ontario Ministry of Education over the past few years. This has resulted in many ministry resources being created for Math courses. Three major digital resources available to Math teachers and students are EQAO, EduGAINS and Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB). 

OERB Website

As an eLearning teacher, I have used the ministry resources, OERB, extensively. All the math courses offered in Ontario secondary schools have been developed by the ministry for eLearning courses and are available to all teachers. The OERB has many resources that provide opportunities for self-directed learning. With lessons and activities to develop understanding available online, students are able to access these resources. These digital resources allow for teachers to facilitate learning, instead of being the primary "keeper" of knowledge. When the teacher is not responsible to delivery of all curriculum, we are able to better differentiate learning to the pace of individual students. Furthermore, the Ministry has provided opportunities for teachers to create a blended learning classroom with the eLearning Ontario website. The OERB resources are available through this virtual classroom and can be edited and restricted bu the teacher for the students. Creating a blended learning classroom allows for different strategies to be used for student learning. Something I have found particularly useful in my Math courses is the quizzes tool. Traditionally quizzes are assessment of learning, and are restricted to the limits of the regular classroom. By having students complete quizzes online, they are able to take their time and develop an understanding of concepts they encounter but do not understanding. This allows for traditional quizzes to become an assessment for learning. During the quiz students are able to collaborate and utilize resources to improve their understanding, while completing the quiz. Furthermore, each individual student is able to take the time necessary for them to improve their understanding while not taking up the finite amount of class time available.

TIPS4RM Website

EduGAINS is a warehouse of ministry developed resources. In particular, TIPS4RM (Targeted Implemented and Planning  Supports) are math resources created for various Math curriculum including: Grade 7, Grade 8, MFM1P, MFM2P, MBF3C, MCF3M, MEL4E, MAP4C, MCT4C, MHF4U, MCV4U and MDM4U. These resources focus on inquiry-based learning and include many senior level courses. Inquiry-based learning involves investigations for students to complete to develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Traditionally, teacher-centered methods, provide knowledge to students through being shown often resulting in a surface understanding of concepts. The investigative methods provided through TIPS4RM allow students to discover math concepts through inquiry providing a fundamental understanding of underlying concepts. More geared towards intermediate grades are various applets from the CLIPS website that provide visualization and manipulation for various math concepts. 

EQAO Website

As a secondary Math teacher, EQAO resources are helpful in understanding ministry standards for students in Grade 9. EQAO provides access to selected questions and solutions from previous assessment. These resources can be used to guide class instruction, assessment and in preparing for the EQAO assessment. The open response questions provided by EQAO are useful resources for implementing the problem-solving model. Additionally, EQAO provides student exemplars of solutions for each level of achievement. These exemplars can be used by students as a "bumping up" strategy, to assess their current level of achievement and how to bump themselves up to the next level. Furthermore, these exemplars can be used be teachers to revise and align their expectations with those of the Ministry of Education.

Additional Digital Math Resources (not ministry provided) Math Toolkit

Personal Learning Networks

A Personal Learning Network is an informal learning network in which participants interact and derive knowledge. In a PLN, connections are made with one another with a specific intent that some type of learning will occur. As educators, personal learning networks are something that naturally occur as we have common interest and goal in education. Though PLNs have existed in education for years, with the advancement of web 2.0 tools PLNs have also evolved. Traditionally, PLNs mostly occurred within schools and districts through discussion and collaboration with face-to-face interaction. Now PLNs occur in many different forms such as; facebook, blogs, twitter and wikis. This has allowed PLN's to expand beyond your immediate proximity, providing more diversified PLNs. A Personal Learning Network is an important aspect in keeping educators up-to-date and how best to engage today's students.
Uses of PLNs for Educators

• learn from content-area specialists
• locate resources for your classroom
• learn about new technology & how to integrate
• develop collaborative solutions
• find links to educational articles

Some Personal Learning Network Tools

Tool	Link	Functionality
Ning	http://www.ning.com/	Host collaborative communities.
Facebook	http://www.facebook.com/	Create your own page and connect with others.
Edublogs	http://edublogs.org/	Create and search for blogs to read.
SmartExchange	http://exchange.smarttech.com/	Find smart technology lesson plans and activities.
Classroom 2.0	http://www.classroom20.com/	21st century educational learning and networking.
Delicious	http://delicious.com/	Share webpage bookmarks.
Padlet	http://padlet.com/	Virtual chart paper for collaboration.

PLNs can be used in the classroom by students as well...
"The Networked Student"