Some Potential Projects

I have been thinking a lot lately on some possible projects to do this upcoming year. There is so much I have seen in the news, conferences and general personal problems that will make great projects. I am going to be working on the details in the next couple of weeks. Right now, I want to make sure I have a note of all my ideas and sources I have to check out or get back to for development.

Here are my potential projects:

1. Gas/Energy Project-Rising gas prices is affecting every area of life. I was talking with a person who worked in the gas industry about the actual break down of the cost of oil. I didn't get his information but I gave him mine hoping he will contact me. I also have a friend who works for Exxon that I can probably get information to look at this apsect of energy cost. There is also the aspect of gas affecting the cost of all other types of items. There is also the investigation of alternative types of energy. The possiblities are endless but I am going to start with looking at the breakdown of the cost and source of energy. I will need to contact Bob Koloord from James Madision University. He had a great tool that I want to use to analyze energy use.
2. Election Project-Given this is a major election year, I can not miss the opportunity to analyze the election. There is so many aspects of the presidential election the students can study. Considering I am a math teacher, I would want them to really understand the polling used and possibly how the president is elected. There are other things the students can do as well. I am going to get with the local Republican and Democratic party to see if there are some needs my students can fill.
3. Home Renovation Project-I am currently working on doing some cosmetic and small remodeling work in my home. I am changing the texture of the walls and ceilings, painting, changing windows, getting a new air conditioner, patio doors and floors. I think it would be great for the students to analyze the costs I put into the project and see if there was anyway I could have done it cheaper.
4. Carbon Project-I am going to join up with Jim Carleton and Mali Bickley on doing a collaboration to reduce the amount of carbon we are putting into the earth. I will need to investigate this more to see all the math standards that will connect but I need for my students to see what they do effects more than just them.
5. Iearn Project-I am looking at doing one of the math projects where students look at math in their everyday lives and put it on the web for everyone to review. I have been wanting to do an Iearn project since last year. I held off since I was trying to get a handle on being at a new school. Meeting Jim and Mali at NECC renewed my interest to jump in and do a project. The website is www.iearn.org.
6. Austrialian Friends Project-One of my classes and one of Tim Crowe's classes in Australia will pair to discuss math through voicethreads and ning. We are still going to work on the details but we want to start small to make sure we are comfortable with collaborating. Dean Groom, the tech director at the Austrialian school, saw my wiki and connected with me to see how I did it. He then introduced me to Tim and now we are going to work together. We may even have our kids design a house for a family in our home towns.
   
7. Individual Project-I want the students to investigate the math involved in something they love. This would be a project of their choice but I am going to have to really create a structure they can follow. It will need to make sure they connect to standards and demonstrate the correct outcomes. I am going to have to decide if they can pick from multiple options of products or just one product.