Monday, December 31, 2007
A new twist for doing Bellwork!
Here is an innovative way to use your SMARTboard for Bellwork using voicethread.com. Check it outhttp://voicethread.com/#home.b7134.i51819
Monday, November 12, 2007
New Gallery Downloads
Try the pilot version of SMART’s Lesson Activity Toolkit - the newest addition to Notebook software resources. It’s full of customizable tools and templates that you can use to create professional-looking lessons with all the appeal and interactive power of SMART-created lesson activities.
Toolkit helps you create engaging and interactive content like word games, quizzes and sorting tables, and offers you Adobe Flash tools like hide-and-reveal and drag-and-drop. Your lessons move and respond with as much energy as your students.
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Software+Resources/toolkit/default.htm?WT.mc_id=EdHUBToolkit
Toolkit helps you create engaging and interactive content like word games, quizzes and sorting tables, and offers you Adobe Flash tools like hide-and-reveal and drag-and-drop. Your lessons move and respond with as much energy as your students.
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Software+Resources/toolkit/default.htm?WT.mc_id=EdHUBToolkit
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
How to get a free SMARTboard!
This link is to the funding edition of EDCompass newsletter. A major part of any long-range education technology plan is developing a strategy to pay for it. In this issue, SMART directs you to grants that can help you bring technology products, such as the SMART Board interactive whiteboard and the Senteo interactive response system, into your classroom. You’ll also read about SMARTer Kids programs, tips for writing grants and more. Enjoy and let me know what you think or if you have any success. I am on my way to getting two free SMART boards for my school!
http://education.smarttech.com/common/education/pdf/092007_thefundingissue.pdf
http://education.smarttech.com/common/education/pdf/092007_thefundingissue.pdf
Friday, September 14, 2007
New Teacher Resources
In case you don't know www.smarttech.com is the creator of the SMARTboard. They have recently revised there site and have added some excellent professional developement activities for educators. Here is the link for the newly added "Teachers Hub" http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Teachers+Hub/
I really enjoyed the new additions to the site, and I think you will too. I would love to hear your feedback on the new additions, what works, what doesn't, what you like and what you hate. Enjoy!
I really enjoyed the new additions to the site, and I think you will too. I would love to hear your feedback on the new additions, what works, what doesn't, what you like and what you hate. Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Fall Planning is Upon Us
As a new school year begins, educator brains swarm with new and exciting lessons they want to try or change. Throw a SMARTboard into the mix and planning can become overwhelming. As many new boards make their mark in classrooms this fall, I often find teachers asking the question "where do I begin?" "How do I teach with the technology and not the technology itself?"My response...
Start with the objectives. Know what you want to teach, and what concepts you want to cover, then find ways to infuse the SMARTboard into what you are already doing. For example, if you are teaching map skills using a globe, start with the globe and end with using Google Earth on your SMARTBoard. Students will remain engaged for longer periods when you integrate your SMARTboard mid lesson!
What tips or ideas do you have that can empower lessons and spark some exciting fall integration ideas?
Start with the objectives. Know what you want to teach, and what concepts you want to cover, then find ways to infuse the SMARTboard into what you are already doing. For example, if you are teaching map skills using a globe, start with the globe and end with using Google Earth on your SMARTBoard. Students will remain engaged for longer periods when you integrate your SMARTboard mid lesson!
What tips or ideas do you have that can empower lessons and spark some exciting fall integration ideas?
Monday, May 7, 2007
Mobile Verses Mounting...
This is a hot topic these days. When I facilitate SMARTboard workshops this is a common question I get, " Should we mount the board in a common location, in someone's room or purchase a mobile stand so that teachers can move the board from room to room?"
Teachers in my school find the mobile board a pain. They hate the hassle of moving it, hate having cords all over their classroom and then find once they start using the board they don't want to give it up to another teacher. Thus, they are not fans of the mobile board.
Many teachers I have worked with find that when the board is mounted in a central location such as a computer lab or multi-purpose room that the board is not used very often and or not to its full capabilities. When the board is mounted in this environment it seems it is just used as a glorified overhead projector. There is no point spending thousands of dollars to continue doing what you have always done!
Mounting the board for permant use in one teachers' classroom seems to get the most bang for your buck. However, the question then is how do you choose whose room to place it in? My suggestion is let the teachers convince you! Who is going above and beyond in the area of technology? Who is a lead teacher in this area who can assisst others? Just because it is mounted in one room doesn't mean it can't be shared with others.
What do you think? What is working or not working in your schools?
Teachers in my school find the mobile board a pain. They hate the hassle of moving it, hate having cords all over their classroom and then find once they start using the board they don't want to give it up to another teacher. Thus, they are not fans of the mobile board.
Many teachers I have worked with find that when the board is mounted in a central location such as a computer lab or multi-purpose room that the board is not used very often and or not to its full capabilities. When the board is mounted in this environment it seems it is just used as a glorified overhead projector. There is no point spending thousands of dollars to continue doing what you have always done!
Mounting the board for permant use in one teachers' classroom seems to get the most bang for your buck. However, the question then is how do you choose whose room to place it in? My suggestion is let the teachers convince you! Who is going above and beyond in the area of technology? Who is a lead teacher in this area who can assisst others? Just because it is mounted in one room doesn't mean it can't be shared with others.
What do you think? What is working or not working in your schools?
What Do I Do With Students Not Using the Board???
Here are a few ways to get all students involved with a lesson using the digital whiteboard.
1) When students are doing math equations on the digital whiteboard have students in their seats do the same question on paper to see if the person at the board is correct. Tell students at their seats they may have to hand in their work.
2) Practice using manipulatives on the digital whiteboard. Call students from their seats up to model how to perform a particular task. Once everyone understands what to do, give students at their seats their own manipulatives and continue calling students up to the board to demonstrate how they used the manipulatives in their seat. This is a great way to check for understanding since sometimes it is difficult to see what every student is doing at their desk.
3) Try doing a Brain Pop lesson and have one student act as “Vanna White” by pressing all the buttons for you. Or, call students up one at a time to complete the follow up quiz after watching a video. Or divide the class into two teams and watch two different Brain Pop videos on your current topic. After the video clips have each team do their own quiz. The team with the best score out of ten wins!
4) During Ed Compass activities invite all students up to the board to answer questions throughout each slide. Tell students, who's at bat, who’s on deck so they are ready to go and you are not wasting time waiting for students to get out of their seat and walk across the room.
5) One generic way to integrate all students is to:
A) Use the board to model
B) Call up a student to model and demonstrate understanding
C) Have students do practice questions at their seat while having other students do the same question at the board for struggling students to see, or to check their work.
D) At the end of a lesson have a student post all answers on the board
E) Save and print any lesson work for absent students or to review at a later date.
1) When students are doing math equations on the digital whiteboard have students in their seats do the same question on paper to see if the person at the board is correct. Tell students at their seats they may have to hand in their work.
2) Practice using manipulatives on the digital whiteboard. Call students from their seats up to model how to perform a particular task. Once everyone understands what to do, give students at their seats their own manipulatives and continue calling students up to the board to demonstrate how they used the manipulatives in their seat. This is a great way to check for understanding since sometimes it is difficult to see what every student is doing at their desk.
3) Try doing a Brain Pop lesson and have one student act as “Vanna White” by pressing all the buttons for you. Or, call students up one at a time to complete the follow up quiz after watching a video. Or divide the class into two teams and watch two different Brain Pop videos on your current topic. After the video clips have each team do their own quiz. The team with the best score out of ten wins!
4) During Ed Compass activities invite all students up to the board to answer questions throughout each slide. Tell students, who's at bat, who’s on deck so they are ready to go and you are not wasting time waiting for students to get out of their seat and walk across the room.
5) One generic way to integrate all students is to:
A) Use the board to model
B) Call up a student to model and demonstrate understanding
C) Have students do practice questions at their seat while having other students do the same question at the board for struggling students to see, or to check their work.
D) At the end of a lesson have a student post all answers on the board
E) Save and print any lesson work for absent students or to review at a later date.
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