.jpg)
s. They talked about how some students in an algebra class would take short video clips of them solving problems and post them on private network for each other, and these students did better in the class then the ones who didn't use them. Phones open up so many new possibilities especially with the smart phones. Of course a lot of the things can be done with other technologies but a lot of students have a cell phone and they are easily accessible. I really think that if teachers can get creative they could find some really good ways to use cellphones in the classroom. Its a technology that most students are familiar and comfortable using. I don't know if I will use them in my classroom because I plan on teaching in elementary schools, so there probably wont be as many students who have cell phones. As far as high school students and classes are concerned, I think it would be a great idea. (photo:morguefile.com)Sunday, November 29, 2009
Cellphones in the classroom
I use my cellphone a lot, maybe even a little too much. So whenever the topic of cellphones being used in the classroom comes up it grabs my attention. I had trouble deciding if this would be a good idea or not. There's so much to do with cellphones and they can't be directly monitored all the time so its had to say that they shouldn't be banned. I decided to do some research to find a good way to implement them in a class and I found this website, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/. It talks about the industry pushing the use of phones in school.jpg)
s. They talked about how some students in an algebra class would take short video clips of them solving problems and post them on private network for each other, and these students did better in the class then the ones who didn't use them. Phones open up so many new possibilities especially with the smart phones. Of course a lot of the things can be done with other technologies but a lot of students have a cell phone and they are easily accessible. I really think that if teachers can get creative they could find some really good ways to use cellphones in the classroom. Its a technology that most students are familiar and comfortable using. I don't know if I will use them in my classroom because I plan on teaching in elementary schools, so there probably wont be as many students who have cell phones. As far as high school students and classes are concerned, I think it would be a great idea. (photo:morguefile.com)
s. They talked about how some students in an algebra class would take short video clips of them solving problems and post them on private network for each other, and these students did better in the class then the ones who didn't use them. Phones open up so many new possibilities especially with the smart phones. Of course a lot of the things can be done with other technologies but a lot of students have a cell phone and they are easily accessible. I really think that if teachers can get creative they could find some really good ways to use cellphones in the classroom. Its a technology that most students are familiar and comfortable using. I don't know if I will use them in my classroom because I plan on teaching in elementary schools, so there probably wont be as many students who have cell phones. As far as high school students and classes are concerned, I think it would be a great idea. (photo:morguefile.com)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Kidspiration
One thing that has really interested me since almost the beginning of this class has been the program Kidspiration. I had a lot of fun making my project using this program and was very pleased with how it turned out. At first I was having trouble thinking of ideas but once I got started ideas just kept coming.
I also watched the web cast on in for an extra credit project and found out even more interesting things about it. I think its a great tool for the classrooms because it promotes interactive learning which I personally believe is extremely important in schools, especially with the younger kids. The seminar talked about the different ways you could use the program for basic projects, like book reports. It was really interesting to see how for one project kids could take different approaches to it. This makes it more creative and interesting. The students will not all do the same thing so presenting could be a lot more fun. It seems like there are not many limitations to what you can do. Its so customizable, which is awesome because it can really allow the student to be creative and show who they really are. The digital yearbook the web cast mentioned was an awesome idea. It is wonderful that this program involves math, science, writing, organizing, brainstorming, and so much more. I will most definitely use this program in my classroom because I know it will help engage my students and make simple tasks and projects a lot more fun. I absolutely love Kidspiration. The official Inspiration website is where you can download a free 30 day trial of Kidspiration, http://www.kidspiration.com/, it also provides some useful information. (photo: my Kidspiration project)
This video is a tutorial on how to use the program
it is very helpful and informative. (youtube.com)
I also watched the web cast on in for an extra credit project and found out even more interesting things about it. I think its a great tool for the classrooms because it promotes interactive learning which I personally believe is extremely important in schools, especially with the younger kids. The seminar talked about the different ways you could use the program for basic projects, like book reports. It was really interesting to see how for one project kids could take different approaches to it. This makes it more creative and interesting. The students will not all do the same thing so presenting could be a lot more fun. It seems like there are not many limitations to what you can do. Its so customizable, which is awesome because it can really allow the student to be creative and show who they really are. The digital yearbook the web cast mentioned was an awesome idea. It is wonderful that this program involves math, science, writing, organizing, brainstorming, and so much more. I will most definitely use this program in my classroom because I know it will help engage my students and make simple tasks and projects a lot more fun. I absolutely love Kidspiration. The official Inspiration website is where you can download a free 30 day trial of Kidspiration, http://www.kidspiration.com/, it also provides some useful information. (photo: my Kidspiration project)
This video is a tutorial on how to use the program
it is very helpful and informative. (youtube.com)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Reading Along...
During my field experience yesterday I discovered a really cool technology. I don't know exactly what it was called but I found it very interesting. It was a little device that looked kind of like an Ipod or Mp3 player but it had four children's stories preloaded on it. It was so the kids could listen to the stories being read to them as they followed along in their books. My mentor teacher said that they had to teach all the students how to use them. This made me think of all the new technologies and deviced that are geared towards helping children read. I did some research on it and learned that the Iphone has an application where parents can upload stories for thei
r kids to listen to. This website has more imformation about this application; http://www.superkids.com. I think this is a great idea because this is the age where students are just starting to learn to read and it is nice to have someone reading the words along with them. These types of devices also promote reading in an interactive way and hopefully can help push kids away from the television and video games and more towards reading.
students can listen to the story and
read along at the same time
-photo from iclipart.com
r kids to listen to. This website has more imformation about this application; http://www.superkids.com. I think this is a great idea because this is the age where students are just starting to learn to read and it is nice to have someone reading the words along with them. These types of devices also promote reading in an interactive way and hopefully can help push kids away from the television and video games and more towards reading.students can listen to the story and
read along at the same time
-photo from iclipart.com
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Promethean Boards
I am very interested in the use of a Promethean board. The first time I ever saw a Promethean board was on the first day of my field experience. I think it is amazing how interactive these are. My teacher was giving a math lesson and she was able to circle things and write different words, to better teach the lesson. It is awesome because she could walk around the room and write on the board at the same time. I could tell that the students were more actively engaged then they probably would have been if it was just a whiteboard or overhead projection. Ever since that first day I just keep hearing more about Promethean boards and how helpful they are in the classroom. I know that they must be very important because in o
rder to operate these the teachers have to take specific training sessions for them. I think this is an awesome revolution and I really hope I will get the chance to use one of these in the classroom some time. I think it is amazing how far we have come from a basic chalkboard, like the picture to a Promethean board. (photo:stock.xchang.com)
http://www.prometheanworld.com This website has a great demonstration of the types of interactions Promethean boards can provide.
rder to operate these the teachers have to take specific training sessions for them. I think this is an awesome revolution and I really hope I will get the chance to use one of these in the classroom some time. I think it is amazing how far we have come from a basic chalkboard, like the picture to a Promethean board. (photo:stock.xchang.com)http://www.prometheanworld.com This website has a great demonstration of the types of interactions Promethean boards can provide.
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