In MAET today we had a Jing off. If you don't know what Jing is then I will explain.
Jing is a screen capture tool that is very helpful for creating technology tutorials. Basically, the program can take a picture or video of your computer screen as you work.
In class we had thirty minutes to brainstorm and and prepare a program that we wanted to teach the world about. Then, we had ten minutes to record a Jing video that could serve as an introduction to to the program.
My group decided to work with the free program called Comic Life. It is a free program that can be used to create comic strips and comic books using your own photographs and drawings. Its a really great program that has a lot of project based classroom applications.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
More and more Creativity
Yesterday's quickfire activity was once again focused around creativity. We were given three slips of paper and asked to write a story using the information on the slips. The first slip had a noun on it, the second slip and a sentence that we used to start our story and the third slip had a sentence that we used to end our story.
We then created a Google Doc and came up with a very creative way to write our story. We adopted a "round robbin" style of writing where each member of our three person team would each write a single sentence at a time as we went around the table. We continued to go around and around until we could reach a conclusion to our story.
Then we created some very crude pictures to help up tell our story. I am definitely not a great artist but somehow I ended up being the groups official artist and photographer. The process really pushed my limits and I must admit that I am pretty impressed with my results. ENJOY!
We then created a Google Doc and came up with a very creative way to write our story. We adopted a "round robbin" style of writing where each member of our three person team would each write a single sentence at a time as we went around the table. We continued to go around and around until we could reach a conclusion to our story.
Then we created some very crude pictures to help up tell our story. I am definitely not a great artist but somehow I ended up being the groups official artist and photographer. The process really pushed my limits and I must admit that I am pretty impressed with my results. ENJOY!
Monday, June 27, 2011
MILE Guide Self-Assessment
The MILE Guide is a measurement tool that was created to help schools and school districts determine just prepared they are to educate 21st century learners. The concept of a 21st century learner is very important at the moment because public education seems to be in some sort of transitional period where it is moving its focus from 20th century criteria to 21st century criteria. These new 21st century learns are very different then their previous counter parts and we must teach them in new and progressive ways. There need to be a much larger focus on creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.
I took the self-assessment survey on behalf of the high school I work at and here are my results.
I feel that my results are less than accurate for two major reasons. 1) I answered very conservatively and 2) I based most of my information off of the teachers that are closest in proximity to me in the building....that would be all math teachers. As I look back on my results I realize I didn't take my Science, English, Art, Music, Foreign Language, Social Studies, or Special Education colleges into consideration and I think their input would really change the results. The problem is that I don't know what those classrooms look like on a day-to-day basis so I forgot about them. I guess I need to go do some investigating during my prep next year.
I took the self-assessment survey on behalf of the high school I work at and here are my results.
I feel that my results are less than accurate for two major reasons. 1) I answered very conservatively and 2) I based most of my information off of the teachers that are closest in proximity to me in the building....that would be all math teachers. As I look back on my results I realize I didn't take my Science, English, Art, Music, Foreign Language, Social Studies, or Special Education colleges into consideration and I think their input would really change the results. The problem is that I don't know what those classrooms look like on a day-to-day basis so I forgot about them. I guess I need to go do some investigating during my prep next year.
I express myself through my art...MAN!
The creativity is still flowing! I have been interested in the Concept of "cloud computing" lately so I teamed up with my college Eric Fitton and we created this 3D visual representation. I think its pretty awesome because 1) its low tech (No batteries needed) AND 2) the creative process took me back to my youth as a Lego maniac.
Cloud computing is concept of doing all of your work and play through the internet. It focuses heavily on the idea of NOT storing anything on a personal computer. All files/media/information is stored in the "cloud" that represents the internet. Basically, it means that you store your photos on Flickr, your documents on Google Docs, your social life on Facebook, and you thoughts/opinions are on Blogger. The great thing about mobile computing is its versatility. You can access everything you want from any internet capable location on the globe. It doesn't even matter if you are using a computer! You could use a smart phone or any other internet ready device. The bad thing is that security and infrastructure could potentially cause problems . IF a server went down you could potentially lose everything that is important to you and that can be a very scary thing. Tis is especially scary because you don't have any real control of the servers that you are putting your faith in. I don't know the people who manage Flickr but I am trusting them to run their site effectively so that I can continue to enjoy their services. This also raises security issues. Cloud computers such as myself are relying on various companies to do a good job of keeping identity theives and internet predators away from our must sensitive information. I personally trusting Mark Zuckerberg to keep my email address and birthday away from spammers.
So how does my tinker toy creation depict all of these complex ideas? Well lets start from the bottom. At the base of the creation is a newspaper picture of a very larger crowd. This crowd represents internet using population of the world. Its a BIG group and most of them utilize some sort of cloud computing during their cyber journeys. The tinker toy structure represents the populations connection to the internet. If you notice, the tinker toy structure raises up off of the newspaper and that is because Erik and I visualize the cloud as a very three dimensional concept that. Also you may notice that there are multiple tinker toy legs connecting the population to the internet. Theses different connections represent people's work computers, home/personal computers, smart phones, iTouch, etc. Also, you can clearly see a very radical looking Lego vehicle at the bottom of the structure. This vehicle represents the mobility that cloud computing offers. A person can use their home computer, their work computer, or even a mobile device while they are in transit between home and work. At the top of the tinker toy structure there is a pile of spider webs which represent "The web" aka the Internet. If you look closely, you will notice that the webs are not secured very well to the tinker toys. This had to do withe fragility of the whole structure. Their are hackers and predictors who could possibly tear down, abuse, or destroy the whole cloud computing infrastructure and cause a lot of head aches.
Cloud computing is concept of doing all of your work and play through the internet. It focuses heavily on the idea of NOT storing anything on a personal computer. All files/media/information is stored in the "cloud" that represents the internet. Basically, it means that you store your photos on Flickr, your documents on Google Docs, your social life on Facebook, and you thoughts/opinions are on Blogger. The great thing about mobile computing is its versatility. You can access everything you want from any internet capable location on the globe. It doesn't even matter if you are using a computer! You could use a smart phone or any other internet ready device. The bad thing is that security and infrastructure could potentially cause problems . IF a server went down you could potentially lose everything that is important to you and that can be a very scary thing. Tis is especially scary because you don't have any real control of the servers that you are putting your faith in. I don't know the people who manage Flickr but I am trusting them to run their site effectively so that I can continue to enjoy their services. This also raises security issues. Cloud computers such as myself are relying on various companies to do a good job of keeping identity theives and internet predators away from our must sensitive information. I personally trusting Mark Zuckerberg to keep my email address and birthday away from spammers.
So how does my tinker toy creation depict all of these complex ideas? Well lets start from the bottom. At the base of the creation is a newspaper picture of a very larger crowd. This crowd represents internet using population of the world. Its a BIG group and most of them utilize some sort of cloud computing during their cyber journeys. The tinker toy structure represents the populations connection to the internet. If you notice, the tinker toy structure raises up off of the newspaper and that is because Erik and I visualize the cloud as a very three dimensional concept that. Also you may notice that there are multiple tinker toy legs connecting the population to the internet. Theses different connections represent people's work computers, home/personal computers, smart phones, iTouch, etc. Also, you can clearly see a very radical looking Lego vehicle at the bottom of the structure. This vehicle represents the mobility that cloud computing offers. A person can use their home computer, their work computer, or even a mobile device while they are in transit between home and work. At the top of the tinker toy structure there is a pile of spider webs which represent "The web" aka the Internet. If you look closely, you will notice that the webs are not secured very well to the tinker toys. This had to do withe fragility of the whole structure. Their are hackers and predictors who could possibly tear down, abuse, or destroy the whole cloud computing infrastructure and cause a lot of head aches.
Friday, June 24, 2011
MAET (Year 1) Week 1
It has been a crazy week. I feel like I got picked up by a giant tornado that whisked me off to East Lansing and then spun me around for five days straight. Its been a crazy ride but I am very proud of all of the things that I've accomplished and learned. Here is a wordle I created to organize all of the things I've learned about.
If you look closely, you can see a lot of different programs and tools in the Wordle and we did spend a lot of time discovering and experimenting with these various tools, sites, and software but it was never the focus. The main focus of the week was the creativity and connections that the technology can create. Its always important to remember that a student is the most important thing in a classroom. Not a teacher and not a piece of technology. The challenge is connecting to these 21st century learners and giving them the kind of education that will benefit them in their unknown future. This week I feel like I learned about a bunch of different ways to create those connections that will help my students enjoy my class.
If you look closely, you can see a lot of different programs and tools in the Wordle and we did spend a lot of time discovering and experimenting with these various tools, sites, and software but it was never the focus. The main focus of the week was the creativity and connections that the technology can create. Its always important to remember that a student is the most important thing in a classroom. Not a teacher and not a piece of technology. The challenge is connecting to these 21st century learners and giving them the kind of education that will benefit them in their unknown future. This week I feel like I learned about a bunch of different ways to create those connections that will help my students enjoy my class.
QR Codes
Have you noticed those strange little black and white boxes that keep popping up in news papers, magazines, billboards, and advertisments? I knew they had to do something with technology but I didn't know for sure so I've been calling them "Robot boxes" for a couple of weeks now.
IT turns out that my nick name for the black and white square was not quite accurate (surprise surprise). The small black and white boxes are called QR codes and they are quite amazing.
First of all, QR codes are kind of old news and new news at the same time. They were first invented by the Japanese company Denso Wave back in 1994. The codes are a way of storing and transmitting text based information such as an item description, web site, or contact information quickly. The codes spread across Japan and Asia but took a while to get to the United States. It hasn't until recent years that QR codes have become popular here in the states. The codes can be a lot of fun but you will need a few tools in order to really capitalize on them.
Things you will need:
1) A smart phone, iTouch, or newish laptop. These item all have two things in common. They all have cameras built into them and all have access to the internet.
2) QR reader app or software. There is a wide variety of these so you will need to search for the right one for you. Most of them are very cheap or FREE. Red Laser is the reader I have used.
3)QR generator (optional) such as QRstuff.com (also FREE)
First, take you gadget (smart phone, iTouch, or laptop) and download the QR reader software. Then, once you've installed and opened the application you need to go find something with a QR code on it (Posted one at the top of this post). In fact, go find a couple things that have QR codes. The codes are very versitile and can do lots of different things so it would be good to find codes in different places so you can see the different things that they can do.
Now right here is were most people stop. They get the reader and they use it to read all the coeds that surround them. If you REALLY want to have some fun then you need to move on to step three. There are websites that can create QR codes for you and then you can start posting you own codes all over the place for others to scan. This step is where I started to think about integrating QR codes into the classroom.
I had this crazy idea while I was walking home today. I was thinking about a High School Biology class that was learning about Mammalian anatomy. Since most people learn best by actually "doing" something Bio student will often times dissect fetal pigs or other small animals to get a better understand of the anatomy and how it works and how they are interconnected.
My idea would be to have the kids carry out the dissection as usual BUT when students opened up the pig and found the liver they would also find a QR code tattooed on that liver that they could then scan. The QR code would then take the kids to a YouTube video that would play a short clip that explains that they are looking at a liver and talk briefly about what the liver does. Each organ in the pig would be tattooed with its own QR code and each code would take the student to a different video that would explain something new. OH MAN, I just think that would be the craziest science class ever! Odiously, that's not a very practical idea but I do think we could alter it slightly to get something more "doable". A Biology teacher could have a previously dissected pig with QR's pinned to the different organs.
I feel like QR codes could be used in other lessons as well. You could do a QR scavenger hunt around your school or even on a field-trip around a museum. Teachers could all sorts of interesting things with them. I'm excited about exploring them further.
IT turns out that my nick name for the black and white square was not quite accurate (surprise surprise). The small black and white boxes are called QR codes and they are quite amazing.
First of all, QR codes are kind of old news and new news at the same time. They were first invented by the Japanese company Denso Wave back in 1994. The codes are a way of storing and transmitting text based information such as an item description, web site, or contact information quickly. The codes spread across Japan and Asia but took a while to get to the United States. It hasn't until recent years that QR codes have become popular here in the states. The codes can be a lot of fun but you will need a few tools in order to really capitalize on them.
Things you will need:
1) A smart phone, iTouch, or newish laptop. These item all have two things in common. They all have cameras built into them and all have access to the internet.
2) QR reader app or software. There is a wide variety of these so you will need to search for the right one for you. Most of them are very cheap or FREE. Red Laser is the reader I have used.
3)QR generator (optional) such as QRstuff.com (also FREE)
First, take you gadget (smart phone, iTouch, or laptop) and download the QR reader software. Then, once you've installed and opened the application you need to go find something with a QR code on it (Posted one at the top of this post). In fact, go find a couple things that have QR codes. The codes are very versitile and can do lots of different things so it would be good to find codes in different places so you can see the different things that they can do.
Now right here is were most people stop. They get the reader and they use it to read all the coeds that surround them. If you REALLY want to have some fun then you need to move on to step three. There are websites that can create QR codes for you and then you can start posting you own codes all over the place for others to scan. This step is where I started to think about integrating QR codes into the classroom.
I had this crazy idea while I was walking home today. I was thinking about a High School Biology class that was learning about Mammalian anatomy. Since most people learn best by actually "doing" something Bio student will often times dissect fetal pigs or other small animals to get a better understand of the anatomy and how it works and how they are interconnected.
My idea would be to have the kids carry out the dissection as usual BUT when students opened up the pig and found the liver they would also find a QR code tattooed on that liver that they could then scan. The QR code would then take the kids to a YouTube video that would play a short clip that explains that they are looking at a liver and talk briefly about what the liver does. Each organ in the pig would be tattooed with its own QR code and each code would take the student to a different video that would explain something new. OH MAN, I just think that would be the craziest science class ever! Odiously, that's not a very practical idea but I do think we could alter it slightly to get something more "doable". A Biology teacher could have a previously dissected pig with QR's pinned to the different organs.
I feel like QR codes could be used in other lessons as well. You could do a QR scavenger hunt around your school or even on a field-trip around a museum. Teachers could all sorts of interesting things with them. I'm excited about exploring them further.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
This I Beleive About Education
LinkedIn...to the classroom
Over the past few months I've gotten 7 or 8 emails asking me to join someones network on LinkedIn. I didn't really know what the site was and I ignored the emails thinking they might be SPAM or junk mail. Well, linkedIn keeps popping up in my life so today I decided to do something about it. I jumped on good ol' Google and typed it "What is LinkedIn" and of course it came up with everything I ever wanted to know.
It turns out LinkedIn is yet another social network but is geared more for professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs. It is most definitely not the next Facebook. This is serious stuff. You can post your resume, flaunt your references, display your work. You can also use the contacts and connections that you already know and trust to meet new professionals. Once I had a decent understand of what exactly I was dealing with the next logical question was "How could I use this?"
Initially, I thought the only way I could use the site would be fore applying for a new job but then of course I looked an little deeper and found some things that might be worth trying in my classroom. First, I liked that you could make network groups. If I was going to use LinkedIn in my classroom I would create a network group containing every member of the class. Second, I liked that you could pose questions to your network groups. I could use this to ask students questions in and out of class. Also, the students could use the network to ask me or each other questions. If students are asking each other questions then they might be able to work through homework problems that were stumping them or even review for assessments together. Third, I could use the resume portion of the sights to have students determine what they have mastered in the course. That way, students would know who to go to if they were struggling with specific types of problems in class. On the other hand, I don't like that LinkedIn is still a giant networking sight full of people who may not be interested in education. I feel like this could be distracting or even dangerous for students. I wouldn't want outsiders trying to infiltrate my class networks or trying to network with my students.
There is definitly some potential lying just under the surface of LinkedIn but I am struggling to find a really great use for it. I think I'll need to meditate on it for a while. Can you think of a good classroom use for LinkedIn? Let me know what you've seen or heard about in my comment section.
It turns out LinkedIn is yet another social network but is geared more for professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs. It is most definitely not the next Facebook. This is serious stuff. You can post your resume, flaunt your references, display your work. You can also use the contacts and connections that you already know and trust to meet new professionals. Once I had a decent understand of what exactly I was dealing with the next logical question was "How could I use this?"
Initially, I thought the only way I could use the site would be fore applying for a new job but then of course I looked an little deeper and found some things that might be worth trying in my classroom. First, I liked that you could make network groups. If I was going to use LinkedIn in my classroom I would create a network group containing every member of the class. Second, I liked that you could pose questions to your network groups. I could use this to ask students questions in and out of class. Also, the students could use the network to ask me or each other questions. If students are asking each other questions then they might be able to work through homework problems that were stumping them or even review for assessments together. Third, I could use the resume portion of the sights to have students determine what they have mastered in the course. That way, students would know who to go to if they were struggling with specific types of problems in class. On the other hand, I don't like that LinkedIn is still a giant networking sight full of people who may not be interested in education. I feel like this could be distracting or even dangerous for students. I wouldn't want outsiders trying to infiltrate my class networks or trying to network with my students.
There is definitly some potential lying just under the surface of LinkedIn but I am struggling to find a really great use for it. I think I'll need to meditate on it for a while. Can you think of a good classroom use for LinkedIn? Let me know what you've seen or heard about in my comment section.
Picasso has nothing on me. I'm very creative...
In my MAET class, one of my professors guided us through some really great creativity activities. In one of the activities, my professor handed out a different technology tool (read: toy) to each person and we each had to think of all the ways we could use the tool. The emphasis was on coming up with outlandish or strange ways of using the technology.
I was given "Twitter" and I tried to come up with the strangest ways I could possibly think of to use it. This was challenging for me because I am still very new to twitter and I don't think I have a good grasp of its power. Here were some of my ideas.
Twitter could be used as...
-A Diary for someone with ADD
-A memory tool for someone with amnesia
-A brainstorm tool for a rapper
-A list of all purchases for someone who lives on a budget
-A dating service.
-A terrible way to learn English
You get the idea. I'm sure people have done stranger things with Twitter but this is as crazy as I could get in during our limited time frame. It also didn't help that I just stared off into space for a bit trying to come up with my first "great" idea.
I wasn't very impressed with my skills and abilities but I could feel my creativity waking up deep down inside of me. I felt more creative at the end of the day then I did at the beginning. It was as if my creativity was being pulled to the surface so I could get at it more easily. I think I pounded it down deep inside of me over the years. Maybe if I did this kind of thing everyday I could really develop my skills!
I feel like these types of activities would be great lead ups for bigger projects or problems solving challenges. Something to "get the juices flowing" so to speak. I could see my self having my students do this before the first project I give them. My projects usually involve some sort of open ended piece and many students struggle with coming up with ideas so maybe a little creativity practice would go a long way.
I was given "Twitter" and I tried to come up with the strangest ways I could possibly think of to use it. This was challenging for me because I am still very new to twitter and I don't think I have a good grasp of its power. Here were some of my ideas.
Twitter could be used as...
-A Diary for someone with ADD
-A memory tool for someone with amnesia
-A brainstorm tool for a rapper
-A list of all purchases for someone who lives on a budget
-A dating service.
-A terrible way to learn English
You get the idea. I'm sure people have done stranger things with Twitter but this is as crazy as I could get in during our limited time frame. It also didn't help that I just stared off into space for a bit trying to come up with my first "great" idea.
I wasn't very impressed with my skills and abilities but I could feel my creativity waking up deep down inside of me. I felt more creative at the end of the day then I did at the beginning. It was as if my creativity was being pulled to the surface so I could get at it more easily. I think I pounded it down deep inside of me over the years. Maybe if I did this kind of thing everyday I could really develop my skills!
I feel like these types of activities would be great lead ups for bigger projects or problems solving challenges. Something to "get the juices flowing" so to speak. I could see my self having my students do this before the first project I give them. My projects usually involve some sort of open ended piece and many students struggle with coming up with ideas so maybe a little creativity practice would go a long way.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
My Glogster
Here is a poster that I created that would be great for introductions. There a a couple of people (MAETY1) people who have seen the poster before BUT I have added a special little treat down at the bottom... You might want to take a second look.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
21st Century Learner
My Personal Learning Network
What are some other places your PLN has crept into? Where should I look? Let me know in a comment.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tech in Room C-322
First of all, lets get something taken care of right off the bat. I AM A KING and my classroom (C-322) is my Castle! I absolutely love my classroom because of the flexibility and creativity it affords me.
I remember two years ago when I was first hired. I walked into Stoney Creek High School on the first teacher work day and my assistant Principal, Larry, greeted me at the door to take me up to my new room. We walked up the stairs together chatting casually while my stomach turned to knots of excitement. When Larry opened the door and flicked on the lights I looked around at all the empty desks and just soaked it all in for a moment. Then, I turned to Larry and asked him "How should I set the desks up? Maybe rows of 4?" When I asked this questions Larry's face twisted up into a slightly devilish grin and he said something I will never forget. "However you want Ryan. Its all on you now." He walked out the door chuckling to himself and I knew from that point on I was in the big leagues. Trial by fire starts NOW!
One of the first things I did in my classroom was hoard as many tech toys as I could get my paws on. In that first year I was was able to get a projector, a document camera, and some graphing calculators. I started off simply with the document camera and the projector. I would use the combo to show answers to the previous nights homework. This was very nice because I didn't have to print transparencies. I was still using my boards to do all of my teaching though. Then, I ran into an issue.... I was starting the chapter on three dimensional shapes in my Geometry class and my art skills were not making the grades. I was so frustrated that I called my sister and vented to her about my problem. She listened patiently and then called me and "idiot" for not remembering about the #D renderings we had made together back in high school when we took some CAD/Engineering classes together. After that, everything started to line up. I talked to my building tech. facilitator, got the proper cords to connect my PC to my projector, and started my tech adventure.
As soon as I brought the 3D renderings into class you could see the information I was trying to pass on immediately click in my students. It all started to make sense. The students didn't have to look past my crooked drawings and abstract hand gestures. They could see exactly what they needed to see and they were satisfied.
Since that time, I have brought a number of different kinds of technology into my classroom. My next move was to bring videos from all over the internet into my class. I had my Trig. students watch videos about the Unit Circle and the development of the Radian. I also had my Algebra 2 student make power point presentations to explain simplifying square roots. Then, I found out about SMART boards.
I was very eager to use one in my classroom but I ran into some problems. after being introduced to the SMART board I could see all of the wonderful things it could do but I struggled to find a real need for it in my classroom. All the technology I had integrated up to that point had because I absolutely needed it in order to convey the message I was after. The SMART just seemed a bit like a big fancy bell or whistle. I decided to wait on using the board until I could find a lesson that really warranted it. That lesson came this year when my Algebra 2B class started A trig identities lesson. I knew from past experiences that the logic based lesson was challenging for most students and they would need every advantage I could afford them. The SMART board would allow me to physically drag different items around the screen and that simple aspect made all the difference for students. In the past, I would always point at things and try my best to show my classes where different things were comming from but it was never good enough though. I would always perform the next step, and ask for questions, and I would always have to reexplain the whole step all over again. The SMART board allowed my students to really track things visually and that really helped them.
That is when technology is at its best. When it saves you and your students from a headache. There are times when I could use technology in my classroom just to use it but I would rather use it when it is at its most effective.
Here are some helpful tech links I discussed here or have used in the past few years.
Draw 2D figures: (FREE)
Geogebra
Draw 3D figures: (FREE)
SketchUp
Pole your students via TXT message: (FREE)
Pole Everywhere
Simple online presentation tool: (FREE)
Prezi
I hope you enjoy these. If you have some links of your own please leave a link in the comments section
One of the first things I did in my classroom was hoard as many tech toys as I could get my paws on. In that first year I was was able to get a projector, a document camera, and some graphing calculators. I started off simply with the document camera and the projector. I would use the combo to show answers to the previous nights homework. This was very nice because I didn't have to print transparencies. I was still using my boards to do all of my teaching though. Then, I ran into an issue.... I was starting the chapter on three dimensional shapes in my Geometry class and my art skills were not making the grades. I was so frustrated that I called my sister and vented to her about my problem. She listened patiently and then called me and "idiot" for not remembering about the #D renderings we had made together back in high school when we took some CAD/Engineering classes together. After that, everything started to line up. I talked to my building tech. facilitator, got the proper cords to connect my PC to my projector, and started my tech adventure.
Since that time, I have brought a number of different kinds of technology into my classroom. My next move was to bring videos from all over the internet into my class. I had my Trig. students watch videos about the Unit Circle and the development of the Radian. I also had my Algebra 2 student make power point presentations to explain simplifying square roots. Then, I found out about SMART boards.
I was very eager to use one in my classroom but I ran into some problems. after being introduced to the SMART board I could see all of the wonderful things it could do but I struggled to find a real need for it in my classroom. All the technology I had integrated up to that point had because I absolutely needed it in order to convey the message I was after. The SMART just seemed a bit like a big fancy bell or whistle. I decided to wait on using the board until I could find a lesson that really warranted it. That lesson came this year when my Algebra 2B class started A trig identities lesson. I knew from past experiences that the logic based lesson was challenging for most students and they would need every advantage I could afford them. The SMART board would allow me to physically drag different items around the screen and that simple aspect made all the difference for students. In the past, I would always point at things and try my best to show my classes where different things were comming from but it was never good enough though. I would always perform the next step, and ask for questions, and I would always have to reexplain the whole step all over again. The SMART board allowed my students to really track things visually and that really helped them.
That is when technology is at its best. When it saves you and your students from a headache. There are times when I could use technology in my classroom just to use it but I would rather use it when it is at its most effective.
Here are some helpful tech links I discussed here or have used in the past few years.
Draw 2D figures: (FREE)
Geogebra
Draw 3D figures: (FREE)
SketchUp
Pole your students via TXT message: (FREE)
Pole Everywhere
Simple online presentation tool: (FREE)
Prezi
I hope you enjoy these. If you have some links of your own please leave a link in the comments section
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