"My Comments"

http://www.joshuastechinedblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-assignment-2.html#comment-form

http://www.laurynernster.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-assignment-week-4.html#comment-form

http://www.beththegingergeek.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post-week-5-activboard.html#comment-form

http://www.aricanotafrica.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-assignment-week-1.html#comment-form

http://www.kristinestipp.blogspot.com/2012/01/week-three-blog-post.html#comment-form

http://www.jordynwilsonsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/generation-im-article-response.html#comment-form

"My geometric glog..."

"Reflection #1-6"

1. One instance where technology has been beneficial to many students, and me personally is Panopto. This is where class lectures and notes from the professor can be recorded and posted online. As an athlete, this has been very helpful to me in season when many classes are missed due to away games. Now when I am on the road, I can watch the class lecture and receive the notes that I’ve missed when I get a chance.

2. When observing a PE classes this semester, my professor was able to start and stop music from his iphone. This was a valuable tool for him, because he didn’t always have to run over to the stereo to stop or turn down the music. When he wanted to stop the class, he could do so by simply stopping the music from wherever he was in the gym; and the students were even conditioned to stop and listen right when the music was paused.

3. I was observing another PE class at Munroe High School, and the PE classes were doing step-by-step yoga over a projection screen. The students followed along with the yoga instructor on the screen. This is very valuable, especially in a unit like yoga.  Since yoga and it’s movements are very specific, it is nice for a teacher to have the students follow the instructor on the projective screen, while he/she can walk around correcting and assisting with the positions.

4. In my educational psychology class, our professor conducted an anonymous class survey with a program over the SMART Board.  This was a very efficient way for him to conduct a procedure and gain information in a study. He would ask a question and give us answers listed A to D, similar to a multiple-choice exam. The question and answers would be pulled up on the SMART Board as well, and we as students had a remote we clicked to answer. The results were tallied immediately, which gave the class the ability to discuss the results right then and there. This was an enjoyable class from the students’ point of view, and an efficient one I’m sure from the professor’s.   

5. In many classes nowadays, it is normal to have the teacher/professor lecture with visual aid.  Usually with a PowerPoint presentation, the teacher is able to lecture with his/her notes and resources already there for them to use. This makes the lecture flow better and is more engaging, compared to watching the teacher try and lecture while handwriting notes; or have no notes for the students at all, having them go off of what they only hear and catch of the lecture.

6. Other benefits of technology are the programs for distance learning. Many people now have the ability to receive an education from certain schools without actually living in that area. With the technology to observe class lectures online and e-mail assignments in, etc. citizens these days can receive an education from the comfort of their own home. This is very beneficial for students with children, or who have difficulties getting to a school, or citizens who want to receive an education outside their native/residing country

"Generation IM"

I laughed when reading the first part of this article.  We wonder why there is an increase in obesity amongst the youth of America, or even America as a whole.  With all that technological entertainment in Jacob’s home, I wonder if he is getting his needed one hour of exercise a day? Even then you’d hope that Jacob could at least get this at school in PE class. With the amount of technology in students’ lives this maybe the only time they do get out and exercise. Yet, they want to limit PE and Health classes in schools? Sorry, that is my bias rant of a future PE teacher haha.

Anyways, tech would and is valuable at times when teaching; however, I still feel there are some benefits in the ways “we were taught.” There needs to be a happy medium and not a dependence on only one.  For example, does the average student in India know math more in depth than a student in our western world?  I have a friend from India who could never use a calculator while in school there due to financial reasons. Whereas myself, I have used a calculator forever, basically dependant on it when doing math, even the simplest of math.  Something as simple as a calculator can restrict students’ learning and advancement; this is why we need to teach both.

You could use technology in science lessons. There are many interactive computer lessons out there. When I was in science classes, as students we learned a lot via movies. I feel nowadays with the technological advancements, you could do something similar with the interactive lessons, rather than plain old lecture and note taking. 

ActivBoard (Week 5)

Website and video clip link:

http://www.prometheanworld.com/en-us/education/products/interactive-displays/activboard-500-pro


The ActivBoard is an interactive whiteboard. You can use a pen or the touch screen feature to easily organize the items on the screen. It allows up to 4 students to work together on activities as it is designed for multi-touch, thus promoting teamwork and group learning. This digital technology allows for more student engagement and increases the attentiveness in the classroom. It is similar to technology used at home, so students can easily relate. Exposure to such technology will help students in the future, as it models real world behavior.

Can you use the touch function and pen function at the same time, unlike the SMART Board?

"Assignment II"

Using the SMART Board, I will teach a lesson on the food pyramid from a program downloaded off of SMART Exchange.  Brooke D. Frahn of McMullen-Booth Elementary created the SMART Board lesson I chose. 

http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=food+pyramid#page=4

In this particular lesson many SMART Board features are used, such as: the pens, a quiz, and screen shades.  These certain characteristics of the SMART Board will be beneficial by keeping students engaged.

The teacher NETS involved in the specific lesson will focus mostly on number 3 of the teaching NETS, which is “Model Digital Age Work and Learning.”  I will demonstrate and exhibit the knowledge and skills necessary when using the SMART Board (technology) in lesson.  The lesson’s technology based part will be presented fluently and communicate the lesson’s outcome effectively.

The student NETS implicated in this lesson will primarily concentrate on NETS number 4, which is “Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making.” Students will have to solve problems and answer questions during the SMART Board quiz, and apply critical thinking while working through the lecture by understanding the food pyramid.  They will have to know and decide which food belongs in what food group, and know the value of a well balanced diet. 

Overall, the interactive white board can improve student learning in my future classroom because it keeps the students interested and in some cases wanting more.  The SMART Board helps reach your lesson goals more efficiently with the features it possesses.  The SMART Board also allows the teacher to go beyond traditional lectures and notes, which can easily cause students to become disinterested. With the interactive white board teachers can become more creative and prepared for lessons, making their days more manageable and enjoyable. 

SMART Board

I discovered this week that the SMART Board can be a very effective teaching tool in the classroom.  It has many features that will help engage students throughout a lesson, and can push a teacher beyond plain old lectures and note taking.

Questions that still need to be asked when using the SMART Board is how to use it.  What I mean by this is how can it be used in a classroom so that it is most efficient for effective learning?  There are many one on one and small group features for the SMART Board, and teachers must consider that their class sizes usually exceed a “small group.”  As long as this is taken wisely into consideration, there is no reason why the SMART Board cannot provide an engaging class lesson.