Now that teachers have had a chance to get comfortable using the eno boards and magnetic strip tools we are ready for the next step. There are two software programs that came with the purchase of the board. One is Wizteach and the other is RM Easiteach. They both offer a variety of interactive tools, widgets and lesson options. The software was just delivered to us. The technology staff is working hard to get the programs installed on all of the computers used with the eno boards.
You might be asking yourself which one is better. Well, that is hard to say since they are both great programs. You will just have to make up your own mind after you see both options! There is one main difference between the two that I have seen so far. Easiteach is a stand alone program that for the most part, is used on by itself. It does offer "glass mode" which lets you go out to other programs, annotate on the screen and easily grab images to bring back to be used in the software with the other tools. There is no need to save a picture from the web just to go back and upload into Easiteach. Glass mode lets you go to the web (or any other program), take a picture and it does the work for you by putting it into your Easiteach screen. It is a great option for a simple, clean look that gives you access to all the tools in the program. You don't need to worry too much about planning ahead since everything you need is at your finger tips when you open it. For example, when you are working with prefixes and suffixes or hunks and chunks you can pull up your word builder cards and create on the fly! Word builder cards are interactive puzzle pieces with letters, hunks, chunks, prefixes, suffixes etc already labeled on them. You can move them around, snap them together to make words and pull them apart again to switch them around.
Wizteach has similar tools and widgets but can work on its own like Easiteach or directly on top of other programs. It has a small control icon (access to tools) that lives on top of whatever program you have open. So, for example, lets say you are teaching math and working with protractors. You can create your own angles to measure in either program. However, when you use Wizteach you can pull up a Word document, PDF, website, etc with problems previously created and use the protractor tool right on top of the other program. It also has a great graph maker. You could quickly create a graph right below your word problem the students just worked out or right on top of the science lesson you have already been working with.
Want to learn more? There was a preview of Wizteach offered during our Tech Tuesday session last week for those that wanted a head start. Jayne Neufarth and I will be offering training on each program during Tech Tuesday sessions in April and you can always contact me with any questions. Enjoy your new software!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Eno Evolution
Interactive white boards are changing the way teachers teach and students learn. Here in Ross we have decided on the Eno board for our interactive white boards. Eno boards are now installed in all 4 buildings across the district in varying numbers. The students and teachers are really getting into the swing of a new way to learn.
I was fortunate enough to work with Cindy Ward, fourth grade teacher at Elda and two of her students Zac Duggins and Daniel Wright to present to the Ross Board of Education at the last meeting. After my introduction about the training and implementation of the boards Cindy and her students took the floor for a demonstration of the Eno in action. Zac and Daniel took turns being students and teachers for a typical math lesson. The 'teacher' would control the computer and eno board while proposing math questions to the 'student'. The 'student' completed the equation on a personal sized dry erase board and held the work up for the teacher to see. The attention then turned to the function machine from the Easiteach software (runs on the eno board). The function machine is a great little widget that allows you to create your own equations. The numbers you insert crunch through the machine to produce the correct answer. In a typical lesson the students took turns putting the numbers into the function machine to check the work of the class.
Next, the lesson moved to place value. The 'teacher' (student acting as the teacher) used the place value cards from the easiteach software to create a number. The place value cards are movable numbers that look like puzzle pieces. You can move them, stack them on other cards or snap them together to make larger numbers. In a typical lesson the students take turns coming up to the board to use the eno pen to write the number below the place value cards, add commas then say the number correctly out loud.
These are just a few examples of how Cindy uses the Eno board and software with her students. She uses it every day to teach and feels that the board and software have helped her to become more of a facilitator and empower her students to become the teachers. Cindy, Daniel and Zac did a fantastic job giving the audience an understanding of how the Eno boards are helping students to develop a deeper understanding of content and the new tools available to learn.
I was fortunate enough to work with Cindy Ward, fourth grade teacher at Elda and two of her students Zac Duggins and Daniel Wright to present to the Ross Board of Education at the last meeting. After my introduction about the training and implementation of the boards Cindy and her students took the floor for a demonstration of the Eno in action. Zac and Daniel took turns being students and teachers for a typical math lesson. The 'teacher' would control the computer and eno board while proposing math questions to the 'student'. The 'student' completed the equation on a personal sized dry erase board and held the work up for the teacher to see. The attention then turned to the function machine from the Easiteach software (runs on the eno board). The function machine is a great little widget that allows you to create your own equations. The numbers you insert crunch through the machine to produce the correct answer. In a typical lesson the students took turns putting the numbers into the function machine to check the work of the class.
Next, the lesson moved to place value. The 'teacher' (student acting as the teacher) used the place value cards from the easiteach software to create a number. The place value cards are movable numbers that look like puzzle pieces. You can move them, stack them on other cards or snap them together to make larger numbers. In a typical lesson the students take turns coming up to the board to use the eno pen to write the number below the place value cards, add commas then say the number correctly out loud.
These are just a few examples of how Cindy uses the Eno board and software with her students. She uses it every day to teach and feels that the board and software have helped her to become more of a facilitator and empower her students to become the teachers. Cindy, Daniel and Zac did a fantastic job giving the audience an understanding of how the Eno boards are helping students to develop a deeper understanding of content and the new tools available to learn.
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