I gathered some great Smart Board resources while I was at the eTech Ohio conference this year. The links below cover a variety of grade ranges and subjects. Hopefully you will find something that works for your classroom! There are a lot of lessons and educational games that have already been created and are ready for you to use with your Smart Board and students.
The following sites and information are from Samuel Roman's (Cleveland Metropolitian Schools) eTech Conference presentation 2009, Tips From the Field.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=447
A collection of ready-made Notebook software activities in various subjects and themes.
http://smartboards.typepad.com
Created and maintained by James Hollis, it is the best resource for Smart Board ideas, activities, resources and training. Use the “Search this Site” function to find lessons for your grade level and subject.
www.superteachertools.com
Allows you to create your own Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Board games, which can be played online or offline.
http://almarolh.googlepages.com/harvey%27shomepage
Created by L. Harvey Almarode from James Maddison University. Offers free Notebook files for Math.
http://e-learningforkids.org/index.html
Established in late 2004, e-Learning for Kids is a global, nonprofit foundation dedicated to fun and free learning on the Internet for children ages 5-12. Provides great activities that are great on the Smart Board.
http://technic.googlepages.com/home
Developed by Nicole Mobley, a kindergarten teacher at Sandlapper Elementary in Columbia, SC. Offers free activities for KG students.
http://technology.usd259.org/resources/whiteboards/smartlessons.htm
Offers great resources for training and ready-made activities for all grades and subject areas.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Cafeteria Makeover: Using Technology to make it happen!
The cafeteria in Elda Elementary is getting a make-over! Mrs. Kerr (Art teacher at Elda) had the idea to paint a mural on the stage wall to brighten up the space. The new wall will have silhouettes of children in action poses painted in different colors. Each pose is different and gives the feelings of fun and enjoyment. The project is underway and will be finished shortly. I have been working with Mrs. Kerr to get the silhouettes outlined and painted. Here is how we are making it happen:
First, she used a digital camera to take action shots of students as they were shooting basketballs, running and any other fun movements the they could come up with. Once we had all the pictures we looked through them and choose 5 that went well together and gave the feeling of movement as they progressed. From there, we used the document camera (similar to an Elmo) and projector to blow up the images bigger then life size on the stage wall. We traced the outlines of each child to create the 5 silhouettes across the wall. The last step will be painting. Mrs. Kerr has chosen cool colors for the project. Each silhouette will be a different color.
This has been a fun project to work on and is looking great already! If you are at Elda, feel free to sneak a peak in the cafeteria to check out the progress!
First, she used a digital camera to take action shots of students as they were shooting basketballs, running and any other fun movements the they could come up with. Once we had all the pictures we looked through them and choose 5 that went well together and gave the feeling of movement as they progressed. From there, we used the document camera (similar to an Elmo) and projector to blow up the images bigger then life size on the stage wall. We traced the outlines of each child to create the 5 silhouettes across the wall. The last step will be painting. Mrs. Kerr has chosen cool colors for the project. Each silhouette will be a different color.
This has been a fun project to work on and is looking great already! If you are at Elda, feel free to sneak a peak in the cafeteria to check out the progress!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Blogs in the Classroom-Popularity on the Rise!
Blogging has become very popular these past few years and isn't just for socializing! Popularity for classroom blogs is on the rise in Ross. We have several educators throughout the district that have already 'taken the plunge' into blogging. Just to name a few, our Superintendent, Mr. Todd Yohey has a weekly blog and our own Music teacher, Ms. Stacy Strawser (Elda) has one too! Check out my "Blog List" in the left column to read their updates!
Blogs can add value to classroom education in many ways! Here are a few examples:
If you are interested in starting your own blog feel free to contact me with questions! I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Blogs can add value to classroom education in many ways! Here are a few examples:
- Serve as a news center for general information, homework and project updates ("Monthly Newsletter", "What We Did Today")
- Give parents a place to stay connected by reading about what is going on with their children's school work
- Give students a place to practice writing:
- They could each set up their own blog to be used a a journal (any subject)
- Blogs can be used for homework: the teacher posts a question or reading selection, students are required to post answers/feedback, etc
- Expose students and parents to new technology
If you are interested in starting your own blog feel free to contact me with questions! I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Using an IRT (Infrared Thermometer)
For the last two weeks I have been visiting classrooms and working with teachers to provide a lesson using the Smart Board and an IRT. What is an IRT you ask? It is a digital, infrared thermometer. It is a hand held device that can take Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature readings in just a few seconds. The lesson varies depending on the ability of the students and the grade level. The basic set up goes something like this:
We begin the discussion with the introduction of the IRT, how it works and how it compares to other types of thermometers. We then create a table on the Smart Board to record the data we are about to collect. We choose objects from around the room to take readings from items like the furnace, projector, lights, people, windows, etc. I always try to bring in additional items such as a tray of ice and a cold can of pop. Students take turns with the IRT collecting data for Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures. Depending on the amount of time alloted for the lesson and what the teacher would like to focus on, we also use an interactive thermometer on the Smart Board. Students practice converting a digital reading to show the temperature on a scale. The students have to move the "mercury/alcohol" level up to show the temperature we just collected using the IRT.
Students are encouraged to use critical thinking skills and hypothesize for what temperatures will be for each object. We ask for answers to questions such as: "If we take into consideration that the outside temperature is 60 F and the inside is 73 F, what do you think the temperature will be on the inside of the window?", or "If our average internal body temperature is 98.6 F what do you think the temperature of the outside of our hand would be? What factors would effect the temperature?" When we use the ice and cold pop we talk about what the freezing point is. I let the students see the ice tray. It is usually partially melted by now. They start guessing what the actual temperature will be and explain why. I have heard some great reasons! We take the readings and record them into our data table. The next object we measure is the cold can of pop. Students get to feel how cold the pop is and have to determine if it will be warmer or colder then the melting ice and by how many degrees. It is a lot of fun to hear and see how their minds work!
We have the students come up with the average internal body temperature and explain how they came up with their hypothesis. We also have the students predict what the reading will be in Celsius once they know what the Fahrenheit temperature is. The lesson can be adapted for multiple grade levels by varying the amount of information provided, how much we focus on Celsius temperatures and what the discussion questions are. A great extension activity is to use the data we recorded to make a graph.
Students seem to really have fun with this lesson! It helps their understanding of thermometer use and understanding temperatures along with providing practice in data collection and critical thinking skills. It is an easy way to integrate technology into a lesson. The IRT is small and easily portable. I have borrowed the IRT from a colleague of mine outside the district. As long as she does not need it back, I am happy to work with any teacher to provide this lesson to a class!
If you are interested in purchasing an IRT, check out the link below. The IRT pictured is very similar to the one I am using. They vary in price depending on how accurate they are and seem to start around $40. I know there are several other companies who sell them. This is just one example!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96451
We begin the discussion with the introduction of the IRT, how it works and how it compares to other types of thermometers. We then create a table on the Smart Board to record the data we are about to collect. We choose objects from around the room to take readings from items like the furnace, projector, lights, people, windows, etc. I always try to bring in additional items such as a tray of ice and a cold can of pop. Students take turns with the IRT collecting data for Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures. Depending on the amount of time alloted for the lesson and what the teacher would like to focus on, we also use an interactive thermometer on the Smart Board. Students practice converting a digital reading to show the temperature on a scale. The students have to move the "mercury/alcohol" level up to show the temperature we just collected using the IRT.
Students are encouraged to use critical thinking skills and hypothesize for what temperatures will be for each object. We ask for answers to questions such as: "If we take into consideration that the outside temperature is 60 F and the inside is 73 F, what do you think the temperature will be on the inside of the window?", or "If our average internal body temperature is 98.6 F what do you think the temperature of the outside of our hand would be? What factors would effect the temperature?" When we use the ice and cold pop we talk about what the freezing point is. I let the students see the ice tray. It is usually partially melted by now. They start guessing what the actual temperature will be and explain why. I have heard some great reasons! We take the readings and record them into our data table. The next object we measure is the cold can of pop. Students get to feel how cold the pop is and have to determine if it will be warmer or colder then the melting ice and by how many degrees. It is a lot of fun to hear and see how their minds work!
We have the students come up with the average internal body temperature and explain how they came up with their hypothesis. We also have the students predict what the reading will be in Celsius once they know what the Fahrenheit temperature is. The lesson can be adapted for multiple grade levels by varying the amount of information provided, how much we focus on Celsius temperatures and what the discussion questions are. A great extension activity is to use the data we recorded to make a graph.
Students seem to really have fun with this lesson! It helps their understanding of thermometer use and understanding temperatures along with providing practice in data collection and critical thinking skills. It is an easy way to integrate technology into a lesson. The IRT is small and easily portable. I have borrowed the IRT from a colleague of mine outside the district. As long as she does not need it back, I am happy to work with any teacher to provide this lesson to a class!
If you are interested in purchasing an IRT, check out the link below. The IRT pictured is very similar to the one I am using. They vary in price depending on how accurate they are and seem to start around $40. I know there are several other companies who sell them. This is just one example!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96451
Friday, February 6, 2009
eTech Ohio Technology Conference
I attended the eTech Conference in Columbus, OH this week. It was great! It is always so helpful to hear what other educators and districts are doing across the state. I came across some completely new ideas plus some helpful tricks to incorporate into projects our district is already involved in. I was really fortunate to be able to go to the conference! Thanks, Ross Local Schools! I have listed a few of my favorite topics from the conference below.
Digital Backpacks-This seems to be a great idea for making technology portable, convenient and easily accessible. The idea is to load up backpacks (yes, actual backpacks) with all the tech equipment a class would need for specific projects. Then the teacher (or a student) would just pick it up when it was time for the project and have everything they need. We already have that concept with the traveling carts (Turning Point, laptops, etc). This would be the same idea but for smaller projects or projects outside of the regular classroom (fieldtrips). For example, if a class were going on a nature walk for science to exam a local stream, they might want to take the following items: digital camera or video camera to document findings, IRT (Infrared Thermometer) to take temperatures of different habitats (water, soil, etc), laptop to record data into tables and take notes. All of these items could easily fit into a back pack to be brought along. So much of our hardware and software are portable. Why not take it with them just like scientists do?!
Ohio on iTunes U-free educational resource through iTunes-You can download educational videos and content right from iTunes! If you are interested in checking it out, go to:
www.apple.com/itunes
Once in iTunes, go to the Apple iTunes Store. Search iTunes store for "Ohio on iTunes U". Under 'Institutions', select 'Ohio'.
Creating non-Linear Power Points- I always knew this was possible but didn't know how to do it until the conference. If you are wondering what I mean by "non-linear Power Point" don't feel bad. I didn't know either until I attended the session! The term refers to creating slides, then playing the slide show in a different order. If you have ever seen a Jeopardy game in Power Point then you have seen a non-linear presentation. Basically, you have one slide that links out to other slides in the presentation. You can jump around from the main slide to the other slides and back again. So, for example, when students pick "Congruent Shapes for $200" the presentation will jump directly to the slide with that question on it even if that isn't the next slide in the order of the presentation. The question slide is also linked to the main slide with all the subject choices on it. So, after the students answer the question you can jump back to the main slide.
Stay tuned for my future blog posts for more information about the conference topics below!
Digital Backpacks-This seems to be a great idea for making technology portable, convenient and easily accessible. The idea is to load up backpacks (yes, actual backpacks) with all the tech equipment a class would need for specific projects. Then the teacher (or a student) would just pick it up when it was time for the project and have everything they need. We already have that concept with the traveling carts (Turning Point, laptops, etc). This would be the same idea but for smaller projects or projects outside of the regular classroom (fieldtrips). For example, if a class were going on a nature walk for science to exam a local stream, they might want to take the following items: digital camera or video camera to document findings, IRT (Infrared Thermometer) to take temperatures of different habitats (water, soil, etc), laptop to record data into tables and take notes. All of these items could easily fit into a back pack to be brought along. So much of our hardware and software are portable. Why not take it with them just like scientists do?!
Ohio on iTunes U-free educational resource through iTunes-You can download educational videos and content right from iTunes! If you are interested in checking it out, go to:
www.apple.com/itunes
Once in iTunes, go to the Apple iTunes Store. Search iTunes store for "Ohio on iTunes U". Under 'Institutions', select 'Ohio'.
Creating non-Linear Power Points- I always knew this was possible but didn't know how to do it until the conference. If you are wondering what I mean by "non-linear Power Point" don't feel bad. I didn't know either until I attended the session! The term refers to creating slides, then playing the slide show in a different order. If you have ever seen a Jeopardy game in Power Point then you have seen a non-linear presentation. Basically, you have one slide that links out to other slides in the presentation. You can jump around from the main slide to the other slides and back again. So, for example, when students pick "Congruent Shapes for $200" the presentation will jump directly to the slide with that question on it even if that isn't the next slide in the order of the presentation. The question slide is also linked to the main slide with all the subject choices on it. So, after the students answer the question you can jump back to the main slide.
Stay tuned for my future blog posts for more information about the conference topics below!
- More examples for using blogs in classrooms
- Smart Board gallery items for Notebook 10
- Smart Board resources (on-line)
- More info on using iWeb
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
President Obama's Inauguration and You Tube
Students and teachers at Elda were able to watch our new president be sworn into office as well as his inauguration speech on Tuesday. Since the event actually happened around 12:00 we were unable to catch it live. 12:00 is right in the middle of lunch at the elementary. However, thanks to our principal, wireless internet, You Tube and a few other staff members the whole school gathered in the gym at 3:00 and we were able to take part in the historic and educational event.
There were a few challenges getting everything ready but our technology equipment and access provided everything we needed! It amazes me how far the internet and communication have come! Our first challenge was having access to the video coverage of the event. Elda does not have any access to television stations (no cable or antennas). We have TVs in every classroom, however we use them with DVD/VHS players and classroom computers (use a presenter cable to show the computer screen on the TV). So, there was the question of, "How can we record the event?" Many of the news stations provided a live video stream so online viewers could watch just as they would on a TV. This was great except for the fact that we didn't have software (or at least not that I am aware of) to record a live streaming video from the internet onto the computer or CD/DVD to watch at 3:00. This is where You Tube saved the day! Many of the news station websites provided clips of the president being sworn in, however I couldn't find any video clips of the entire inauguration speech until I searched You Tube. A helpful viewer recorded the CNN live video feed of the speech on their computer and posted it on You Tube. So, after setting up a wireless router to provide internet access to the gym we were able to use a laptop and projector to show the entire school our new president being sworn in and his speech straight from You Tube.
This was a great learning experience for our students! They were able to witness President Barack Obama's inauguration through the use of the wonderful technology we have in our building! The fact that the entire oath and speech were available to view online only minutes for the oath and a few hours for the speech after it happened live was amazing!
There were a few challenges getting everything ready but our technology equipment and access provided everything we needed! It amazes me how far the internet and communication have come! Our first challenge was having access to the video coverage of the event. Elda does not have any access to television stations (no cable or antennas). We have TVs in every classroom, however we use them with DVD/VHS players and classroom computers (use a presenter cable to show the computer screen on the TV). So, there was the question of, "How can we record the event?" Many of the news stations provided a live video stream so online viewers could watch just as they would on a TV. This was great except for the fact that we didn't have software (or at least not that I am aware of) to record a live streaming video from the internet onto the computer or CD/DVD to watch at 3:00. This is where You Tube saved the day! Many of the news station websites provided clips of the president being sworn in, however I couldn't find any video clips of the entire inauguration speech until I searched You Tube. A helpful viewer recorded the CNN live video feed of the speech on their computer and posted it on You Tube. So, after setting up a wireless router to provide internet access to the gym we were able to use a laptop and projector to show the entire school our new president being sworn in and his speech straight from You Tube.
This was a great learning experience for our students! They were able to witness President Barack Obama's inauguration through the use of the wonderful technology we have in our building! The fact that the entire oath and speech were available to view online only minutes for the oath and a few hours for the speech after it happened live was amazing!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Working with our new Pro-Ohio and Clicker Software (CCI)
Teachers have been using Turning Point with students since last year to assess student achievement. I have heard a lot of great feedback from teachers and students! Turning Point is a system that combines software based in Power Point with hardware that resembles TV remote controls (we call them clickers). Questions are shown through a computer and projector and students get to 'vote in' their answers. The class gets immediate feedback once all the votes are submitted. A graph displays what percentage of students voted for each answer choice. Teachers can create their own questions or use the questions from our Pro-Ohio test practice software. Teachers can quickly and easily see how the class is understanding concepts and use the results from the graphs to guide instruction and discuss each question. Students have fun with the clickers and feel like they are voting in on a game show! It is a great way to motivate students to participate!
We have a new software program to use with our Turning Point clickers and Pro-Ohio. It is called the CCI Application and it is connected to the Pro-Ohio testing database. CCI stands for 'Classroom Clicker Integration'. In the past, we have used Turning Point software with pre-created slides containing questions from the Pro-Ohio tests. It has been a great way to quickly assess student comprehension in a whole-group environment. The only down side was they way the reporting worked. Teachers needed to run reports from Turning Point to see the results from the tests as well as run reports from Pro-Ohio to see how students were progressing using their individual accounts. Since the questions were the same in Turning Point as they were in the Pro-Ohio individual accounts, teachers would compare the two reports to look at progress. The new CCI Application sends the whole-group test results directly to the Pro-Ohio database. The software tracks answers from each student and imports them directly to individual student accounts. Teachers no longer have to worry about saving test results and going to multiple places to see them. Now, all they have to do is log into Pro-Ohio to see how students are progressing with the standards. Teachers can still use the Turning Point software to create their own questions, however the CCI Application will make using Pro-Ohio questions a much smoother process.
Both Morgan and Elda are just getting started with the new CCI software. They will use a combination of the clickers and individual computers/log ins to help students prepare for upcoming tests. I have worked with several teachers in the past few weeks and have more on my schedule for the upcoming weeks. Everyone is doing a GREAT job jumping in with the new software!
We have a new software program to use with our Turning Point clickers and Pro-Ohio. It is called the CCI Application and it is connected to the Pro-Ohio testing database. CCI stands for 'Classroom Clicker Integration'. In the past, we have used Turning Point software with pre-created slides containing questions from the Pro-Ohio tests. It has been a great way to quickly assess student comprehension in a whole-group environment. The only down side was they way the reporting worked. Teachers needed to run reports from Turning Point to see the results from the tests as well as run reports from Pro-Ohio to see how students were progressing using their individual accounts. Since the questions were the same in Turning Point as they were in the Pro-Ohio individual accounts, teachers would compare the two reports to look at progress. The new CCI Application sends the whole-group test results directly to the Pro-Ohio database. The software tracks answers from each student and imports them directly to individual student accounts. Teachers no longer have to worry about saving test results and going to multiple places to see them. Now, all they have to do is log into Pro-Ohio to see how students are progressing with the standards. Teachers can still use the Turning Point software to create their own questions, however the CCI Application will make using Pro-Ohio questions a much smoother process.
Both Morgan and Elda are just getting started with the new CCI software. They will use a combination of the clickers and individual computers/log ins to help students prepare for upcoming tests. I have worked with several teachers in the past few weeks and have more on my schedule for the upcoming weeks. Everyone is doing a GREAT job jumping in with the new software!
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