On Tuesday we had a full day of interactive whiteboard presentations to try and find a district standard to move forward with. A lot of teachers are getting grants to purchase interactive whiteboards for classrooms, which is great news! The district is also hoping to purchase a few more for classrooms. The idea is to have one brand throughout the district moving forward. The consistency should make the learning curve faster for students since they won't have to learn a new board in each classroom. Teachers will be able to work together easier since they will all be using the same equipment and software and tech support will be faster as well since there is only one board to learn!
There were 4 companies that presented their products to the group and one stood out above all the others. It was the Eno board made by PolyVision. It is a new product and has only been on the market about a year. There are a few features that make it stand out among the rest. One is the ease of use. The board is simple, quick to learn and smooth to switch from tool to tool. This will make learning how to use it fast and easy. The educational software that goes with the board is also simple. There are tons of great interactive tools to engage and teach students included. The Eno board is also a dry erase board. Teachers no longer have to give up that space on their walls! The board is magnetic, works with dry erase markers and is interactive. Plus, if you have an extra stylus you can have two students using the board at the same time! Or, they can use the markers and you can have as many students write on the board as you have markers!
There were a few other key features about the product and company that we liked as well. Just a few include the precision of the stylus, the professional development offered and the product warranties. The board is very precise so no more clicking two and three times to select the item you want. The group still has a few questions to look into before any official decisions are made. However, the Eno seems like a great product and is definitely worth checking out!
For more information, visit the website:
http://www.polyvision.com/tabid/155/objectid/70/default.aspx
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Google Wave-A new way to communicate!
Tuesday ended with another Tele-Tech Tuesday video conference hosted by SOITA. The new topic was Google Wave, a new application from Google. The company seems to always be creating something new and Wave is no exception. Wave seems to be taking online communication to the next level. To me, it seems to be a combination of an IM (instant messenger), wikis and email. It takes the best of each piece and pulls it together to form sort of an 'all-in-one' communication and collaboration tool. You can chat instantly, drag and drop pictures, videos and other files right into the conversation thread, edit and save conversations (this works great to answer questions directly under the question rather in another message). You can also work on documents live with other people. I think this is going to be a great application with a few adjustments from Google. Wave is new and still in a testing phase. I'm sure Google will keep making improvements. It is worth checking out to see where web 2.o is headed!
To hear the official description and for more information, check out:
http://wave.google.com/about.html
To hear the official description and for more information, check out:
http://wave.google.com/about.html
Friday, February 19, 2010
How many words is a video worth?
We have all heard the saying, 'A picture is worth a thousand words'. Well, how many words is a video clip worth? A lot more if you ask me! I have recently purchased a Flip Video camera for my personal use have discovered just how easy they really are to use. If you want to capture video of your class the Flip is a great way to go! The cameras are very small so they fit great in your pocket and with only a few buttons you really can't mess anything up on accident! The other great part is how easy it is to load the video on your computer. The flips use a USB connector that is built right into the camera. So, you don't need to worry about finding the elusive cord that typically comes with cameras but never seems to be around when you need it. Plus, the software is built into the camera too so you can upload, edit and publish your videos from any computer that you plug into! If you want to capture video quickly and easily then I recommend the Flip!
Just think of the benefits students would get by listening and watching themselves read, perform, etc.
There are some great discounts out there for educators. Here is a site that was recommended to me by Jenna Rahrig from Morgan:
http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/product?id=4310
The side offers buy one, get one free for educators!
There are other pocket camcorders available on the market too. Many of them are great products as well. However, one of the reasons I like the Flip so much is it works on PCs and Macs. This is great for schools when you are not always on the same computer!
Just think of the benefits students would get by listening and watching themselves read, perform, etc.
There are some great discounts out there for educators. Here is a site that was recommended to me by Jenna Rahrig from Morgan:
http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/product?id=4310
The side offers buy one, get one free for educators!
There are other pocket camcorders available on the market too. Many of them are great products as well. However, one of the reasons I like the Flip so much is it works on PCs and Macs. This is great for schools when you are not always on the same computer!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Add Slideshows to your Blog with Picasa
I was fortunate enough to attend (and present at) the eTech Ohio Conference (state technology conference) this week in Columbus. I was able to get some great information (as always) to bring back and was selected to be a presenter for one of the sessions! I can't take all the credit though. Stacy Strawser, Jenna Rahrig and Lisa Hodits all presented with me for, 'Using Blogs and Picasa for Classroom Communication'. We came up with the idea, submitted our proposal in the fall and were selected!
The presentation was great! Everyone did a wonderful job. We taught a hands on session that covered setting up a blog, setting up a Picasa account (picture management software) and using Picasa to add a slideshow into our blog (blogger.com). We wanted a way to add your own pictures into your blog as a slide show. Picasa makes that possible through the use of 'Web Albums'. Basically, you can create a folder that is stored on the Picasa server (internet) instead of your own computer. That way you can get to your picture from anywhere with internet access instead of having to be on your computer. The process is pretty smooth and since Picasa and Blogger are through Google you use the same username and password
for both accounts. This means less passwords to remember. Yea!
I have uploaded the handouts from the presentation (as a slide show) and added the links to both sites we used. Feel free to check it out for your self or ask for help! Click on the slide show to make it bigger and control each slide.
The link below is Stacy's music blog. She has a slide show running in the yellow bar on the right side of her blog. It is the 'Elda Music Slideshow'. Check it out:
http://eldamusic.blogspot.com/
Picasa
Blogger
The presentation was great! Everyone did a wonderful job. We taught a hands on session that covered setting up a blog, setting up a Picasa account (picture management software) and using Picasa to add a slideshow into our blog (blogger.com). We wanted a way to add your own pictures into your blog as a slide show. Picasa makes that possible through the use of 'Web Albums'. Basically, you can create a folder that is stored on the Picasa server (internet) instead of your own computer. That way you can get to your picture from anywhere with internet access instead of having to be on your computer. The process is pretty smooth and since Picasa and Blogger are through Google you use the same username and password
for both accounts. This means less passwords to remember. Yea!I have uploaded the handouts from the presentation (as a slide show) and added the links to both sites we used. Feel free to check it out for your self or ask for help! Click on the slide show to make it bigger and control each slide.
The link below is Stacy's music blog. She has a slide show running in the yellow bar on the right side of her blog. It is the 'Elda Music Slideshow'. Check it out:
http://eldamusic.blogspot.com/
Picasa
Blogger
Friday, January 29, 2010
Projectable Books and the Smart Board
Projectable books are another great resource to use with a Smart Board! Shena Ashcraft (1st grade teacher at Elda) asked if I would show the 1st grade team how to use them with the Smart Board. I had not seen them before and took a few minutes to learn about them. I'm glad I did! Here are the basics:
Projectable Books
Tools for Small Group and Whole Class Instruction
Reading A-Z integrates technology and reading curriculum with leveled readers and benchmark books formatted for digital projectors and interactive white boards. Projectable Book Tips guide educators to meet literacy instruction goals for fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and more. Plus, our companion, printable format extends lessons with leveled books teachers send home for student practice. (http://www.readinga-z.com/book/projectable-books.php)
They are a fantastic way to share books to the whole class! Plus, there are several fun tools that make teaching and learning easier. You can draw and/or highlight over any of the pages. Plus, you can use the reveal and cover tools to show/hide only certain areas of each page. The software is super easy to use and it is web-based so you don't have to download anything! I highly recommend checking these out. For more information, check out:
http://www.readinga-z.com/book/projectable-books.php
Projectable Books
Tools for Small Group and Whole Class Instruction
Reading A-Z integrates technology and reading curriculum with leveled readers and benchmark books formatted for digital projectors and interactive white boards. Projectable Book Tips guide educators to meet literacy instruction goals for fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and more. Plus, our companion, printable format extends lessons with leveled books teachers send home for student practice. (http://www.readinga-z.com/book/projectable-books.php)
They are a fantastic way to share books to the whole class! Plus, there are several fun tools that make teaching and learning easier. You can draw and/or highlight over any of the pages. Plus, you can use the reveal and cover tools to show/hide only certain areas of each page. The software is super easy to use and it is web-based so you don't have to download anything! I highly recommend checking these out. For more information, check out:
http://www.readinga-z.com/book/projectable-books.php
Friday, January 22, 2010
Jumping Back into Great Technology Projects!
I want to put a big "Thank you" out there to all my friends at Ross for making my transition back to work easier! After 3 months of leave I am back to work and getting into the swing of things again. Everyone has been so supportive and welcoming. It really has made a difference and made it easier for me!
It sounds like classes did a great job keeping up while I was out and it is nice to be back and able to help where teachers find they need it. Teachers are signing up for technology help in all sorts of areas. We have research projects going on, multiple grade levels using the Smart Board for various lessons, classes using the Turning Point clickers, students using Pro-Ohio, EasyTech and CCI as well as student using the IRT (Infrared Thermometer)! I know there are even more projects then what I listed!
We also have the eTech Conference (Educational Technology conference for Ohio) coming up in February. We have a great group representing our Elementary buildings and district this year. Stacy Strawser, Jenna Rahrig, Lisa Hodits and I will be presenting "Using Blogs and Picassa for Classroom Communication". I will post more about our presentation after the conference!
Stay tuned for more project spotlights on upcoming Fridays!
It sounds like classes did a great job keeping up while I was out and it is nice to be back and able to help where teachers find they need it. Teachers are signing up for technology help in all sorts of areas. We have research projects going on, multiple grade levels using the Smart Board for various lessons, classes using the Turning Point clickers, students using Pro-Ohio, EasyTech and CCI as well as student using the IRT (Infrared Thermometer)! I know there are even more projects then what I listed!
We also have the eTech Conference (Educational Technology conference for Ohio) coming up in February. We have a great group representing our Elementary buildings and district this year. Stacy Strawser, Jenna Rahrig, Lisa Hodits and I will be presenting "Using Blogs and Picassa for Classroom Communication". I will post more about our presentation after the conference!
Stay tuned for more project spotlights on upcoming Fridays!
Friday, October 2, 2009
New Pro-Ohio Feature: Web Test Bookmarking
Pro-Ohio has a new feature! Students can now bookmark a short-cycle assessment test when they don't have enough time to finish it. They used to have to just close out and not get scored on any of the answers they had completed. Now, they have two options when class time is up:
Click on
'Save Test and Exit' or 'Finish Test/Submit Answers'. There will be a new link up by the subjects called "Bookmarked". The next time the student logs in they can click there to get to a list of all unfinished tests. From there, they just click on the test they want to finish. The test will pop up just like the regular ones do and the student can finish answering the questions. Then, submit the test for a score.
The elementary buildings are just about ready to start using the web accounts! Morgan's database is up with just a few changes that need to be made. Elda's accounts will be soon to follow! Once all the accounts are ready, teachers can begin using Pro-Ohio with their students via clickers and/or individual web log ins.
Click on
'Save Test and Exit' or 'Finish Test/Submit Answers'. There will be a new link up by the subjects called "Bookmarked". The next time the student logs in they can click there to get to a list of all unfinished tests. From there, they just click on the test they want to finish. The test will pop up just like the regular ones do and the student can finish answering the questions. Then, submit the test for a score.
The elementary buildings are just about ready to start using the web accounts! Morgan's database is up with just a few changes that need to be made. Elda's accounts will be soon to follow! Once all the accounts are ready, teachers can begin using Pro-Ohio with their students via clickers and/or individual web log ins.
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