SMART Exchange and Promethean Planet: These are two website that you can use to find specific interactive lessons addressing your curriculum. Go to http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0 or http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/ and find lessons created by educators all around the world. You can use created lessons, adjust the lessons to fit your curriculum, or just get ideas for new ways to present the content. (Joshua Bingham)
United Streaming is also a wonderful resource that I utilize in my classroom on a regular basis. Go to http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ for a plethora of resources such as pictures and lesson plans. My favorite thing to use from this website are the many video clips that I can find to present the science and social studies curriculum in a different way. (Joshua Bingham)
One way to incorporate technology to make learning more interactive for students is to use Apple’s GarageBand application. Most Apple computers come equipped with this feature, or the application can be downloaded directly to your computer. GarageBand prepares individuals to create a melody of their own choosing and it’s helpful for teachers who want their students to create innovative projects. (Jen Bullock)
I’ve found that music students make under GarageBand can be played while students prepare a slideshow using iPhoto. Most students carry phones that can take pictures. These pictures can be transferred to an Apple computer and placed in sequence using iPhoto to create a good slideshow filled with personalized pictures. (Jen Bullock)
Our school district is somewhat limited to the advanced technological resources that other school districts. We do have a few useful things that can be implemented and used to a certain degree to enhance the education of our students. 1) On-line resources: Google maps/interactive---our high school is purchasing a contract from Google to use historical and interactive maps for the social studies department. The obvious uses will be to use these maps to show places where we are talking about; countries, cities, battlefields, transportation, geo-political and topography. The more important aspect of these maps is they are interactive and 3D. This will allow the students to create maps, interact with these maps and see a more complete view of the historical importance of the subject matter. 2) V-Brick---V-Brick is a video upload that allows the teacher to bring videos, digital clips, and other video resources into the classroom. This would allow the teacher to enhance the learning experience by offering a visual explanation of what is going on in the classroom. For example, if a history teacher was discussing the Civil Rights the teacher could show Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech, or footage of the “Little Rock 9.” These offer the students a firsthand experience of history. 3) Digital Cameras---We have a limited number, but now students could use these to make a digital photo collage instead using the old standby of magazines. It also would force the students to use their creative sides and take the pictures themselves and offer explanations of the pictures. It would engage the more artistic students in a class. 4) Smartboards---This device should be fairly obvious. It is a major upgrade from and overhead projector, but the real improvement is the interaction a student can have with it. Instead of an oral report, the students can do a full interactive power point production. This enhances the learning experience not only for the student doing the project, but the audience as well. 5) On line Notebooks---Our department is in the process of trying to get a resource where students could keep all their notes and assignment in an on-line notebook. This way the teacher could check the assignments at any time from any location and the students could maintain the notebook as well. The value is that students who miss a day wouldn’t fall behind and it relates to real life experience of keeping records in an office or for a business.
Replacement Ideas:
The SMART Exchange and Promethean Planet websites also offer ways to replace old lessons with new interactive lessons that engage the students. These lessons are much more likely to keep the students excited about learning than reading out of the textbook. (Joshua Bingham)
PowerPoint or SMART lesson created by a group of students can be a nice change from the traditional research paper. I teach 5th grade science and social studies and find that having the students work together collaboratively on an interactive lesson can be eye-opening for the teacher. I actually learned many things last year by watching the students research the web and different sites to find their pictures, video clips, and primary sources to share with the other students. (Joshua Bingham)
Vocabulary building has always been important part of our lessons. Especially, because many of our students are ELL or LEP, the vocabulary needs to be interactive and effective. Typically, index cards have been used for these purposes. Usually, I’d assign a word and the students would draw a picture of it’s meaning. However, as a good replacement, students can use a digital camera to take pictures of the meaning of the word and attach that to a slideshow created by a PowerPoint. (Jen Bullock)
Research:
One article that I have researched discusses the benefits of classroom technologies. TECHnology and Literacy for Adolescents with Disabilities is a great article that highlights how using technology in the classroom promotes differentiated instruction, student response, and engagement. I totally agree with this article. Using technology to present the curriculum in different ways keeps the students engaged and excited about learning. This article also does a wonderful job discussing the ways to integrate technology to reach the needs of students with disabilities helping educators differentiate their instruction. (Joshua Bingham)
King-Sears, Margaret Elaine; Swanson, Christopher; Mainzer, Lynne. (2011) TECHnology and Literacy for Adolescents with Disabilities. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 54 Issue 8, p569-578, 10p; DOI: 10.1598/JAAL.54.8.2
2. Regardless of the system being used to give students the benefit of using technology, the very act of incorporating 21st century tools and media provides opportunities for students to utilize what they are familiar with in their world and expand on ideas for the purposes of enhancing education. According to a concerned group of teachers in South Orang-Maplewood, incorporating technology and technology replacements for outdated practices, students maintain their commitment to lifelong learning. It is essential that our educators join our leaders in society and implement appropriate applications of technology in our schools. Without that effort, our students will not be truly literate and ready to live successful lives in the information age.” (1993). I realize this article is over a decade old, but the rationale is the same. (Jen Bullock)
South Orange-Maplewood School District, N. J. (1993). Educational Technology Curriculum: K-12. Living with Technology: A Life-Long Learning Process. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Technology Resources:
Our school district is somewhat limited to the advanced technological resources that other school districts. We do have a few useful things that can be implemented and used to a certain degree to enhance the education of our students.
1) On-line resources: Google maps/interactive---our high school is purchasing a contract from Google to use historical and interactive maps for the social studies department. The obvious uses will be to use these maps to show places where we are talking about; countries, cities, battlefields, transportation, geo-political and topography. The more important aspect of these maps is they are interactive and 3D. This will allow the students to create maps, interact with these maps and see a more complete view of the historical importance of the subject matter.
2) V-Brick---V-Brick is a video upload that allows the teacher to bring videos, digital clips, and other video resources into the classroom. This would allow the teacher to enhance the learning experience by offering a visual explanation of what is going on in the classroom. For example, if a history teacher was discussing the Civil Rights the teacher could show Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech, or footage of the “Little Rock 9.” These offer the students a firsthand experience of history.
3) Digital Cameras---We have a limited number, but now students could use these to make a digital photo collage instead using the old standby of magazines. It also would force the students to use their creative sides and take the pictures themselves and offer explanations of the pictures. It would engage the more artistic students in a class.
4) Smartboards---This device should be fairly obvious. It is a major upgrade from and overhead projector, but the real improvement is the interaction a student can have with it. Instead of an oral report, the students can do a full interactive power point production. This enhances the learning experience not only for the student doing the project, but the audience as well.
5) On line Notebooks---Our department is in the process of trying to get a resource where students could keep all their notes and assignment in an on-line notebook. This way the teacher could check the assignments at any time from any location and the students could maintain the notebook as well. The value is that students who miss a day wouldn’t fall behind and it relates to real life experience of keeping records in an office or for a business.
Replacement Ideas:
Research:
King-Sears, Margaret Elaine; Swanson, Christopher; Mainzer, Lynne. (2011) TECHnology and Literacy for Adolescents with Disabilities. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 54 Issue 8, p569-578, 10p; DOI: 10.1598/JAAL.54.8.2
2. Regardless of the system being used to give students the benefit of using technology, the very act of incorporating 21st century tools and media provides opportunities for students to utilize what they are familiar with in their world and expand on ideas for the purposes of enhancing education. According to a concerned group of teachers in South Orang-Maplewood, incorporating technology and technology replacements for outdated practices, students maintain their commitment to lifelong learning. It is essential that our educators join our leaders in society and implement appropriate applications of technology in our schools. Without that effort, our students will not be truly literate and ready to live successful lives in the information age.” (1993). I realize this article is over a decade old, but the rationale is the same. (Jen Bullock)
South Orange-Maplewood School District, N. J. (1993). Educational Technology Curriculum: K-12. Living with Technology: A Life-Long Learning Process. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.