Creating Original Smartboard Activities

As previously noted in this blog, the Smartboard is a great resource in the classroom because of the program's many templates for creating interactive lessons.  The options of using the Smartboard do not stop with these templates, however.  By understanding just a few basic ideas teachers can develop other types of activities for their students.  Examples of these many functions include a magic pen to draw attention to important information, grouping objects so they appear together, and using a magnifying glass to show hidden information.  There are actually so many functions that the Smartboard offers that it is difficult to know them all.  A willingness to explore the program is a must when wanting to learn how to use everything the Smartboard offers, but the time spent exploring is well worth it. 

Current Teacher's Advice

Tonight the class went to visit a current teacher.  This teacher talked to the class about how she uses the Smartboard in her classroom.  She showed the class how she quickly makes a variety of activities that engage students in their learning.  By using features such as the vortex and the response remotes she aids students in practicing what they have learned.  She gave tips in using the Smartboard.  She told the class to make sure one does not overuse the Smartboard because the students will become bored.  She also told the class that Smartboard activities can be used as a center in language arts time.  This teacher is a strong advocate of teaching students how to use technology appropriately at an early age.  This advice was helpful as it gave the class a better idea of how Smartboards can be used. 

Discovery Education Video Streaming

The Discovery Education Video Streaming (DEVS) website is a very helpful resource for teachers to use in the classroom.  It is similar to Teacher Tube in that it provides educational videos for teachers to use.  However, when comparing these two sites, it is easy to notice the differences in the searching capabilities.  DEVS is very organized and advanced in searching options.  Searching is self explanatory and efficient because teachers can search for videos using specific state standards.  This cuts down on a lot of time spent looking through videos that do not pertain to what they are looking for.  How the videos are broken down into segments is also very useful because it allows teachers to pick which part of whole videos is most important for students to see.  DEVS makes it easy for teachers to save and organize videos they want to use by using the My Content folder.  The site also offers many bonus features to enhance student learning such as the quiz builder and world atlas.  DEVS is a great classroom resource for teachers to have access to.

Teacher Tube

Teacher Tube was created as an alternative to You Tube to provide educational and age appropriate videos for teachers to use in their classrooms.  Having a place to look for these types of videos is very helpful in giving teachers another way to reinforce the material that is covered in class.  Many of the videos on Teacher Tube are useful; however, some are not as effective because they do not cover the content well.  When searching on Teacher Tube it is also difficult to find videos on specific subjects, which can be frustrating.  It is easiest to find quality videos when looking under the preselected video suggestions that Teacher Tube provides.  While this option displays these good videos, it is not practical when searching for a specific topic.  Teacher Tube is a great and safe alternative to You Tube, but does have its fall backs in searching capabilities.   

The following are links to videos found on Teacher Tube and SOLs that pertain to them:

1)http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=24266&title=Mr_Duey___Fractions_Official_Video&ref=Blayne07

Math 5.7   The student will add and subtract with fractions and mixed numbers, with and without regrouping, and express answers in simplest form. Problems will include like and unlike denominators limited to 12 or less.

2) http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=7708&title=Water_Cycle_Song&ref=Blayne0    

Science 3.9 The student will investigate and understand the water cycle and its relationship to life on Earth. Key concepts include 

a)      the energy from the sun drives the water cycle;

b)      processes involved in the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation);

c)      water is essential for living things; and

d)      water supply and water conservation.

 

The Smartboard

The Smartboard has endless opportunities for teaching.  The program offers many different templates for teachers to utilize in creating interactive lesson plans.  These templates include sorting, alphabetizing, matching, and other game types for children to practice what they have learned.  It is also very easy for teachers to use these templates.  All that a teacher really must know is what they want to put into the template, then the program does the rest of the work.  The Smartboard program is a great way to offer students an interactive way of learning while also providing teachers with a simple and quick way to do this.

Google Custom Search Engine

Site: http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=000101027159044067582:qd0ow7nqgru

Title: Plants

Flickr

Wild Horses at Chincoteague
August 2009



Using Flickr seems very simple.  The site is self explanatory and walks users through step by step.  It is convenient because on the first page after registering the list of steps to add photos is given first.  It is also helpful when trying to pick out photos to post because Flickr automatically leads users to their saved photos, where they just have to click the photos they want to add to Flickr and they are loaded to the site.  This website is very user friendly and helps people create photo pages that look well put together, but are done so easily. 

Flickr would be a great resource for the classroom.  Teachers could load pictures of what their class has been doing for parents to see as a means of communication.  The article also suggests that students use the site for finding pictures on a certain subject instead of using magazines.  This would be much more convenient for teachers because they would not need to gather magazines and hope that what their students need to find is included in them.  The possibilities of Flickr are endless in the classroom setting.