Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Document Cameras and SMART Notebook...A Perfect Match
Many of the teachers I work with have been using document cameras for the past year. The two prevailing models are Avermedia and IPEVO . Each model has its advantages. The Avermedia cameras are feature filled while the IPEVO is nicely priced...$70!
My teachers love using them for a variety of purposes.
My teachers love using them for a variety of purposes.
- showcasing student work
- demonstrating with manipulatives
- reading a book and showcasing the pictures
- using it as a QR code reader
All of this is great but my teachers still have issues while using their document cameras. Each camera has its own software. My teachers use SMART Notebook for just about everything, but they are forced to use the document camera software when it is in use. It would just be great if SMART Notebook would allow you to show the document camera image within Notebook.Now you can and this has been great news for my teachers.
Avermedia has a flash based app that allows you to insert your live document camera image directly in SMART Notebook. Now you can use your Avermedia document camera without having to use their software.
This is great for the teachers with Avermedia document cameras but what about those with IPEVO document cameras? Well, IPEVO users still need use the P2V software. After opening the P2V software, teachers will open SMART Notebook. With SMART Notebook open, select the Transparency icon. Now the document camera image will show within SMART Notebook and all the SMART Notebook tools are at your disposal.
No matter which of these camera types you have, both can opened and manipulated in SMART Notebook.
This is technology that actually works!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
PD On Your Own Part 2: Twitter
Twitter is more than celebrities, athletes, and political staff spouting off about anything and everything. Twitter is one part of the PD On Your Own Tool belt that educators can use to grow as professionals. So why should educators use Twitter?
1. networking with like minded professionals
2. a wealth of resources is shared daily
3. a place to seek affirmation with others like themselves
4. a place to contribute.
So where do you start?
1. Sign up for a free twitter account
2. Install Tweetdeck.
3. Do a hashtag search and use this to find some educators to follow.
4. Start slow and then start to contribute.
Some Twitter Tips:
1. Be a smart follower...you don't win a prize for following the most people. Doing so could make Twitter too much to follow, leading to non-usage.
2. Search the hashtags to find Twitter users who share the same passion, interests, etc.
3. No fear...the Twitter world in education circles is a good place. People will help you if needed.
4. Contribute...the more people contribute, the better pool of resources that are available to all.
Nothing in this post is ground breaking tech, but it is technology that actually works.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
PD on Your Own: Part One - Blogs
On Monday, October 10th, I will be doing a presentation at the MOREnet Instructional Technology Conference (MITC) entitled "PD On Your Own". In preparation for my presentation, I will be blogging about different pieces of my presentation. Today, we will take a look at how to use blogs for your own professional development.
I am an avid blog reader and I collect many of my ideas, resources, and technology integration strategies from the blogs I read. To keep up with the 20 or so blogs I read daily, I enlist the help of Google Reader. With my Google Reader, I always have an up to date look at what blog posts are new to me. Instead of visiting all these different web sites, their content is aggregated for me. Not sure what I am talking about, check out "Google Reader in Plain English".
For iPad users, you can view all your blogs in one place with the FlipBoard app. Flipboard allows you to customize the news feeds (blogs, Twitter, Facebook) you want to view. It puts them into a book format that you can flip through. Click HERE to see Flipboard in action. I have only been using Flipboard for a few weeks but I really like it. It allows be to peruse through a bunch of information and then pick the content that I want to investigate further. I especially enjoy Flipboard for Twitter...but I will talk about that at a later time.
You may be asking: "How do I even start"?
1. Sign up for a free Google Reader account.
2. Find one blog to follow by doing a Google search or visit my website for a list of the blogs I read.
3. Start small and then expand your blogging horizons as you take your journey of PD on your own.
This is technology that actually works!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Typewith.me and Elementary Writing
Simple Tech Integration: Using typewith.me for constructed response questions
Not every technology integration in your classroom needs to be an elaborate project that takes weeks. Sometimes the best uses are the simple, everyday occurrances in your classroom. During a training session, one of my 5th grade teachers discussed how he used typewith.me during his language arts block.
Each week, students are answering a constructed response question on a reading story or book. Normally, students would respond on paper and get some feedback from the teacher. This year, these students are answering these questions on typewith.me in small groups. The students visit the link provided by the teacher and work on their responses together. When everyone is done, the students then look at how the others answered the same question or a different one. From there, the teacher has options about how to proceed.
They could:
a. bring up the site on the IWB and discuss the pros and cons for each answer.
b. have the students critique the other groups' work.
c. have the students read over the other answers and then make improvements to their own.
There are several reasons I love this technology integration strategy.
1. It is simple. The teacher creates a new document on typewith.me and adds the link to their website for students to access.
2. Students are learning from each other. Typewith.me makes it simple for students to see each other's work and then use that as a learning experience. Students are providing authentic feedback for each other, while the teacher can guide these conversations.
3. Typewith.me is free and does not require a log in!
This may not be the newest resource out there. It may not be the flashiest or most groundbreaking...
but it is technology that actually works!
Not every technology integration in your classroom needs to be an elaborate project that takes weeks. Sometimes the best uses are the simple, everyday occurrances in your classroom. During a training session, one of my 5th grade teachers discussed how he used typewith.me during his language arts block.
Each week, students are answering a constructed response question on a reading story or book. Normally, students would respond on paper and get some feedback from the teacher. This year, these students are answering these questions on typewith.me in small groups. The students visit the link provided by the teacher and work on their responses together. When everyone is done, the students then look at how the others answered the same question or a different one. From there, the teacher has options about how to proceed.
They could:
a. bring up the site on the IWB and discuss the pros and cons for each answer.
b. have the students critique the other groups' work.
c. have the students read over the other answers and then make improvements to their own.
There are several reasons I love this technology integration strategy.
1. It is simple. The teacher creates a new document on typewith.me and adds the link to their website for students to access.
2. Students are learning from each other. Typewith.me makes it simple for students to see each other's work and then use that as a learning experience. Students are providing authentic feedback for each other, while the teacher can guide these conversations.
3. Typewith.me is free and does not require a log in!
This may not be the newest resource out there. It may not be the flashiest or most groundbreaking...
but it is technology that actually works!
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