- Maybe 75% have interactive boards.
- Perhaps half of those use them for more than just screens.
- Of those who use their interactive boards, maybe half really make use of more than just writing text.--e.g., changing colors, drawing tables, moving things around.
- When these boards are used effectively, student engagement seems to be significantly improved, compared to classrooms where they're not used, or are used sparingly.
- No one prints out what they've written as a source for notes--either hardcopy or on the web.
- Very few use short video clips as means of introducing a topic, reinforcing a concept, or just keeping students engaged--well, I did once or twice.
- No one videos any of their lessons for possible use by students who were absent or just want to review a concept.
- Students rarely use computers, interactive boards, or other media tools in the classroom. On the other hand, I do see a lot of computer usage in the junior high library where I'm currently placed.
- Technically-oriented courses, like math or science, seem to make no better uses of technology than the social sciences. Why is that?
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3 years ago
5 comments:
My DYAD (5th grade) uses the active board every day for math, including promethean planet flip charts (which she prepares at home). She uses the active votes for quick assessments and much of the practice part of the math lesson is kids going up to the board to solve a problem. Sometimes there are sound effects for the right answer, which they all enjoy.
It is a very engaging way to teach math. My only complaint is the time it takes to give all the kids a chance to try a problem. Using the "pen" is sometimes tricky, especially the "eraser" and it might take half an hour for everyone to have a turn. With time so dear, I would like to see it used more sparingly.
She also shows video clips occasionally--teacher tube, discovery school, etc., to introduce concepts.
The other technology use I see every week is the vocab. list. She again makes a flipchart with visuals and defintions of all the vocabulary words. She follows the Mariners, so many of her examples are tied to the team, which seems like a good interest grabber for 5th grade. Many students in the class are ELL, and the visual presentation really helps for vocabulary.
At my old school, teachers would post work to their websites and scan in homework and video clips. That was a more affluent school, so there was an assumption that students would have access to a computer.
At my son's high school, two of his teachers are very tech savvy and they have homework, class lessons, tutorials and resources posted on their websites! It's a nice resource at home and much appreciated.
I would really like a lesson on interactive white boards. I see them in most of the classrooms I have worked in and feel like it would be helpful to know exactly what they are capable of doing and how to use them, other than just for writing in a planner or taking notes. Does anyone feel like they have expert knowledge to share? I would be most appreciative.
I hadn't considered how time-consuming it could become for students to use it. Maybe everyone should get training on the active board at the beginning of the year. I guess some schools use smart boards instead, but I don't know whether they're easier to use--although I have used smart boards before. Having heard about a high school math teacher at my sister's school who has his students using smart boards nearly every day, I wondered how to make that happen!
My dyad teacher doesn't use active board at all - it just takes up space at the front of her classroom. She does use the document camera, but that's about it for technology. It's the opposite with my main placement teacher. She uses the active board frequently, for a variety of purposes. I'm a little intimidated at the prospect of having to use it so much, but I suppose practice, practice, practice is the best way to learn. It's good to know that should I need the help, I will have 29 very eager 5th graders who will show me the ropes.
My Dyad teacher uses the active board fairly frequently, much as wildlemon's teacher does. He uses it for graphs for math, working out problems sometimes and has presented topics with promethean and active votes. However, despite the fact that I think he is quite tech savvy, there are frequently times where the use of the technology has slowed down the lesson considerably as the teacher has to try to get something to work or come up correctly. I think sometimes it can be a bit of a distraction... And this is with someone who understands the technology well enough to fix a problem when it arises - I am not there yet by any means! I agree with cc that I would really like some training in this area.
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