This year I thought long and hard about my professional goal and I thought it was fitting to have my goal be tied to technology. This is my first year using a Smart Board so I want to find new ways to use it (I welcome any ideas and suggestions- Ted, I know you are really good with the Smart Board).
I have committed to seeking out training sessions to help me learn new things. I am also creating Smart Board lessons for all content areas but especially Science, Social Studies, and Health to share with my team. As a team we have also committed to having 1 team meeting a month to talk about how we can use technology in our classroom to enhance students learning. I have found that my students get very excited when the Smart Board is on and they tend to be more engaged.
I will measure my goal by creating worth-while lessons to share with my team. There are 3 other members of my team who have the same goal so we are keeping each other accountable and helping each other accomplish our goals!
Sorry this is so long....what are some ways you are using technology in your classroom? It has been such a great tool and we are only on week 3!
Wow, Heather! That sounds like an ambitious goal, but it also sounds like you have a lot of team support!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge user of technology in the classroom. One great thing it does for me is to allow me to set up the "flow" of my lessons at the start of a cycle and have things ready to go as I'm traveling from building to building - I have a Notebook file for each grade level for each lesson with a "morning message", all of our songs (with the music already embedded - no CDs traveling with me!), interactive slides (like composing rhythms), and even open pages for where we will do brainstorming or other "typical white board" work. Not only does it allow me to relax and know that everything is going to be set up no matter how rushed I am between buildings, but it also allows me to save whatever work the students have done to refer to next time (like my KWL with 5th graders last week, or my "looks, sounds, and feels" charts with each class).
I totally agree with your comment about student engagement when the SMART Board is involved. One of the things that seems to thrill the kids is when something happens that surprises them. My kids love when they get to use the magic pen. We've done this to ring or make a rectangle around letters or words that they know. They love that it makes everything else dark or expands the word. Even kids who normally won't say a word are eager to come up to the board when the magic pen is involved!
ReplyDeleteI really recommend the Day in a Primary Classroom workshop with TIES. I took it this summer and learned a lot of great tricks with the SMART software. At first it seemed a little gimicky and time consuming, but I think it's worth it to hook the kids!
Going to training sessions is always a great idea to learn new things about the SMART board. I have also found it very educational to take time (I know you have a lot) and sit down and just play around with all the buttons. I learned by "teaching myself" and putzing around with the software. Watch for Keddie's short videos and quick tips in his emails. They are usually great little quirks to add to your presentations. Once you have it mastered, the challenge is to not manipulating everything, but instead letting the students.
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for the ideas and comments! I have been trying to "teach myself" which has been a lot of fun. I am also partnered up with a 2nd grade teacher who had a SMART Board last year and she is trying to teach me something new every week which has been a great learning tool! Erin- my students also love the magic pen! They go crazy for it! Ted- I have not watched any of Keddie's videos but now I will be sure to look for them! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI really feel like this is the first time I have a goal that I am actually excited about and I feel like it's worth-while and it will really enhance student learning and make my teaching better!