Interactive Whiteboards

Smart Boards/Interactive Whiteboards are a fantastic invention. You can attach a computer, DVD player, have the internet all running through the whiteboard. They come with interactive pens which need to be configured when purchased. The teacher or learner can write on the board and the writing transforms itself into text.

Their are many advantages of having an interactive whiteboard in the classroom. Some advantages are that children seem to enjoy the interaction and experience of using the boards. It helps children with additional needs, it caters for all kinds of learning styles through seeing, touching and you can sometimes hear it. I would love to be able to have a classroom that had an interactive whiteboard. You can use it for many applications. I would like to brainstorm on it, it would be great for mindmaps. If we were researching Egypt, we could jump online and onto Google Earth, locate the pyramids and take a snap shot for our project, all in the comfort of your classroom.

Like anything else their are disadvantages, and I feel the top one would be the cost. The wires hooked to the board can be hazardous around the learner's, when the projector is too far away from the screen it can be very sensitive and also shadows from the learner's can be a problem at times. But overall I feel the IWB's would be a great investment for any school, the benefits really outway the disadvantages, and the fact that they have found children to be more engaged is a big upside.

This is a video explaining how Smart Boards work:-




I really like this video because it gives you an idea how student orientated the smart boards can be, each child can get up and have a turn, getting the children motivated and engaged with the task at hand.



References

Smartclassrooms. (2009, April 13). SMART Boards Why are they so easy to use? [Video File]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U05WeXPGlk

daviddettman. (2009, October 30). Student's using smartboard [Video file]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBgx5AeoGlo&feature=related

Digital Storybooks

Digital Storybooks are an engaging and effective way to get our learner's keen to learn. They can send powerful messages, they can help motivate the learner as well as being enjoyable to watch. For a classroom activity I would ask the children to take digital photos, draw pictures, write a story and put them altogether using Powerpoint and turn their group work into a digital story. They learn how to work in a group, to collaberate with each other, and use the tools they are familiar with and enjoy. I have compiled a serious of photos of The Titanic and put the soundtrack from the blockbuster movie in the background to prove how easy it is to quickly create a Digital Storybook.
I hope you enjoy this:-





Digital Storybooks can come in many different forms, some ways are through videos, podcasts, powerpoints and so on. I have embeded a YouTube video below to help explain:-




References

Stanford's Teacher Education Program. (2009, June 20). Digital storytelling in plain english [Video File]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP6CeGLPuOY

Riccadonna 1. (2010, May 8). My Titanic Digital Storybook [Video File]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvSvOrxbnek

YouTube

YouTube is used by millions of people world wide. It has become a phenomenon. YouTube was founded in 2005 and is now the most popular online video community on the web. You can watch and share millions of videos. You can also create a Blog on YouTube as well. People can watch your videos and leave you feedback. I have embedded a video below to show you an example of how you could ustilise YouTube in a classroom. You would not use on its own, it is only a tool to assist with other activities.





This is an example of how you can accommodate a child with special needs as well as teaching the same concept to the rest of the learner's.






References

DavidOsaka. (2009, February 16). ABC'S and 123's [Video File]. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkRdMQTkLa0&feature=player_embedded

My Wee Hands. (2007, September 18). Wee hands - The Alphabet Song [Video File]. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYeqrDLHUc&feature=player_embedded

Google Earth

Google Earth lets you view all over the world. You can even view destinations in 3D. Use autotilt. You can GEO-TAG photos onto google earth to track where you were at the time of that photo. If you look up Bundaberg on Google Earth, you will find their is information on Wikipedia relating to Bundaberg.

Google Earth will be an excellent tool to have in the classroom because if we are doing a project on Egypt and The Pyramids, we can do a Virtual Tour with a few clicks of the mouse, the detail is extraordinary. You can look up ShipWrecks, Fish Tracking so many cool gadgets you can play with, I lost hrs on this program. I went to view my old home as a kid and it is still there. The beauty of this is that its:-

1.It’s free
2.You get real satellite imaging
3.You can travel anywhere in the world
4.You can take virtual tours of famous places
5.It’s easy to install
6.It’s easy to use
7.You can take still shots and send pictures
8.You can save places you have used before

Google Earth allows you to plot travel routes, complete homework and school assignments, learn or teach geography, visit your hometown/nostalgia or just explore the world at leisure.

With Google Earth, you literally have the whole world in your hands. Get your free download of Google Earth today and find out how to make it work for you. Watch the link:-




References


Photo courtesy of Google Earth™ mapping service/Digital Globe 2007 copyright (Retrieved May 8, 2010) from
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/google-earth-31.jpg&imgrefurl=http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/google-earth6.htm&usg=__W0JYB1MaVd-PTohZei5HD-mgdJU=&h=345&w=400&sz=79&hl=en&start=14&sig2=jLLpSakzI0Pzd55odkWDbw&itbs=1&tbnid=kHbLDuzuDj-4qM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgoogle%2Bimage%2Bof%2Begypt%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=PD7mS8ebCpfWswOdjdDRCw

Incompetech

I found this site quite difficult to understand, I did however download audio that I found very nice. Incompetech is a site that stores all kinds of music, a library of royalty free music anywhere from pop to classical.

This site can be useful in a classroom setting, to be able to download audio for projects and assessments or demonstrations. To add audio to PPT to draw attention to it. I used this site to download audio I feel is calm, soothing and relaxing to play whilst teaching my learner's yoga and meditation. It would work with inside play such as puzzles and reading time.

I have attached the audio below but I had to attach it using Movie Maker. I am unsure as to how to attach a MP3 file to play back.

http://incompetech.com/

Mahara

Well I think this can be a useful program over time as it becomes your professional portfolio, it stores all your information for any future employer. This is what I learn't and we call this Life-Long learning. This program works together with Moodle.

With Mahara, the users can share all their views or they may only want to share some of their views, it is totally up to the user. They can share different views with different groups formed. This is a great little tool, especially when working on different topics and groups. Mahara is a great example for Relate, Create, Donate. (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

Below is a short clip to help explain Mahara for first time users:-



This video clip is a more detailed version which I also found very helpful:-



References

Moodleman2. (2008, May 6). Moodle and mahara [Video file]. Retrieved May5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3I5xj6k5s&feature=player_embedded

SolentLTU. (2009, November 26). Mahara e-portfolios [Video file]. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y32NoAgN9Ik&feature=player_embedded

RSS Feeds - "Really Simple Syndication"

RSS is another useful tool to help you keep track of all the items you have read, all the sites you have visited, all the Blogs you wish to track. To Keep track of Blogs all you have to do is subscribe to them. I myself use a program called Stumble, I find this works for me, I also use Google Reader. I have found this saves me so much time looking for new posts on Blogs and current information on the websites I like to visit.

Once you login to your RSS, you need to subscribe to each website you like, each Blog you want to monitor.

Teacher's could use this tool to keep track of their learner's progress when they are completing projects/homework. Their family and friends can also do this. I am currently tracking my friend's blog, she is currently travelling around the world and blogs to her blog regularly. I get to see where she has been upto, where she has been. I get to see all her updated photos, it is so handy.

Below is a YouTube clip explaining What is RSS?






Reference

Lockergnome.(2007, May 29). RSS explained [Video file]. Retrieved on May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8G5dFddz8c&feature=player_embedded