Our assignment this week was to research two technologies and learn ways to use them in our future classrooms. The two technologies that I chose to research are the Smart Board and the Web Cam. While working at Noah Webster Academy, I was introduced to and was able to work with the Smart Board. I was amazed by this technology and have always wanted to learn more. The Web Cam is something that is a little more familiar to me. I use the Web Cam at least once a week to talk to my sister in California. However, I wanted to learn ways in which to use the Web Cam to educated my future students.
The Smart Board is an amazing educational resource tool. It is a whiteboard, but on a whole new level. The Smart Board combines the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer. We all know about all the things that we can do with computers. Now imagine doing these things on a larger scale with the involvement of your entire class. There are so many possibilities. The Smart Board is an educational tool that promotes and facilitates interactive education. The Smart Board has many pros. With the SMART Board, you can control any application through the touch board. So instead of working from behind the computer keyboard, you (or your students) can be at the front of the classroom physically interacting with the display. You can also use any of the 4 colors of markers or the eraser to write in digital ink over applications, web pages, or moving video. You can also save your work into a notebook file, and you can convert handwriting into text. And that is only a few of the many positive aspects of having a Smart Board in your classroom. But like everything in life, there are also some cons to the Smart Board. Having a Smart Board doesn't come cheap. It is an expensive piece of equipment that requires a projector and many different cords and connection devices. Learning how to use a Smart Board will also take some time. You may need to attend a training course or spend a lot of time working with it on your own. However, once you learn how to use the Smart Board, it becomes easy and a lot of fun. Honestly, I believe that the pros completely outweigh the cons. The Smart Board is an amazing educational resource tool.
My instructional objective for using the Smart Board is centered around exploration. I want my students to explore and learn about some interesting areas of Africa. Through the use of a Smart Board, my students will explore the African Jungle, Desert, and Savannah. PBS kids has a great website for using the Smart Board,
http://pbskids.org/krattscreatures/flash.shtml
This websites allows students to explore different places around the world. Because the Smart Board has touch technology, students can go up and touch the animals or other things that they wish to learn more about. This website is specifically designed for using the Smart Board. I found two really great articles on Smart Boards, "Smart Boards and Hands-On, Minds-On" and "Interactive Websites are All the Rage".People may not realize how many different ways Web Cams can be used to enhance education. Web Cams can be used visit other states or even other countries, take virtual field trips, create plays or movies with your students, create and post educational podcasts, and so much more. Web Cams are a connection to the world that lives outside of your classroom. The pros of using the camera are simply that Web Cams enhance learning. Web Cams get your students involved and stimulate their minds. Web Cams allow you to learn about different places without even leaving your classrooms. Web Cams are also very costly and easy to use. The cons of using Web Cams are centered around security. It is very important that you monitor what your students are seeing while using the Web Cam. It is also important that you are in control of what your students create and where there creations are posted online. Student Web Cam creations should be posted on a secure and private website where only you, your students, and your student's parents have access. Remember, the web is a scary place.
My instructional objective for using Web Cams in my classroom is going to be learning about Japan. My students would connect with students in Japan via the Web Cam. My students would learn all about the students and what school and life is like in Japan. The students would meet via Web Cam throughout the course of the school year and collect information. At the end of the school year, students would then present the information through a paper or making a poster or even through a Web Cam podcast. The two articles that I found about Web Cams are, "How to Use a Computer Web Cam in the Elementary School Classroom" and "Web Cam Technology to Support Teaching".
Smart Boards and Web Cams are great uses of technology in the classroom. They are great educational tools that will enhance your teaching and get your students involved in learning. There is so many different ways to implement these tools in your curriculum. By utilizing these technologies, you will make your classroom more versatile and your students will greatly benefit as a result.
The video link posted on the class website sent me to a page of several videos, so I just picked one of the videos from that page. The video that I chose to reflect upon is entitled, Technology Fear Factor in Education. The video is all about how technology can be scary and intimidating, but it is not the enemy to education. The video encourages teachers to get out of their comfort zone and learn about how to use technology in the classroom. I really liked the video. I understand how difficult it can be to try new things. When it is not understood, technology can be very intimidating. It is very easy for educators to fill overwhelmed when trying to learn how to implement new technology into their lesson plans. However, through training and simple exploration, technology can become one of the greatest teaching tools in your classroom. Technology is our friend.
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