Interwrite All Day

I used my Interwrite all day on Thursday!!! I charged it overnight and just jumped right in using it. I need to look at those online tutorials in order to figure out more than just the basics. However, the students really enjoyed the sight I made walking around the classroom using it. It kept them more engaged than me just writing on the smartboard. I was able to use it as a bargaining tool in order to get them to pay attention. During our morning work the students' attention was focused on the board and I was able to call on individual students to use the Interwrite to share their thinking. This allowed the students to still be learning from each other and paying attention to their classmates' thinking.
I am looking forward to becoming more adept at using it and showing the students how to use it.

December

December came a lot faster than I anticipated! Common assessments are finally finished and graded. My projector bulb was out for four weeks! That made me really aware of the technology department in a not so good way. However, now the bulb is replaced and my projector is back up and running. I didn't feel like I used utilized it all that much until I didn't have it to use anymore. I had short video clips about atoms I wanted the students to watch and then I realized I couldn't do all sorts of things I had already planned. Now I can get back on track. I still haven't tried out my interwrite yet either. I couldn't with my projector not working. Now I have to figure out how to use the interwrite before they take my smart board away! I have heard that interwrites are easier for students to use and I am looking forward to being able to involve the students. My fellows partner has used her interwrite all year and I will be asking her for some pointers.

Staying on top of things

I am having a hard time staying on top of my things to do recently. I have been incredibly forgetful. My projector broke 3 weeks ago. The bulb burnt out and a new one has been ordered but is not here yet. Because I had finally gotten into a routine of using it each day, I have been completely thrown off balance. I am having to using chart paper and a whiteboard easel at the front of my classroom now instead of the pre-planned SMART board options.

I have also finally received my interwrite, which will eventually replace my smart board after Christmas. Unfortunately, because my projector is broken, I have not had the opportunity to try it out. I hope it is user-friendly and I will be able to adapt quickly.

The End of October Already

I can't believe it is the end of October already! In science we are going to be working on weather and studying various forms of weather, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. I think the students will really enjoy this unit. I am planning on using short clips form United Streaming to enhance the lessons and engage the students in learning. I have greatly appreciated having my projector. I don't think a TV works quite as well as the large projections for engaging the entire class since there are so many students. It also makes a difference for my visually impaired student. She has no vision in her right eye and can sometimes see slight images with her left. The large projection makes it possible for her to make out some portion of what the class is watching, whether it is a lesson on the smart board or a video we are watching.

the end of september...

I cannot believe it is already the end of September. Unfortunately I have been sick three time already. Most recently Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday with the stomach flu. This really alters what happens in the classroom because the substitute cannot use the smartboard. The smartboard and projector are used quite a bit in my room for most lessons because I don't even have a whiteboard at the front of the room. However, a substitute can't log into my computer to be able to use the smartboard, so they have ot use it as a white board, which does not work very well and I don't like doing. So I am sure their learning for the past two days is a little different than how it is in our normal classroom environment.
I have also realized that it is easier to prepare ahead of time a morning message and any small acitivity presentations ahead of time. During science we had a large project for the students to do involving making a body systems book. I was able to pull up the book I made in microsoft word on the smart board and point to the exact sections I was talking about. It made my explanation easier than if I were just using a student size copy to demonstrate from.

The fourth week of school

It is the end of the fourth week of school. I use the SMART board in my daily lessons. I don't have a white board at the front of the classroom, so it serves many purposes. I have found that I can make teaching charts in advance and use them as learning tools for the students. We can make charts together and then I can pull it up the next day and refer back to it. This has been an indispensable tool. Also, during science we are studying living organisms and the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates. I used the Internet to find pictures of many different kinds of living organisms and had the students figure out what category they fell into. It is something they enjoy using, along with it being easy to use.

After the first week...

So it is the beginning of the second week of school. I am finally adapting to using the SMART board more often. Although everytime my screen saver comes up I have to resign into my computer, which I find frustrating. My computer won't let me extend the wait time for the screen saver. I found out that although the district has already bought our interwrites, they will probably not get installed until sometime around Christmas. An interwrite is a wireless tablet you carry with you and use like a SMART board in your hands. I have heard they are more difficult to use because you can't see what you are writing on your tablet, it only projects onto the screen as you write it. So you are looking at a blank tablet and trying to figure out where to write so it goes in the correct spot on the board. However, I believe it would be more kid-friendly and less disruptive to classtime if I could simply hand the student the interwrite at their seat or on the carpet and create a more interactive learning environment. Right now the students aren't thinking of the SMART board as a learning tool, it's more of a fun toy they want to play with.
As for computer time, our library time is called library/ media. There is a computer lab in the library and the librarian does media lessons along with library lessons.

Setting Up My Classroom

I have spent the last two weeks constantly working in my classroom and attending trainings for the school district. In my classroom I will have my own computer to use, which is connected to a SMART board. The SMART board may soon be replaced with an interwrite, but I do not know when that will happen. I have one student computer in my room that everyone in the classroom can use. I also have another student computer that will be used by my visually impaired student when she needs to use it for her braille programs, but when she doesn't need to use it, the other students will have access to it. The library/ media center has a computer lab I will be able to reserve to use with my class throughout the year. I also believe one of the specials classes is computers, but I am not positive yet.

My First Blog

Well, it seems I have just created my first blog. A more in-depth post will soon follow this pertaining to our assignment. =)