Technology article presentation

In the past week my fellow classmates and I had to select a journal article and present it any way we chose electronically. There were so many different types of presentations that were unique and informative in their own way (YouTube Videos, Song, Gloster Posters, Prezi Poster, and PowerPoint presentation) . It was such an interesting and fun opportunity given by the professor to enable us to relate our newfound knowledge any which way we chose. After viewing / listening to class presentations, I could tell that everyone enjoyed the freedom they had to present their views- because it projected in their voices / work. The entire class did a fantastic job and I learned a lot.
I thought that Paula‘s, Ryan‘s, Mandy’s, Judy’s and Dave’s YouTube videos were great, and I could tell they put a lot of time and effort into posting a flawless final production. They were all very informative and some funny while educational. Paula’s voice blog on the article about Oral Communication course- on using voice blog as addon activity for oral practice, to improve listening and speaking skills for foreign language teachers was interesting. Mandy’s production on ESL and Technology was great and very educational. It is true that teachers who use computers to facilitate learning will become learners themselves; and technology is the key for preparing English language learns for the 21st century. Ryan did a good job for the article on the Internet opening up new opportunities for socializing. It is interesting that 30% of students reported being involved directly with bullying, 13% perpetrators, 11% victims and the rest both. I do agree that it certainly is very important to educate students and parents about cyber bullying. Judy and Dave’s videos were very funny and informative.
Sarah used Prezi and created a poster about skype and how it is an effective way for teachers to update their teaching techniques and improve their technology literacy at their own pace, building confidence and skills. I didn’t know that skype can be used to provide a variety of authentic learning experiences to students who speak a second language. I think the prezi presentation was very interesting, it is very similar to Glogster posters although it was a bit difficult to navigate.
The Glogster posters created by Mike, Sarah, and Julie G and Ashley were stimulating. Josh’s MP3 was very original and catchy yet educational.
I have a class of very talented creative individuals who I am very proud to be a part of I learned so much !
GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!!


http://www.cesa8.k12.wi.us/teares/math/it/samplePort/ANN%20K/index.htm - good easy to navigate

Smartboard

The Smartboard is a wonderful tool for the classroom. It is essentially a large, touch-sensitive screen. The board is connected, via a standard USB plug, to a computer and a digital projector, which displays the computer's screen image onto the whiteboard. Work done on the board can be saved on the computer and emailed later if the need be.
I like the idea of the smartboard in the classroom. It brings the information alive to the students, each lesson can become an interactive one and it can help students to be very motivated to learn. The smartboard is very useful to demonstrate and teach any subject. The teachers can go to websites that have great interactive materials, they can annotate and highlight text that students can see from the back of the room, they can shape paragraphs to show main ideas, cause-and-effect, students can see writing in bright colors, move pieces of puzzles, play Jeopardy with review questions, write with digital ink and so many other things. The interactive white board is a excellent tool to enhance teaching and can be so much more interesting and make learning cool beyond words.
Although the Smartboard is amazing, I noticed a few disadvantages while lessons were being taught. It was a bit time consuming when students went up to the board to participate; I noticed while some students were walking up to the smartboard, other students were having their own conversations which was a little distracting. While practicing my own lesson, I noticed that the interactive white board was not so easy to touch and is not as "smart" (I guess it would take a little getting used to). The smartboard is very expensive, as a result, it would be difficult to have in every classroom.
My overall impression of the Smartboard is definitely a positive one and I would embrace the idea of having one in my classroom someday.