Engaging Students with Interactive Whiteboard Technology

Here are notes from another SMART webinar I attended on Engaging Students with Special Needs:

The biggest strategy mentioned in engaging students, especially through the use of SMART Boards, are using images and visual representations.  One of the teachers featured (I didn't get names on this one) talked about how she uses movies, flip cameras, text with key words written in a different color to add visual engagement to any writing activity she is doing.  She will also use pictures and words in collaboration with each other as much as possible.  For students who need more help with writing activities she also will use audio by recording her voice and using different voice tones.  She then uses buttons from the gallery and links it to another page with the correct tone used and the students push a button to identify the tone.

Another teacher uses the board as a way to help with organization and responsibility.  She creates a chart with assignments on it that she leaves up and when students have completed an assignment they check it off. 

When she begins teaching new vocabulary, she uses the word, then shows a picture, and then the students have to guess the definition of the word.  To make it more engaging, she layers the picture on top of the definition of the word and then uses animation to make the picture disappear revealing the correct definition.  In math class, she uses the random number generator tool from the gallery to randomly create numbers.  Underneath the tool are numbers and the students have to write out in word form the number that was generated.  Something like this:

To do this, create the words and then right click and select "infinite cloner".  You can use the same words over and over again.

Her favorite tools to use with special needs students are the spotlight (to help focus student's attention) and screen shade tools.  One thing I learned was that you can use the screen shade in any program, I previously thought you could only use this in the notebook software!  She also suggested using Vizzle, a web based visual learning website that has curriculum driven interactive lessons just for special education students.

The last thing talked about were working on student's social skills.  I think this is a great idea!  I worked with our social worker last year to create stories with students using PhotoStory.  You could really see the improvement later in the year!  This teacher uses www.do2learn.com/games to help with social skills.  She also takes pictures (from magazines, internet, or of themselves) and attaches word bubbles to the picture.  The students then have to write in the facial expressions they see.  This helps students talk about how they feel or how other students may feel.

One of the most important things they mentioned in the webinar was actually for teachers.  They said don't be afraid to try new things in front of the students; show the students how valuable problem solving skills are, even when things don't work out right!  Show them the strategies we teacher them to solve a problem or ask students, they often know quick ways to fix it too!

Get in Touch, Find Inspiration, Multiply Student Engagement, Part 3

The last teacher featured in this webinar is Tom Reardon, a high school math teacher in Ohio. Tom likes to use the SMART Board and it's various features to help the students see the problem in front of them.  He does this by using color.  Here are some examples he showed us in the webinar:

I really like the various colors and pens used, it helps me see the breakdown of the problem better.  Again, not being a math person, I think this would be a great idea to use with order of operations.  Take each part and break it down into different colors helping the student to see each part.
He saves all of his class notes from SMART Notebook and exports them to .pdf's, which saves the different colors his uses in the problems and posts it to his website for students who may need to go back and look at the information. 

Tom also likes to use the recorder tool.  He uses it to pre-record lessons and if he can't be there, the students feel as if he there's with them.  The great thing about the SMART Notebook is that it uses more than just voice, it also records anything you do in SMART Notebook, such as breaking down a complex problem.  Again, this can also be used for the student that needs to go back and see the explanation one more time.  He also uses the recorder as a way to buy class time.  At first this concept confused me, but as Tom explained it's a great way for students to solve their own problems.  Tom teaches AP Calculus and around Spring Break he gives his students a packet to work on and a CD.  The students work on the packet and if they get stuck on a question (or when they finish and need the answers), they go to the CD and see Tom solving the problem in notebook.  He solves every problem in the packet and records himself solving the problem and giving explanations along the way, then saves the files as .wmv's.  I thought this could be something we could do with released SOL's questions.

The last thing Tom talked about what integrating the graphing calculators with the notebook software.  I didn't realize that notebook can instantly perform screen captures of what is on the calculator.  Plus, students get to keep up with him and look at their calculators while he teaches the concept.

You can learn more about what Tom does and see sample lessons and videos at www.TomReardon.com.

Get in Touch, Find Inspiration, Multiply Student Engagement, Part 2

The next teacher featured in this webinar was Barbara Mutch, a high school math teacher in Canada.  Barbara first talked about how teachers at her school bundle activities within the SMART notebook software.  All the math teachers in her building do this, so when students move grade levels or have to transfer classes they are receiving the same style of instruction.  I believe she also mentioned that each grade level math teacher uses the same bundle activities so they all plan together too.

These bundles include lessons with assignments, worksheets, solutions, links, videos, and images, and more so students see the entire concept or lesson they are working on.  Teachers use these bundles with they have substitutes or for students who miss class.  Everything they need is included right in the bundle.  Each day's lessons are also included on their school website.  She uses the website as a way to encourage engagement at home, by posting her daily notes, which parents and students love having accessibility to.

Barbara has also begun working with other teachers in her building on using this format and one teacher commented that they liked the ability to incorporate all technologies used into one file format through the use of SMART Notebook.

She also talked about using SMART Response remotes.  Everyday, students use these and they are sitting on each desk when they walk in.  Students sign in at the beginning of class and usually she uses their real names to also look at data from that day's activities, but sometimes she uses the anonymous mode or the celebrity mode, where students receive names of celebrities and that way students are less embarrassed because they're real name is not showing, but they teacher knows who it really is. 

Get in Touch, Find Inspiration, Multiply Student Engagement

This is part 1 of 3 posts.

Yesterday, I attended a SMART webinar on "Get in Touch, Find Inspiration, Multiply Student Engagement: Create Technology-Enabled Learning Environments that Get Results" with Giancarlo Brutto.

I took about a page and a half of notes from this webinar that featured three different teachers and how they are using their SMART boards in their math classrooms. SMART board usage is going to be one of our primary goals next year in my building and I got some helpful ideas.  The first teacher who showed classroom examples was Michelle Meehan, a 7th grade math teacher at a middle school a couple of counties away from us.  Her school is a SMART exemplary school and I'm thinking I would like to contact her and maybe arrange a little teacher field trip next year!

Michelle uses lots of visuals and auditory cues to help her special education students.  She'll display problem on the board and then uses pictures and animations to help make better connections for her students and by creating interactive lessons she sees the students make the leap from concepts being abstract to more concrete.  She also very much likes using her airliner (the SMART slate) to walk around the room and make sure that everyone can hear when she's explaining problems and concepts.

Michelle is also starting to use the new additional math tools, (I'm not a math person, so this may be a very simple way of explaining this). She explained when she teaches area of a parallelogram she uses a tool that is able to cut off parts of the parallelogram and students see it becomes a rectangle and by using the formula for finding the area of a rectangle, they can then transfer that to finding the area of the parallelogram.  For a non-math person, I thought this was really cool! She also uses a tool (the shape division tool?) that allows you to break up a shape into different parts to help explain fractions.  You can then move around the broken shapes and show how they make up certain fractions.

The last thing Michelle explained was how she uses SMART Response remotes.  She likes them because she can get instant feedback from the students and how they are understanding the concept or problem being explained.  For example, she has students work on one-step equations and during the instruction can have students give feedback about their understanding and when everyone is comfortable move onto two-step equations without having to stop instruction.

Smart Tips on Lesson Activity Toolkit 2.0

Looking for some ideas on how to use the Smart Notebook program more effectively? I found a free webinar today that Smart did back in May. You do have to register, but it's free, and so worth it!

During the webinar, I got great ideas for how to use the Lesson Activity Toolkit 2.0. This has pre-made tools that can work with any lesson. I also found out that if you click on the toolkit, underneath that there is an example folder, full of examples of every tool in the toolkit. There's a wealth of activities here! I recommend watching the webinar soon!

I'm so excited to share these, that I'm going to change my plan around a bit on the smartboard/airliner training and include some of these activities in my next training session on the 28th.

NECC Day 3

Here's my wrap up from Tuesday's sessions:

My first session of the day was another BYOL session that I had registered for earlier. It was Gaming and Social Causes with Debra Sprague from George Mason University, (where I got my graduate degree from). I was little curious and thought I would try it in addition to liking online simuations and gaming activities for learning. Here again, I guess I was looking for something more, I'm not sure why, this type of session is set up to give you time to "play" with the material on your own laptop and ask questions, which I had time to do. Maybe I was thinking there would be ideas on implementation practices too.

My next session was one I was very excited about: Writing for ISTE Publications. One of my great enjoyments is writing and I had thought at one time of a being a writer in the magazine industry, so this was right up my alley! I got information from all of the editors who work for the journals and magazines published by ISTE and what their tips are for teachers looking to write some articles.

And then something amazing happened! I took a lunch break and wandered down to the exhibit hall, where I saw a colleague sitting at the eInteractive booth and joined her for a little demo. I had also sat through an eInteractive demo back at FETC and knew a little bit about the products they were demo-ing. And then during their giveaway at the end of the demo, I won an Interactive Mobi! Oh, did that make my day (and made me very red in the face!) I can't wait to try this out!

And then I went to my last session for the day, which was Smartboarding 202 with Bret Gensburg from the University of Akron. I thought Gensburg had a great way of introducing his session. As participants entered, he had lively music playing and I think we all were getting into the beat and those sleepy eyes from lunch were waking up! He even played drum corps music, which only a small population of people would know what I'm talking about, but boy, was I excited at hearing this!

He opened up his presentation with a great thought provoking question: “Are you presenting your content or are you teaching your content?” There's a big difference! Here are some other ideas and tips from his presentation:
- History and Social Studies, can find photos of famous figures and speeches in the gallery and create interactive activities in Smart Notebook. His example was a photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. with his "I Have a Dream" speech given at theLincoln Memorial, only a few blocks from where the convention was held. This same activity could also be done with pictures and sounds from DE streaming and their builders, it doesn't have to be just in Smart Notebook.

- You can clone items and drag them to a new page, you don't have to copy/paste.

- You can also link graphics to websites or other pages within Smart Notebook, or even to a DE streaming video.

- Another good idea for those times where you want to copy/paste something from the internet, like a graphic and it won’t let you right click on it and save the image or copy it, take the capture tool and capture it right to Smart Notebook!

- On a mac computer, you can also drag a graphic from a website and drag into a Smart Notebook file

- Picture transparency, you can get rid of the white background on any copied or saved image!! A teacher and I were just trying to figure this out last week and now I know the answer!

Gensberg left us with one more great quote:
“The kids know more about technology than we do, because they learn from what we ewe know collectively and put it all together.”