Week 9

Last week we delved into the topic of smartboards (a.k.a interactive whiteboards). Even though we did a brief overview of some of its many features I was personally fascinated with the program. I have always been a fan of powerpoint and it's capabilities to enhance a lesson or presentation of any sort. So for me watching this new technology in action was awesome. Smart technology offers a whole new venue for teachers and pupils to educate and learn. Each of the articles we were suppose to read this week were about the interactive whiteboard. I personally enjoyed watching the Smartboard demo because it showed the smartboard in a new atmosphere... the business world. Watching the instructor present the information on an excel sheet was really interesting. I also like the smartboard notepad which has the option of turning handwriting into text. What an exciting tool this is for keeping pupils of any kind engaged and "entertained" in a sense. This technology to me is ingenious. The user is able to write, touch and erase the information-- talk about having something at your fingertips!
I also really enjoyed the article about the digital classroom. Not only did it discuss that there is more than one company creating this interactive technology but it also outlined other technologies being used in the classroom. I personally liked the idea with the language learning classroom using ipods with video/audio clips over tapes. As a future language teacher this is an invaluable tool. To be able to record subject-specific material for a group of students yourself or post material that is already out there to the ipod is great. Having an ipod gives the students the ability to move on or go back at their own speed with the freedom to choose for themselves. Also in this article there was mention of the interactive keyboards for the students to use to answer questions on review quiz or test review. I thought that would be a really interesting addition to a lesson.
While some articles were focused purely on the asset of the interactive white board some did give a con, the cost. This technology, along with the programs or other features, is costly. However, one of the article mentions that the interactive whiteboard can phase out many of the other technologies usually found in a classroom (i.e. tv, projector, dvd player, vcr). If one tool can eliminate several then in actuality the cost is reasonable. The other thing an article mentioned is that this technology is an evolving one: a new version comes out often. Many schools may be afraid to invest in a product that is subject to change or renovation in the near future. In my opinion, this product is one that is really important to the classroom. Students and teachers become more involved in the material and the lesson itself. The students are engaged and those who pass by are intrigued. I'm reminded of an article from Week One which stated that students are bored in class because they have more stimulating activities outside of the classroom. The interactive whiteboard is a solution to the "boredom". I really hope that the school I am employed in has this technology because I think it is an asset to every classroom. I can't wait to learn more about it!

Week 8

So I was thinking about our "MAC" night... I never realized how great a MAC is compared to a PC. I've only ever used PCs before and now that I know some of the features that MAC offers I plan on using them more often. I really enjoyed using I-life Suites because I have never heard of any other i-products besides i-tunes. Using photo booth was a really cool program. All I could think about was how nice it would be to be able to use that in the classroom. It's so easy and I could either create a movie from the pictures/video of the students to show at conferences or back to school night or use the program for some other fun project. The fact that each of the programs works in conjunction with one another is another really cool feature. I can take pictures in one, send it to the i-photo to be cropped or put into a slide show and I can use garage band to create a track to be played with that show. I think it is such a cool set of programs to have a ones disposal. I always thought it was "too hard" to learn MAC because I was so used to PC but now that I know about it I think I will use it a lot more than before. I hope that I get into a district that has a MAC computer with the available PC option so that I can implement some of the new tools I learned into my classroom.

Week Seven

So I was thinking about the video project that we worked on this passed week and I really enjoyed the project. Working with the new programs gave me a sense of how to make a video project to portray an idea. I really liked how the video came out, probably better than I thought it would! The biggest surprise to me was how quickly seconds were taken up by our concept. If we had an infinite time to work within we would have been fine but working within 30-60 seconds proved to be a task. However, my partner and I managed to make it just 60 seconds! I realize now that there are so many video projects I can create inside and outside of the classroom. One idea I had was to make a video montage, either for family members or for a class memento. Graduation would be a great time to create one of these videos to sell as a fundraiser! I'm really happy that I got to use these programs so that I can apply them to other gift and project ideas in life!

Week 6

So I was thinking about the video project we get to work on this coming week and I'm really excited for it. Learning the new programs to make videos in was exciting. Audacity and movie maker are really cool programs that I have never used before so the tutorials helped. Being able to mix music and create a "soundtrack" is really fun. I also like the way movie maker has the capabilities to do audio and transitions which will enhance the movie we are to create. The topic that my partner and I have chosen is Sleep deprivation in College students. It is a topic that most people can relate to. Our focus for our video is to capture why people are sleep deprived and make recommendations as to how to help eliminate its effects. Creating this short movie is going to take a lot of condensing of our material but I think we have some really solid plans on what we are going to record and how we are going to put this movie together! So I'm thinking our movie is going to come out really well.