Class

Last week in class we discussed more about the smart board. We were able to listen to a second year Kindergarten teacher talk about the way she incorporates this piece of technology in her classroom. It was interesting and helpful to hear about the benefits the smart board can bring to a classroom. Technology can be a little overwhelming at first, however, it seems like with a little patience and practice the smart board can become an easy and very beneficial tool to incorporate in the classroom. I'm looking forward to creating my lesson plan for next week's class using the smart board technology.

Video Streaming

I hadn't heard of Discovery Education Video Streaming (DEVS) until this weeks assignment. I really liked that the videos all related back to a certain standard. All I had to do was search a standard and I was given numerous videos that addressed that specific standard. When using teacher tube, you have to have in mind what type of video you want before you search for it. I liked that with DEVS I didn't necessarily have to know what I wanted to do or find, all I need to know is the Standard. I could also use the website to search certain videos like I would with teacher tube. For example, I searched videos on The Civil War and subtraction. I was given several videos to choose from. Each one I could look at the standards to make sure that they addressed the standard I wish to teach. I also liked that the videos are divided into segments. With teacher tube, I have to pay attention to when/where I need to play and stop a video in order to show only the material I wish to show. With DEVS the videos were all ready segmented and contained a brief description of each segment. Both websites are a great tool for the classroom and I look forward to learning more about them.

10/25/2010 Class

In last weeks class we worked more with the smartboard. We completed several activities to get us more familiar with the smart board software. Before this class I have had very little experience with the Smart Board. I felt that last weeks class was very helpful because it taught me the basics to creating lessons and activities using this form of software. My biggest concern with the Smart Board was that it would be too difficult/too time consuming for me to understand and leave with creating more of a glorified power point than an interactive lesson. After last weeks activities I now feel more confident not only with making interactive activities and lessons with the smart board but also that learning more about this program would not be time consuming or difficult at all. I look forward to using this program to create more engaging lessons for my classroom.