The Wired Classroom

Today Nancy taught the first tele Promethean class. We called it Transforming Learning with a Promethean Activboard. Today’s class was a full one, with teachers from many districts, including Hazelwood and Orchard Farm, in attendance. Scott Caulfield from Promethean was also on hand for part of the day to lend assistance if needed. Nancy and Martha showed the class CSD’s Moodle and explained many resources are available for tele class participants on the Moodle. Nancy shared many of Promethean’s features with the group like calibrating the board (it is necessary, but only takes five taps), using the dashboard, and customizing flip charts.

      

Above: Martha Moodles, Nancy teaches, Ruth & Scott catch up

For those of you new to Promethean, the Promethean Activboard has a copper metal grid sandwiched inside it. Through the use of a special magnetic pen, the interactive board can detect where it is touched based on the metal grid. This is aligned with the projected picture on the board, and the pen in effect becomes the mouse. It combines the look and feel of a regular whiteboard with the power of a computer.

Both Promethean Activboard summer tele classes are full!  There are plenty of Promethean PD opportunities coming up from CSD, though. This fall, of course, we’ll have more tele classes scheduled. Look for that schedule later this summer.  METC will most likely have Promethean related sessions, and St. Louis area schools can contact the Virtual Learning Center for on-site (school) training. Also this fall, the VLC hopes to host another train-the-trainer session- similar to the three day session we held here in May. For more information on Promethean in general, you can visit their website (the same one the logo came from). For more news on what’s going on in the VLC (& coming up!), check back at The Wired Classroom.

Cooperating School Districts has announced that registration is open for all St. Louis area educators (superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, librarians, media specialists, tech coordinators, & teachers) to attend the 2008-2009 TLA. TLA assists educators in developing knowledge & skills necessary to use technology as a tool for more effective & efficient leadership in their schools! 

During 48 hours of professional development in the Technology Leadership Academy, you will:

•Focus on leadership skills in technology 
•Improve classroom use of technology 
•Develop a vision of how to utilize technology to improve student performance 
•Assess strengths & needs of your staff/students in the area of technology as well as develop a practical & useful technology plan 
•Expand your network of colleagues 

As a part of the academy, participants receive:
•Palm T|X handheld computer with Bluetooth & Wifi + wireless keyboard
•GoObserve software for the Palm (a classroom observation tool) 
•Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works by METC featured speaker Howard Pitler, et.al. 
•attendance at 1 day of the Midwest Education Technology Conference

Dates for the 2008-2009 school year are as follows:
•Oct. 1   •Nov. 5   •Dec. 3   •Jan. 7   •Jan. 27* (METC)   •Feb. 25 
Times: 8 am to 4 pm (breakfast & lunch included) | Cost: $1,200/person 

Training sessions take place in CSD’s tele on 1460 Craig Rd.- except for the METC* session- which is at the St. Charles Convention Center.  To register, go here.  P.O.’s and credit cards will be accepted.  Slots will fill up fast, and space is limited, so register now! If you have any questions, contact Martha Bogart at (314) 692-1258 or mbogart@csd.org.

The Virtual Learning Center’s tele (technology enhanced learning environment) classes are filling up very quickly- Transforming Learning with a SMART Board on June 3 and Creating SMART Board Lessons to Engage & Motivate Students on June 4 are already full!

There are a limited spaces left in Teacher Timesavers: Free Online Resources on June 5; Using Digital Media in the Classroom (Featuring Google Earth) on June 9; Cross-Curricular Lessons Using Concept Mapping on June 10; and Transforming Learning with a Promethean Activboard on June 11. Sign up today to participate in these early June courses. Teachers from all over the St. Louis metropolitan area participate; bring a friend from your school, or network with other teaching colleagues from different districts. Remember, too, that graduate credit is available for many tele classes.

Courses in the second half of the month are Empowering Students with Podcasting; Differentiating Instruction with Discovery Streaming; Boundless Learning with Videoconferencing; Movie-Making in the Classroom: Creating Digital Stories and Photo Essays; and Online “Street Smarts:” Being Legal, Literate, and Secure. Tele questions? Call Joan Forrest at (314) 692-1259.

What we like best about interactive whiteboards:

 Nancy ~ Both SMART Board and Promethean Activboard  encourage active student participation in a learning activity.  A very exciting and rewarding experience for students is  when they become teacher for the moment and “teach” their  fellow students such as reviewing a concept in their own  words. This becomes a powerful reinforcement and review activity because students are hearing the concept explained at their learning level and perhaps in a very different way. The interactive whiteboards get students engaged in learning.  Watching a video becomes interactive when the teacher can pause the video, point out details and have a class discussion before resuming.  Learning how to tell time or make money change becomes more intriguing when the students use the electronic manipulative of time and money.  Reviewing for a test is easier when the teacher captures the instruction both audio and visual from the SMART Board using the built-in Recorder.  Students can play and re-play the lesson in video format.
 

 Stephanie ~ Both interactive boards, SMART and  Promethean, are great student motivators.  Since most kids  today are visual learners, the ability to attract attention and  keep it with a large screen vs. a dry erase board or chalk  board is the first motivator. If a teacher uses the board as  intended- as an interactive board- motivation and learning are further enhanced.  Students always want to be a part of the learning, with both boards the learner is engaged. The SMART Board is great, I have taught with one for over 7 years. The touch-sensitive screen is great and the software is very easy to use.  The Activboard requires a pen, is much more durable, and allows for the user to create very specific lessons. Cool things to do – the boards act as the monitor of your computer so whatever you can do on your computer monitor, you can do on the board. You can record, both audio and video, lessons.  These can be then exported and viewed at a later time for students, parents and even used for sub plans. The boards are very motivating for a student to touch their finger or use a pen on a huge screen in front of the class and make something happen.  What a very empowering feeling for anyone! Both interactive boards come with “slates” and “clickers,” other interactive products, for students to use at their seats. These added products also allow for immediate response to help guide instruction and enhance learning from others. 

What do you like best about interactive whiteboards? 

Technology is a valuable and relevant tool in the classroom that helps engage students to question, think and achieve at a higher understanding. What tech tools do you use to reach and teach your students and make learning relevant?

METC 2009 is bringing together a diverse group of speakers to share their knowledge, experience, strategies and expertise using established and emerging technologies in the classroom. As educators we must prepare our students for new jobs that have not been created by giving them the skills to question, gather, evaluate and finally produce new solutions or products. Technology is a tool that excites and engages students to learn.

METC 2009 goals:

• Offers a program that shares effective instructional technology programs and management strategies.
• Brings together all stakeholders in a school district to explore new and innovative uses of technology and to learn from each other.
• Designs a program that fits into educators’ individual learning plans and aligns with high quality professional development.
• Exposes educators to the latest in quality products and services.

Collaboration snapshots: final day of Promethean Train the Trainer
sessions at CSD in St. Louis, MO, today. Remember the Virtual
Learning Center will offer a tele class on Promethean Activboard
this summer that you can take! For details, teachers, visit here. 

Using Digital Media in the Classroom (Featuring Google Earth) 
Monday, June 9, 9am-4pm |  $125 CSD member; $195 non-member 
(One Graduate Credit Available) | to register: www.csd.org/tele

Google Earth is an excellent tool for schools to teach all content areas, as well as imbed videos and images from unitedstreaming to further enhance these areas. Examples of practical uses include: Earth Science: mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, weather patterns; History: Visit the sites of famous battles; Literature: Visit the sites of famous novels, settings and authors; Math: Measure distances and areas, determine travel time, study angles and intersecting lines; World Languages: Visit the landmarks and cities of foreign countries; Geography: See the cities, countries and geographic features of the world; Civics: Learn about the layout and businesses of your hometown. This all day tele workshop will enhance your curriculum with good uses of Google Earth for your classroom! Tele* classes fill up fast, so sign up today!

* Cooperating School Districts in St. Louis upgraded the tele that replicates an eMINTS-type classroom (in which there is 1 computer for every 2 students) & includes enhanced features. Tele now is equipped with:

• 14 computer workstations running both Macintosh and Windows XP operating systems and connected to the Internet with webcams
• Software applications include: Microsoft Office 2003 (Win) & 2004 (Mac); Inspiration, Kidspiration & SMART Ideas; iLife
• SMART Board & Promethean Activboard
• Student response systems: SMART’s Senteos & Promethean’s Activotes
• Polycom 4000, interactive two-way audio and video equipment that can be used for videoconferences & distance learning
• Document camera & DVD player

Monday through Wednesday of this week we have a group of educators from St. Louis Missouri, including VLC staff, participating in Promethean Train the Trainer sessions. It’s a full house in CSD’s tele- all the iMacs are taken, and we have folks in the back using their laptops…  check it out: 

Transforming Learning with a Promethean Activboard   
June 11  OR  July 31 
$125 CSD member; $195 non-member 
(No Credit)

Come learn how to use this new technology tool in your classroom.  The Promethean Activboard has a copper metal grid sandwiched inside it. Through the use of a special magnetic pen, the board can detect where it is touched based on the metal grid. This is aligned with the projected picture on the board, and the pen in effect becomes the mouse. It combines the look and feel of a regular whiteboard with the power of a computer. Discover how to develop lesson plans that make use of it and motivate students to learn.  This tele class is for beginners; no prior knowledge of Promethean Activboards required.