Smartboards in the Classroom

Hi, everyone!

I've attached an agenda for the new SmartBoard 1 course we're giving, using the latest version of SmartBoard Notebook software.

Enjoy! 

Attachment(s): SmartBoard1Agenda082608.doc

Attached is a link to a synopsis of Wiggins & McTighe's handbook, "Understanding by Design".

 

Abstract

This handbook examines what understanding is and how it differs from   knowing, discussing how teachers can know that students truly understand and can apply their knowledge in meaningful ways and how courses and units might be designed to emphasize understanding and uncoverage rather than coverage. The handbook includes a planning template, worksheets, exercises, design tools, design standards and tests, and a peer-review process for learning and applying new ideas. Handbook materials show users how to plan curriculum, assessment, and instruction. An overview of understanding includes the first three modules: (1) "Clarifying Understanding," (2) "The Backward Design Process," and (3) "The Understanding by Design Template." Stage 1, "Identify Desired Results," includes (4)"Identifying Enduring Understandings," (5) "From Topics and Skills to Understandings," and (6) "Framing Units around Essential Questions." Stage 2, "Determine Acceptable Evidence," includes (7) "Evidence of Understanding," (8) "Transforming Understandings into Performances," (9) "Designing Performance Tasks," (10) "Designing Scoring Rubrics," and (11) "Anchoring Unit Designs." Stage 3, "Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction," includes (12) "Engaging and Effective Design," (13) "Uncoverage," (14) "Misunderstanding," (15) "Where," (16) "Questions to Guide Teaching," (17) "Teaching Approaches," (18) "A Story Structure for Curriculum Design," and (19) "Curriculum as Task Analysis." A section entitled "Testing and Peer Review" includes (20) "Testing Designs Against Standards" and (21)"Peer Review." (SM)

 

Attachment(s): http://tinyurl.com/43m2kr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdwEIi22Dv8

"...Pupil Views of Teaching and Learning with Interactive Whiteboards" by Kate Wall, Steve Higgins  and Heather Smith^,  Centre for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University, 2005

 

Abstract

This study is one element of a government-sponsored evaluation into the introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to Years 5 and 6 in English primary schools. This element of the research aimed to gather information regarding pupil views of IWBs and the impact these tools can have on teaching and learning. To extend current literature, the method targeted pupils' views of how IWBs can impact on metacognition: thinking about learning. Using a template that has been developed by the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University, pupils were encouraged to talk about learning in different contexts: this methodology and its rationale are described. The results show that overall comments from the pupils are positive, with the resulting themes encompassing how the IWB can facilitate and initiate learning and impact on preferred approaches to learning. The pupils describe how different elements of software and hardware can motivate, aid concentration, and keep their attention. On the negative side, pupils candidly describe their frustration when there are technical difficulties, their desire to use the board themselves and their perceptions of teacher and pupil effects. As IWBs are becoming more and more prevalent in schools, we discuss implications and make re-commendations for teachers and manufacturers.

Attachment(s): http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118683426/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Abstract:
Forty-two experimental studies based on the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model and conducted between 1980-1990 were identified to determine the value of teaching students through their learning-style preferences. The studies were rated according to Lytton and Romney's (1991) Quality Rating Scales. A jury determined that, of the 42 studies, 6 studies evidenced serious threats to validity. The 36 remaining studies provided a database of 3,181 participants. Results were synthesized through meta-analysis. Eight variables coded for each study produced 65 individual effect sizes. The overall, unweighted group effect size value (r) was.384, and the weighted effect size value was.353 with a mean difference (d) of.755. Referring to the standard normal curve, this suggests that students whose learning styles are accommodated would be expected to achieve 75% of a standard deviation higher than students who have not had their learning styles accommodated. This finding indicates that matching students' learning-style preferences with educational interventions compatible with those preferences is beneficial to their academic achievement.

Attachment(s): http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=3680942

Here you go!

Attachment(s): http://www.bubblecomment.com/id/ftd6

 

VoiceThreads are Web 2.0 tools that allow you to upload a picture or series of pictures, add audio, publish to the web and have visitors leave comments on your VoiceThread. 

Excellent tool!   

Attachment(s): http://voicethread.com/#home

 

Here's a Web 2.0 tool that's proven to be an outstanding tool with our students.  It is called a VOKI and allows you to create an avatar, customize it to look like you or NOT, and then give it a voice.  We've found that since it requires audio, our students have written the script and then practiced recording their voices to their own vokis.  The voki can then be embedded into a blog, as I've done on the first page of this blog. 

Defintely a useful tool!  Free and easy.   

 

Here's another excellent Web 2.0 tool that allows you to add your own video to discuss a site.  Again, free and easy.  Give it a try!

Attachment(s): http://www.bubblecomment.com/index.php

 

Dear Teachers,

Have you ever wanted to have your students use specific websites in sequence?  Here's an excellent Web 2.0 tool called "Jog the Web" which allows you to create a track of websites and have your students move through them in the order you designate.  

It's free so be sure to open an account and start creating your own tracks.   

Attachment(s): http://www.jogtheweb.com

Today has been a very busy workshop.  You've learned about new research theories on how students learn, explored the SMARTBoard in depth and created your own SMARTBoard lessons, designed to meet your content area and students' needs.  Please take a moment to reflect on this workshop and give us your feedback.

 

 

Here's a new tool to use with your SMARTBoard.  It allows you to draw, edit and collaborate interactively. 

 Wonderful!
 

Attachment(s): http://www.dabbleboard.com/main

Summary
Interactive whiteboards effect learning in several ways, including raising the level of student engagement in a classroom, motivating students and promoting enthusiasm for learning. Interactive whiteboards support many different learning styles and are used in a variety of learning environments, including those catering to students with hearing and visual impairments.

Research also indicates that notes taken on an interactive whiteboard can play a key role in the student review process, leading to higher levels of student attendance. In addition to the observed positive impacts on student learning, research shows that designing lessons around interactive whiteboards helps educators streamline their preparation, be more efficient in their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration and increase their productivity overall. The attached paper brings together interactive whiteboard research and case study observations from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Attachment(s): Int_Whiteboard_Research_Whitepaper_Update.pdf

 

Just what do educators mean when they use certain words? 

Clink the ASCD link below to find out! 

Attachment(s): http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.5a47c86b3b7b44128716b710e3108a0c/

The Definition of The Brain & Learning

"Brain-based learning involves using approaches to schooling that rely on recent brain research to support and develop improved teaching strategies. Researchers theorize that the human brain is constantly searching for meaning and seeking patterns and connections. Authentic learning situations increase the brain's ability to make connections and retain new information.

Teaching strategies that enhance brain-based learning include manipulatives, active learning, field trips, guest speakers, and real-life projects that allow students to use many learning styles and multiple intelligences. An interdisciplinary curriculum or integrated learning also reinforces brain-based learning, because the brain can better make connections when material is presented in an integrated way, rather than as isolated bits of information.

A relaxed, nonthreatening environment that removes students' fear of failure is considered best for brain-based learning. Research also documents brain plasticity, which is the notion that the brain grows and adapts in response to external stimuli."

Source: Adapted from The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms, by J. L. McBrien & R. S. Brandt, 1997, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

May 2008

May 2008 | Volume 65 | Number 8
Pages 36-41

by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

The high school curriculum should start with the long-term goals of schooling: meaning making and transfer of learning.

A local newspaper reporter asks students attending the town's high school to give their school a letter grade from A to F. One young man, a senior, rates his high school a B. When asked to explain, he replies with a single word: "Boring."

 A first-year algebra teacher tries to remain enthusiastic in the face of student apathy. Although she attempts to engender a love of math in her students, many typically respond with the same questions, "Why do we need to learn this stuff? When are we ever going to use this?" She's aware that her answers are not convincing.

 While lecturing to the vacant-eyed stares of many of his students, the veteran AP U.S. History teacher sometimes feels like the teacher in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, who answers his own dull questions. Yet there's so much material to cover to prepare for the upcoming AP exam. What else can he do?

 In one district, the results of end-of-year science exams reveal a troubling pattern: Students typically perform adequately on items requiring recall and basic skills but do poorly on items requiring application or careful analysis and explanation.

These vignettes reflect recognizable high school challenges—student displays of boredom, passivity, and apathy; external test pressures that demand superficial content coverage; and students who seem to know the material but don't know how to apply it. These different problems are, in fact, interrelated. They can be traced to one underlying factor—the lack of clarity about the goals of a high school education and how those goals should inform instruction, assessment, and curriculum design." ASCD May, 2008 p 36-41

To read more, click on the link below.

Attachment(s): http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.459dee008f99653fb85516f762108a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_journaltypeheaderimage=%2FASCD%2Fimages%2Fmultifiles%2Fpublications%2Felmast.gif&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_viewID=article_view&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_journalmoid=9f9dcdae25b99110VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_articlemoid=5a0ecdae25b99110VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD&javax.portlet.prp_d5b9c0fa1a493266805516f762108a0c_journalTypePersonalization=ASCD_EL&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=token&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=token

 

"The idea of differentiating instruction to accommodate the different ways that students learn involves a hefty dose of common sense, as well as sturdy support in the theory and research of education (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). It is an approach to teaching that advocates active planning for student differences in classrooms." Carol Ann Tomlinson

Attachment(s): http://www.caroltomlinson.com

SMART Technologies, the manufacturer of SMARTBoards, has updated its Notebook software to version 10.0.  The new version has many new features that will help you engage your students in the classroom.  Be sure to explore the new  tool bar, especially the icon for creating questions using the SENTEO student response system.  You can download the new software at the link below.  You will need the serial number of your SmartBoard which is your key to download the new software.  The serial number is on the back of your SmartBoard.

Attachment(s): http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Support/Downloads/default.htm

Here's a great resource from Carol Ann Tomlinson's website on Assessment.

"Assessment is simply a way to collect information about students at all stages of learning. Teachers pre-assess to find out what their students already know about a topic; they assess continuously throughout the unit to clarify misconceptions and steer instruction; as well as at the end of course of study in order to determine if students have reached the intended goals. Teachers in differentiated classrooms not only assess but they use that data to guide their thinking, to adjust instruction, and to ensure that they are providing meaningful and relevant curriculum."

Attachment(s): http://people.virginia.edu/~mws6u/diff/assessment.htm

Here's a link to one of Dr. Tomlinson's texts which describes DI in detail.   

Attachment(s): http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.book/menuitem.b71d101a2f7c208cdeb3ffdb62108a0c/?bookMgmtId=fa4f86b18fcaff00VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD

Here's a wonderful resource to help you differentiate instruction in your classroom.

Attachment(s): http://people.virginia.edu/~mws6u/diff

by Pitiya Huu
Differentiation Class of 2006

• A clear sense of direction is a must in creating anything differentiated; this is achieved by arriving at a defined set of KUDs before even considering the centers.
• An established routine – that is practiced consistently – with which students are familiar is necessary for the smooth functioning of learning centers. Students should know where to go, where to file papers, how to move from center to center, how to get assistance, and what to do once they're at the center (instructions should be provided – written and tape recorded – for students who have difficulty reading), without the teacher having to take extra time to explain any of these routines every day.
• A system of accountability for students is also vital. If students know that their work is not being assessed, they will quickly learn that they don't need to do it. Also, without a way for the teacher to monitor student's progress, there is inadequate information from which the teacher can make accurate and updated differentiating decisions. This can be achieved from center checklists (students tick off as they complete work at each center), self-assessment (teaching students to monitor their own work against a rubric will provide a valuable skill for students and help them develop their metacognition), and folders/portfolios (where students keep their work for the teacher to assess at any point).
• Connectivity to the classroom content is also key. Work that occurs at centers may prepare students for an upcoming topic (by whetting their appetites, or even preliminarily introducing the topic), reinforce a topic/skill, or review a topic/skill. No matter what the purpose of the activity at a center (introduce, reinforce, or review), there must be a connection to what's happening in the classroom – and more importantly, students must see the connection (if not before or during the center work, then most certainly shortly thereafter).

Finally, reflection is equally important in creating an effective center. I mean “reflection” in both senses of the word; the teacher must contemplate on what's working and what's not, in a constant attempt to tailor centers to meet students' needs (i.e., differentiating by learning profile or readiness level). Also, students must see themselves reflected in (at least some of) the centers in the classroom (i.e., differentiating by interest).