ipen

i-pen Mouse is a pen-shaped mouse for PC that allows natural writing just like using a real pen. Utilizing the latest optical navigation technology, i-pen is lightweight, durable, and accurate. With i-pen Mouse, user can perform natural handwriting to do more creative work or special task that was previously impossible with a mouse. i-pen Mouse is designed to work in "mouse mode" for fast point-and-click action and also in "pen mode" for writing and drawing actions. Two modes can be changed manually with switch of the button. Especially, because it requires very small surface to write on, it is very ideal for laptop users and perfect for places where limited workspace is allowed


http://www.fingersystemusa.com/products/i-pen_mouse.php

Online Tutoring

The extra help that is sometimes needed is now available online. This may seem like a good thing, but it can also be harmful because anyone can tutor online. The following link discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages.
http://www.tutoring-services.com/online-program-tutoring.html

Second Life

Hundreds of leading universities and school systems around the world use Second Life as a vibrant part of their educational programs. Linden Lab works enthusiastically with education organizations to familiarize them with the benefits of virtual worlds, connect them with educational peers active in Second Life, and showcase their inworld projects and communities.

http://secondlifegrid.net/slfe/education-use-virtual-world

Online VS Classroom Education

Online VS Classroom Education

At first glance, online education might seem like an easy and undervalued way of obtaining your education. However, after years of testing and constant studies, online learning is gaining acceptance by the education industry as an acceptable and productive way of obtaining your education. One such study suggests that online learning is actually a more efficient and effective way for students to learn. Below are some of the pros and cons of online learning versus learning in a traditional classroom setting.

Online Learning Pros Allows for learning in in distant or disadvantaged locations Online education is easy to access and provides a convenient way to obtain course materials such as homework, exam schedules, test scores and more. Most online learning environments are accessible from a standard internet connection and typically require average home computer system requirements. Facilitates easy information transfer For most online schools, all course information is obtained by browsing the internet and sending/receiving email. This instant and secure transfer of information provides a convenient way for students to communicate with their instructors and fellow classmates. Some classes participate in chat sessions on a weekly or even more frequent basis. This provides a means for students to interact with each other while learning a particular subject thus enhancing the overall learning experience. Also visit Online Degrees for further detail regarding distance learning and training. Cons Changing technology may create barriers to accessing learning environments As with new teaching methods, online learning has faced much criticism from many sources as they claim it has devalued post secondary education and will reduce the effectiveness of obtaining quality career positions by obtaining higher education. These skeptics claim many existing barriers to effectively learning complex subjects in an online-only setting. They also feel that it isolates the students from one another as well as their instructor reducing the overall value of taking the course. Limited understanding of effective teaching methods due to youth of online learning Due to the youth of online learning, there has been little research conducted to evaluate the teaching methods or the effectiveness of student comprehension through an online-only learning environment. Some programs also offer a combination of online and classroom style teaching for the same course. This allows for the benefits of both types of learning to be realized. Classroom Learning Pros Provides interactive classroom setting that promotes the open exchange of ideas. Having numerous students learning in the same classroom has the added benefit of allowing students to exchange ideas and questions with one another providing another valuable learning medium that online envrionements cannot replicate. First-hand interaction with the educating professor also allows for ideas to be exchanged freely and without any communication barriers. Cons Encourage passive learning Depending on the level of interaction in the classroom setting, shy students may be allowed to attend classes without providing alternative ways to communicate ideas. Forcing students to learn by vocal exchange with a professor may limit their ability to learn. Ignore individual learning differences between students Classrooms environments tend to group students together in large number often making it difficult for instructors to isolate learning deficiencies and provide the necessary close attention that individuals may need to learn. Online classes allow for a more individual persepective from the professors standpoint due to most of the communication being easily handled through email and chat. Neglect problem solving, critical thinking, and higher order learning skills The classroom setting can also hinder ones ability to learn by allowing other, more vocal, students to dominate the bulk of the discussion environments. Quieter personalities are limited in their communication options for exchanging ideas and information. Summary The truth to the matter is that there are advantages and disadvantages to every type of learning environment. It is best to use the advantages that each method offers to their fullest extent. It appears from the initial studies, that a combination of online and classroom learning to convey subject matter to students will be the best teaching method. However, in some instances the inconvenience of maintaining a consistent school schedule prohibits potential students from furthering their education. Learning also highly depends on the individual's motivation to learn. So it still comes down to the effort that the students put into their education that ultimately determines how much they will retain and how beneficial the overall experience was to their future career. http://www.technical-vocational-schools.com/online_classroom_learning.aspx

Overhead Projectors

An overhead projector typically consists of a large box containing a very bright lamp and a fan to cool it on top of which is a large lens that collimates the light. Above the box, typically on a long arm, is a mirror and lens that focuses and redirects the light forward instead of up. Transparencies are placed on top of the lens for display. The light from the lamp travels through the transparency and into the mirror where it is shone forward onto a screen for display. The mirror allows both the presenter and the audience to see the image at the same time, the presenter looking down at the transparency as if writing, the audience looking forward at the screen. The height of the mirror can be adjusted, to both focus the image and to make the image larger or smaller depending on how close the projector is to the screen.

Television In the Classroom Today

Cable in the Classroom (CIC) is the U.S. cable industry’s education foundation. Their mission is to foster the use of cable content and technology to expand and enhance learning for children and youth nationwide.
Working in partnership with and on behalf of the cable industry, CIC advocates for the visionary, sensible and effective use of media in homes, schools, and communities.

Cable in the Classroom (CIC) fosters the use of cable content and technology to expand and enhance learning for children and youth nationwide. Working in partnership with and on behalf of the cable industry, Cable in the Classroom advocates for the visionary, sensible, and effective use of media in homes, schools, and communities.

Calculators In Today's Classroom

CALCULATOR: a mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic device that performs arithmetic operations automatically.

Since the first hand-held electronic calculator appeared on the market nearly 30 years ago, individuals and special interest groups have voiced extremely strong opinion, both pro and con, regarding the use of calculators in the classroom. And the debate continues today. David Gelernter, professor of computer science at Yale University, believes calculators should be totally eliminated from the classroom. He feels that allowing children to use calculators produces adults who can't do basic arithmetic, doomed to wander through life in a numeric haze. In 1997, California legislation would prohibit the use of calculators in schools prior to the sixth grade. Whereas, the state of Virginia purchased 200,000 graphing calculators to be used by all middle school and high school math students.

Powerpoint

Powerpoint is a great tool for teachers to use. It helps keep the children attentive, it provides pictures to help remember facts and dates, and its so much more fun than a chalkboard!

What's going on? PowerPoint is a high-powered software tool used for presenting information in a dynamic slide show format. Text, charts, graphs, sound effects and video are just some of the elements PowerPoint can incorporate into your presentations with ease. Whether it's a classroom lesson, a parents' group meeting, a teachers' seminar or an unattended kiosk at the Science Fair - PowerPoint shows you how to make a powerful impression on your audience. This fun, eight-unit tutorial shows K-12 teachers how to use PowerPoint to present many different forms of information. You'll learn the basics on using PowerPoint's toolbars, laying out your information, saving, moving your information to the place you'll be presenting it - and much more. This tutorial is provided free of charge by ACT360 Media Ltd. If you are using this material for classroom use and would like to support future updates, please make a $1 donation by clicking the link below. Meet your hosts… Join our wacky tutorial hosts Sue Special and Jim Jingle as they take you on a talk show tour of PowerPoint's unique features and abilities. Just to tweak your memory, the tutorial includes a quiz question at the end of each new section. You'll also get a kick out of the Cool For School page, which gives you extra tips and tricks for using PowerPoint in the classroom. What do you think? If you have anything to say about the tutorial, or if you'd like to share your own ideas about using PowerPoint, please visit our blog. We really appreciate any comments and suggestions you have to offer. Wait! There's more... Can we make this tutorial even better and easier to use? Believe it or not, we can! So check back often as we add these exciting new features. Tutorials in Print Send a copy of this online tutorial to your printer with just a couple of clicks. Here's how...

http://www.actden.com/PP/guide.htm

Blogs About Lesson Plans Using Technology

Friday, January 09, 2009

Technology lesson planning 101

On the excellent Doug Johnson Blue Skunk Blog, there are two recent articles well worth reading: one is Seven brilliant things teachers do with technology, in which I particularly like the idea that we should "use technology's engagement (not entertainment) power" [>> more].

The second is Seven stupid mistakes teachers make with technology, "stupid" being a word he uses with some reservation.

I've got the same reservations myself about "stupid". "Can I ask a stupid question?" people sometimes ask me in technology seminars, meaning a question that might seem stupid to experts, an idea that embarrasses the questioner. But the question never turns out to be stupid: "basic" is perhaps the word being sought.

As regards using technology, let's call it "silly", shall we? To my mind, the silliest mistake you can make as a teacher is not having a Plan B in case the technology goes wrong, as at some point it inevitably will.

"Silly" is a word I hear teachers use: they say, for example, "you just look silly in front of all your students when there's no Internet connection".

But that's the great thing about having a "Plan B": if you do, you won't look silly, on the contrary, you'll look slickly professional, which as a learner is how I like my teacher to look...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/eltblog/blog/uploaded_images/tecnologia-780918-769329-743771.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/eltblog/blog/labels/Using%2520technology.html&usg=__lf6S8PfJHHFZ1n_RB82vttHfpTM=&h=300&w=400&sz=28&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=SaucwMzjPm4m5M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtechnology%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bclassroom%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B2RNFA_en___US204%26um%3D1

Lesson Plans Using Technology

Task #3: A photograph of learning actually occurring

Follow the steps and the task isn't as impossible as it might look...


It is easy -- from the technical point of view. All you your learners have to do is point the camera and shoot, and then share it in some digital way (eg. on a blog, or as a PowerPoint presentation, as I suggested).

It is however more of a challenge. Can you actually photograph the actual instant learning occurs, and actually capture it on film? I've been trying for years and never really ever got close to it.

What your learners should aim for is a photograph in which they can then say "What we were trying to capture was...". The end-product is less important than the meaningful interaction that precedes it -- though it is also true that working towards producing an end-product makes that interaction meaningful.

And, as I suggested, discussing the subject of when learning takes place first, before taking out the camera, will make it slightly less of a challenge, as well as creating the opportunity for the interaction to occur.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/eltblog/blog/uploaded_images/tecnologia-780918-769329-743771.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ihes.com/bcn/tt/eltblog/blog/labels/Using%2520technology.html&usg=__lf6S8PfJHHFZ1n_RB82vttHfpTM=&h=300&w=400&sz=28&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=SaucwMzjPm4m5M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtechnology%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bclassroom%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B2RNFA_en___US204%26um%3D1

Voice recognition Software

Today, schools offer technologies that were unheard of twenty years ago. The typewriter is being replaced by voice recognition software, and the traditional classroom is now competing with two-way online distance learning classes. However, rather than try to describe the impact of technology as a whole, schools need to understand the purpose and usefulness of them.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/309346/using_technology_in_todays_classroom_pg2.html?cat=4

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bigpicture.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/08/21/ilisten.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2007/08/voice-recogniti.html&usg=__bkjT2Scklv_isLbAtbttQa-ETZ8=&h=280&w=280&sz=17&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=whvi9O7QNCT7GM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvoice%2Brecognition%2Bsoftware%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1B2RNFA_en___US204%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Computers In the Classroom Today

Positive outcomes of computers in today's classrooms.

1. 1. Children can use the program without asking for help


2. 2. Children control the software's path and pace


3. 3. The program provides opportunities for children to explore a variety of concepts on several levels.


4. 4. Children receive quick feedback.


5. 5. The program appeals to children's multisensory learning style by taking advantage of the capabilities offered by today's computers.


6. The software is enjoyable - it encourages children to laugh and to use their imagination to explore.


7. Children experience success and feel empowered by learning

The SMARTBOARD

What are Smartboards?SMARTBoard are interactive whiteboard that helps energize presentations and motivate learners. In 1991, it was the world's first interactive whiteboard. Today, it is the world's leading interactive whiteboard. Combining the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer, the SMART Board interactive whiteboard engages students and audiences around the world.How does it work?The touch-sensitive display connects to your computer and digital projector to show your computer image. You can then control computer applications directly from the display, write notes in digital ink and save your work to share later.Best of all, the full-featured SMART Board interactive whiteboard is incredibly easy to use. If you can use a computer, you can use a SMART Board interactive whiteboard.