http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=d0093dc6-8170-495f-b585-ca319d271821
I decided to do a quick search in the exchange section of the SMART website for my favorite author, Dr.Seuss, just to see what would come up. I am so glad that I did! Scrolling through the various presentations on celebrating his birthday... which I wasn't really interested in, I found an excellent lesson on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.
The author of this lesson did a phenomenal job with not only incorporating all of the functions of the smartboard and smart notebook, but really laying out the purpose for teaching the lesson and what resources they utilized. I was impressed with the layout, color selection, and general appearance and flow of the smart-notebook lesson.
The activities in this lesson ranged from phonics (word families, etc), to compare and contrast, to just plain fun activities feature Dr.Seuss's amazing characters and silly words. This would be a great lesson to do in conjunction with Dr.Seuss's birthday and after reading the book one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. I really like SMART notebook lessons that incorporate a hands-on, old-fashioned activity as well (such as a read-aloud or a craft project). This project provides opportunities to utilize the technology as well as engage the students with Dr.Seuss's stories through read alouds and various in-class activities. This lesson was definitely a worth while find!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Open source blog
Tux Math Scrabble: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tuxmathscrabble/files/TuxMathScrabble%202011/tuxmathscrabble-0.7.4.zip/download
This game could be used in a math classroom for grades ranging from 8th grade all the way through high school. Instead of letters, as typically used in scrabble, this game uses numbers, letters, and symbols (*+= etc) to create complex and simple equations. As soon as I saw scrabble, I knew this game would be right up my ally. It is AWESOME! You can play either by yourself (against the computer) or with a friend (taking turns). I really enjoyed playing this game so much that I didn't want to stop "reviewing it" to write this blog post!
This game could easily be used in an upper grade math class. The teacher could allow the students to use the program after they complete work at their seat or if they finish a test/assignment early. There are always students who seem to zip through everything given to them and are left sitting staring at the wall. This would focus their attention to a game that reinforces the lessons taught that day.
Though there are many great things about this open source, there are a few things that I would change. When I downloaded it, I had to sift through a great deal of text files to actually find the program. I don't know if it was something on my end, or theirs, but this was a minor annoyance. Also, there should be more options for leveling. The computer was a little too easy for more advanced high school students, but average high school students and advanced middle school students will enjoy this game. There should be more of a range of difficulty of the computer.
All-in-all, I think this game is super! It's a great deal of fun while still focusing on math and learning. A great educational tool for any math teacher!
Hope everyone enjoys hunting for open source software! Anything free is alright with me!
Sarah
This game could be used in a math classroom for grades ranging from 8th grade all the way through high school. Instead of letters, as typically used in scrabble, this game uses numbers, letters, and symbols (*+= etc) to create complex and simple equations. As soon as I saw scrabble, I knew this game would be right up my ally. It is AWESOME! You can play either by yourself (against the computer) or with a friend (taking turns). I really enjoyed playing this game so much that I didn't want to stop "reviewing it" to write this blog post!
This game could easily be used in an upper grade math class. The teacher could allow the students to use the program after they complete work at their seat or if they finish a test/assignment early. There are always students who seem to zip through everything given to them and are left sitting staring at the wall. This would focus their attention to a game that reinforces the lessons taught that day.
Though there are many great things about this open source, there are a few things that I would change. When I downloaded it, I had to sift through a great deal of text files to actually find the program. I don't know if it was something on my end, or theirs, but this was a minor annoyance. Also, there should be more options for leveling. The computer was a little too easy for more advanced high school students, but average high school students and advanced middle school students will enjoy this game. There should be more of a range of difficulty of the computer.
All-in-all, I think this game is super! It's a great deal of fun while still focusing on math and learning. A great educational tool for any math teacher!
Hope everyone enjoys hunting for open source software! Anything free is alright with me!
Sarah
Monday, March 7, 2011
Post 6: Response
Hello the article I chose to review is found here article!
This blog post discussed the requirements of the PLE Framework. It was helpful because I have not heard of PLEs before this class. I learned that PLEs must include:
Personalization: It should provide students with the ability to use different tools and services (software). The user is allowed to determine which tools to use and how to use them. It makes learning personal.
Social Features: It should provide opportunities for collaboration. Working with others is essential to the learning process, and PLEs are no exception.
Web 2.0 Concepts and Technologies: To develop a PLE Framework, several web 2.0 tools should be used (the author mentions RSS and openID).
Web Browser Platform: The author states, "with web browser as the platform, the independence of the operation system can be assured. This also enables PLEF to aggregate and integrate third-party services."
Mashups: The PLEF should allow the user to use several different services, such as widgets, feeds, and media.
Ease of use: A user should be able to easily navigate through the framework. If it is too difficult, the outcome won't be as desired.
This article was incredibly helpful in defining what exactly is a PLEF and what components are needed. The author was able to, very concisely define what steps a creator would need to include to have a successful framework. This is definitely something I would like to try in the future.
Hope everyone has an excellent week!
Sarah
This blog post discussed the requirements of the PLE Framework. It was helpful because I have not heard of PLEs before this class. I learned that PLEs must include:
Personalization: It should provide students with the ability to use different tools and services (software). The user is allowed to determine which tools to use and how to use them. It makes learning personal.
Social Features: It should provide opportunities for collaboration. Working with others is essential to the learning process, and PLEs are no exception.
Web 2.0 Concepts and Technologies: To develop a PLE Framework, several web 2.0 tools should be used (the author mentions RSS and openID).
Web Browser Platform: The author states, "with web browser as the platform, the independence of the operation system can be assured. This also enables PLEF to aggregate and integrate third-party services."
Mashups: The PLEF should allow the user to use several different services, such as widgets, feeds, and media.
Ease of use: A user should be able to easily navigate through the framework. If it is too difficult, the outcome won't be as desired.
This article was incredibly helpful in defining what exactly is a PLEF and what components are needed. The author was able to, very concisely define what steps a creator would need to include to have a successful framework. This is definitely something I would like to try in the future.
Hope everyone has an excellent week!
Sarah
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