photo courtesy Rusler Sentinel
Jason Polk demonstrates Elmo using a textbook. The image of the real object is seen on the projection screen. Imagine a plant specimen.Teaching for Today's World
new technology for your students
by Joan Wilson
August 26, 2009
Gone are the days of chalkboards and transparent, opaque and filmstrip projectors. Logan View teachers learned about the newest interactive digital technologies for teaching and learning during August peer-led demonstrations of Smart Boards, an Elmo, and Senteo Clickers.
Business teacher Jason Polk introduced Elmo. Elmo is a digital image presenter that lets teachers clearly show just about anything either on a large screen or to individual computer monitors —three-dimensional objects, paper documents or computerized content.
Used with school computers and digital projectors, a Smart Board acts like a huge touch screen and accepts input from a finger, pen, or other solid object. Each contact with the interactive whiteboard is like a left-click from a computer mouse. Sixth-grade teacher Byran Martin led practice on setting up and realigning Smart Boards. Molzahn gave a guided tour of its gallery of tools. Math teacher Sharon Rief had teachers use math techniques on Smart Boards.
The Senteo electronic response system puts a wireless remote clicker in each student’s hand. Teachers display prepared questions through a digital device and students anonymously key in answers. Their responses are immediately tallied and displayed on a projection screen or interactive whiteboard. Clickers give students who don't volunteer or aren't called upon to answer a voice. With clickers, all student can answer anonymously, and teachers can immediately adjust their instruction based on tallied student responses. Science teacher Syd Ready had teachers answer questions using electronic clickers.
Spanish teacher Stephanie Iwan Flamme helped teachers research online lessons and practices that use these interactive technologies for specific classroom instruction.
Special Education teacher Renee Wagner said, “The things we learned will allow us to better meet the needs of all our students. I can’t wait to use these new teaching tools and strategies.”
