This year I’m teaching a new grade so all of my notebooks that I created last year are now not helpful. So one of my individual goal this year is to start over and create notebooks for my new grade level. Last year my focus was using the SMARTboard on a daily basis in math. This year math is not a subject that I teach so my goal is changing. Another goal for this year will be to develop SMART lessons in Language Arts and Science. I have already started by using it on a daily basis with DOL sentences. My last goal for this year is to continue to blog not only on my school website for my parents, but also on Smart project blog too.
I feel that I have grown in many ways with my technology use. With every lesson that I plan now, I constantly ask the question, “How can I incorporate the use of SMARTboard into this lesson?” It is becoming increasingly easier to do this too.
In order to continue in my own professional development, I feel that it is important to continue to have our collaborative meetings where we can discuss what’s working and what isn’t and share websites and lessons. I feel it is important to continue to provide us with the PD day so that we can use it just to explore all the ways we can incorporate technology.
I plan on accomplishing these goals by using my PD day with other colleagues in the project. Last year I found that so helpful and useful. I also like that you are combining the first and second year participants together because we can use their expertise and look to them for guidance.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Reflection on First Year: Action Research Summary
For some reason as I looked at my blog today, I noticed that my summary of my first year was not on it. So here it is now! The first year of the SMART project went by very quickly. I went from not being a blogger to successfully creating two: one for the SMART project and one for my classroom which I will be implementing in the 2010-2011 school year.
I have really enjoyed learning more about technology and implementing the SMART board into my daily teachings. My goal for my first year was to use it on a regular basis in Math and Language Arts. I feel that I was successful in using it on a regular basis in math and developed some great lessons to help support Math Makes Sense program.
As for Language Arts I did use it but not as regularly for Math. It seemed quite easy and natural to use it regularly in Math. I went from students not volunteering at all in Math to 28 raised hands wanting to answer the questions! In Language Arts I used it more for showing them clips and such but felt I did not make it as interactive as I would like it to be.
What I really enjoyed about having the SMART board in my room is that I was able to have technology at my fingertips. If I wanted to show the students something, I could do so very easily. If we were learning a new topic and had some questions, a few clicks on the keyboard and voila...the information was there so quickly and easily. Gone are the days of having to book out the room that has a SMART board in it, and hoping that it isn't double booked. Gone are the days of having students line up and take them to the room, wasting time on task. It is quick, easy and accessable right in the room!
Thus brings me to my project goal for year two (2010-2011). I have a grade change and so I will be starting from scratch and new lessons using the SMART board for my new grade level. Since I will not be teaching my own Math, I have decided to make sure that I'm using the SMART board on a regulary basis in Language Arts and Science. Of course, I will still use it in the other subject areas but I would really like to focus on those two subject areas. I would also like to focus on using my school blog on a daily basis to keep parents informed of what is going on.
I used my SMART PD day in May which I felt was a great time to use it as it gave me the opportunity to set up my school blog and network with some of the other teachers that were also using their PD that day.
It was a great first year and I look forward to my second year in the SMART project!
I have really enjoyed learning more about technology and implementing the SMART board into my daily teachings. My goal for my first year was to use it on a regular basis in Math and Language Arts. I feel that I was successful in using it on a regular basis in math and developed some great lessons to help support Math Makes Sense program.
As for Language Arts I did use it but not as regularly for Math. It seemed quite easy and natural to use it regularly in Math. I went from students not volunteering at all in Math to 28 raised hands wanting to answer the questions! In Language Arts I used it more for showing them clips and such but felt I did not make it as interactive as I would like it to be.
What I really enjoyed about having the SMART board in my room is that I was able to have technology at my fingertips. If I wanted to show the students something, I could do so very easily. If we were learning a new topic and had some questions, a few clicks on the keyboard and voila...the information was there so quickly and easily. Gone are the days of having to book out the room that has a SMART board in it, and hoping that it isn't double booked. Gone are the days of having students line up and take them to the room, wasting time on task. It is quick, easy and accessable right in the room!
Thus brings me to my project goal for year two (2010-2011). I have a grade change and so I will be starting from scratch and new lessons using the SMART board for my new grade level. Since I will not be teaching my own Math, I have decided to make sure that I'm using the SMART board on a regulary basis in Language Arts and Science. Of course, I will still use it in the other subject areas but I would really like to focus on those two subject areas. I would also like to focus on using my school blog on a daily basis to keep parents informed of what is going on.
I used my SMART PD day in May which I felt was a great time to use it as it gave me the opportunity to set up my school blog and network with some of the other teachers that were also using their PD that day.
It was a great first year and I look forward to my second year in the SMART project!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
SMARTBOARD JOURNEY -MAY
I used my PD day today and it was awesome. The only glitch I had was that I had to re-do my blog as my original blog with eduperience is no more. I learned a valuable lesson though, always save your blogs as a word document first then post! I didn't save my big long reflection from December in a word document and no matter how hard I try to access it, I cannot see it. What is so frustrating is that I know the exact title and so when I type that into a search engine it comes up but of course when I click on it, it doesn't show me what I posted. Oh well, a lesson learned indeed. So I feel my blog is a bit incomplete without my December reflection! My reflection on my first year with the SMARTboard is still to come!
SMART BOARD JOURNEY- FEBRUARY SMART BOARD PERCEPTIONS
Parents have been very receptive about the SMART board. During Education week, we had an afternoon open house where parents could pop in and see their child in action at school. I choose to use the SMART board so that parents had an opportunity to see how it works. I had many positive comments about how engaged the students were. Parents have said it would be great to see this in every classroom.
Students really enjoy using the SMART board in the classroom. They like to "brag" a little to other students in other classrooms that we have a SMART board in their classroom. I find that students are very eager to come up to the front and use the SMART board (even the shy ones). It is a great motivating tool for the students.
I have found that the SMART board has been influential in all areas but especially in Language Arts and Mathematics. It is so helpful to bring up manipulatives on the SMART board and all students can see them on the board and they can come up and manipulate them. We just finished an angles unit in math and I found it so useful to be able to show how to use a protractor on the SMART board and manoeuver and manipulate it. All the students did very well on the test and I attribute that to the help of the SMART board.
I have found that the teacher laptop, data projector, SMART board and student cart of laptops have increased accessibility. Before to drag out the SMART board, set it up orient the board, make sure the students didn't move the data projector or the cart for a 45 minute lesson was a lot of work. It would take at least 20 minutes to get everything set up and then sometimes that didn't even work. NOW, it is so easy to bring something up because technology is always right there. I love the laptop carts as well. It is so nice to book out the cart and have all of my students together in one area instead of running around to the various classrooms to help them out.
Students really enjoy using the SMART board in the classroom. They like to "brag" a little to other students in other classrooms that we have a SMART board in their classroom. I find that students are very eager to come up to the front and use the SMART board (even the shy ones). It is a great motivating tool for the students.
I have found that the SMART board has been influential in all areas but especially in Language Arts and Mathematics. It is so helpful to bring up manipulatives on the SMART board and all students can see them on the board and they can come up and manipulate them. We just finished an angles unit in math and I found it so useful to be able to show how to use a protractor on the SMART board and manoeuver and manipulate it. All the students did very well on the test and I attribute that to the help of the SMART board.
I have found that the teacher laptop, data projector, SMART board and student cart of laptops have increased accessibility. Before to drag out the SMART board, set it up orient the board, make sure the students didn't move the data projector or the cart for a 45 minute lesson was a lot of work. It would take at least 20 minutes to get everything set up and then sometimes that didn't even work. NOW, it is so easy to bring something up because technology is always right there. I love the laptop carts as well. It is so nice to book out the cart and have all of my students together in one area instead of running around to the various classrooms to help them out.
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