Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Interactive Whiteboards








After talking to other students and watching a few videos on interactive whiteboards I have decided that every classroom should have one. I love how the teacher or student does not have to be constantly behind the computer if they are giving a presentation. With the interactive whiteboard teachers can move around the classroom and are able to use their hands just like a mouse. They can now create notes during class time, which hopefully teachers are allowing students to look at outside of class as well. The interactive white board is a great way to get students involved in the classroom. What kid today wouldn't want to use an interactive whiteboard. Kids use technology for everything else in their lives so why not get them excited about using more technology in the classroom.

I have heard that some teachers are not really being trained on how to use the interactive whiteboard which is a shame. I do believe that if schools do start buying more interactive white boards then they should properly train teachers on how to use them. They should at least provide a user manual because if they don't train people on how to use them then they will go to waste. There is a lot of potential to use the boards in the classroom and teachers need to know what they can actually do with it.


Some websites on interactive whiteboards:
http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html
http://www.scholastic.com/interactivewhiteboards/

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My thoughts on e readers



After first hearing about e readers I was really skeptical about them. I mean they aren't books that you can cuddle up with, nor do they smell or feel like a book. But then I got thinking. There is no way that I would say we should stop printing books but the e reader would be great for students to use. As a student myself, I know that I hate carrying six books with me at one time. It would be great if students were able to get their classroom textbooks on e readers so they no longer would have to carry such a heavy load. Also students who have extracurricular activities would be able to take the small e reader along with them on trips rather than lugging around large textbooks.


I think the coolest feature on the reader is the dictionary. I know that when I am reading a book I hate trying to find a dictionary when I do not know what a word means. I also tell myself that I'll look it up later but that usually doesn't happen. But with the e reader I can look up the word right then and there. I think it is great that you can change the size of the font as well. This feature will be great for times when people need to read a larger print.

Here's some e reader websites:
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Original-Wireless-generation/dp/B000FI73MA

http://www.ereader.com/

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