Smart Notebook

Smart Notebook is a great way for the students to interact with the lesson.  As I am still learning about the software as well, there are so many different ways to make every lesson interactive.  I think one of the most helpful aspects is the template guide provided.  This template guide will bring up tons of ideas to help inspire your own creative ideas, or you can simply download and edit others if it works for your lesson.  Another feature I find helpful and useful is that you can create items to become and infinite clone.  If you ask students to come to the board and drag a certain number of objects to a location there is no need to have them pre-done.  You can use as many items as you need and then reset the presentation for the next time you use it.  I am incredibly excited to create my own lessons using Smart Notebook to make my students feel more engaged.

Personal Learning Network (PLN)

A Personal Learning Network, or PLN, can be used for more than just bookmarking your most used sites.  Say you're looking at articles about how to better engage your students, or you find a really cool website with educational games for your students, instead of saving it and never remember what it was you can put it in your Google Bookmarks!  This allows you to put a description of what you are saving for future use.  You can also categorize each site you save whether it is for your personal use, educational, or maybe even a good cooking recipe!  You can also inform parents about all of the sites being used in the classroom through a newsletter or monthly email.  This will allow parents to also take a look at what their child is exposed to through the internet when they are not able to monitor them.

Week 3: iMovie usage

During class this week we were able to learn about using iMovie in the classroom!  Once I began to think about the different ways I could incorporate this type of technology in the classroom I couldn't stop! This technology can be useful for any subject.  If students are home from school it's a great way to make sure everyone stays up-to-date on important information.  Parents may find this helpful as well!  For example, if we are discussing the different body systems, such as immune, muscular, and skeletal, iMovie can be used as a guide before class for both students and parents.  Students will be able to learn important information before they come into the classroom and be ready for further instruction and exploration.  I personally cannot wait to use this method of teaching in my future classroom!

Social Media in the Classroom

I never thought I would be questioning the different ways to incorporate social media in the classroom.  However, after discussion and reading different articles many new ideas came to mind.  Facebook, for example, can be a great way to engage parents in what their children are learning.  Having a group Facebook page for my students will be helpful to expand their knowledge by uploading articles, links, or videos.  Students will also be able to contact one another and discuss what they have learned.  This will also be a great way to update any classroom news for both parents and students!