Digital Blog Post #H – Chapter 9

Compared to a few years back schools rarely used videos as a tool to teach students. Mobile devices were a distraction and not allowed in schools. After having my own children and deciding to go back to school to become a teacher myself I never know how much schools have changed and started to embrace technology. I also think Florida has much more to offer student than the classes I have seen in New York. For a little background I would have never become a teacher in New York and the classroom my daughter went to did not have a smartboard but the original chalkboard as I had when I attended school. The first time I heard about a smart board is by observing a class. My eyes went wide open and my mouth dropped the first time I saw what a Smartboard can do. My mind started thinking what amazing things can be taught with this tool.

As I read chapter 9 my mind is blown away by the thought of PowerPoint presentations can go further than projecting information. In Mr. Sheller’s class which I observed he showed me how words can be moved and changed so students can interact with it. That now transform learning by using auditory, visual, kinesthetic styles of learning.

I observed a middle school where the teacher had a digital book and was able to underline on the Smartboard descriptive words in the paragraphs to show students how to develop sentences to be more interesting. What I found really great was how excited the students were about the reading they told me wait and see the teacher will put scary music while she reads the book. At first I had no idea what they meant until I heard spooky music running in the back ground. Since Halloween is around the corner the teacher was reading a scary book to the classroom. Having music that goes with a book to set up the stage of what was going to happen really kept the students attention and had them wanting more; they could not wait for the next book.


When I was in school I remember the teachers always having a hard time setting up the VCR in the classroom to show an educational video. I also remember the screen being about 30” television on a stand. So if you sat in the back of the room you either fell asleep or could not hear or see what was going on. With Smartboard not only are they interactive you can use them to show educational videos and pull YouTube videos from the internet like “Super WHY!” to incorporate it into your lesson plans.

Reading this chapter just keeps opening my mind to how wonderful technology has opened students mind. I am the type of person who is always looking for new ways to learn. I recently got into listening to podcasts and I even used it train for 5K and in chapter 9 I find out I can use it to teach my future student. I’m just hoping I can tap into a student’s mind and make them want to go out there and learn and look for information and all I would love to be the guide to show there where and how to look. I can direct them to a podcast and see where they take it from there outside of the classroom. Or if I find a YouTube video would they go home and search some more on that subject. The opportunity is right there at my future student fingertips and I want to show them how to explore because it would make them wonderful grown human beings later in their college and adult lives.

References

Canate, K. (2016). Old 'VS' New. Retrieved 29 October, from http://www.pixton.com

Learning with interactive whiteboards [Video file]. (2009). Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=95547&xtid=41131

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R.-E., Amherst, M., Edwards, S. A., Woolf, P., & Woolf, B. P. (2013). Transforming learning with new technologies (with MyEducationKit) (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Saine, P. (2012). iPods, iPads, and the SMARTBoard: Transforming literacy instruction and student learning. New England Reading Association Journal,47(2), 74-79,81. Retrieved from http://db07.linccweb.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.db07.linccweb.org/docview/940889699?accountid=10674