Promethean's Planet

I am an avid user of the ActivBoard made by Promethean. Well, I truly have been putting the technology on my wish list for years. I originally promoted other similar technologies, but when my school system decided to go all out with an ActivBoard that included a permanent projector attachment and a wireless slate, I was gladly in for the long haul.

I cannot think of a better way to teach. ActivBoards are interactive white boards that work with an interactive pen. I am able to put worksheets that my students are working on in my 6th grade math classroom on the Activboard and can ask students to show their work right there on the screen. If I am promoting measurement, then I can have a student pull out an interactive ruler on the screen and allow a lesson to be born. The toolstore, which is a part of the software only adds to the excitement that my students and I have felt since I have been using the board for nearly a month now. The toolstore has everything from backgrounds to pictures and manipulatives.

There is more. The Activboard comes with optional items called Activotes, which allow students to vote on a concept that they are learning about in the form of a quiz. For example, if I want to create an "ad hoc" or on the spot quiz, then I can have students in the class vote on a multiple choice quiz that I write up on the screen. I can also prepare quizzes in advance.

The students vote by clicking a button (A, B, C, D) on the Activote. After all students click a response, I have several options, including showing a class graph, which allows me and the students to get immediate feedback. I cannot speak enough about the Promethean technology and what it is doing for the education of my students.

Blogger for life (personal story)

I am sure that I found blogging rather than blogging finding me. I was born a blogger. Many of us who enjoyed Language Arts as children, or who wrote short stories for fun, had pen pals, owned a diary, wrote poetry, or who generally liked writing about something of interest, have a natural line of selection for blogging.

I was so encouraged when my university contacted me about the entire concept of blogging as a networking tool. I was already thinking of ways in which I could include blogging in teaching my math class in the upcoming school year. Yes, I wanted to add blogging as a concept of learning in math.

I thought, there has to be some updates on blogging in the First Class e-mail and networking system that my school system uses. Sure enough, there is a new feature in First Class 9.0 that allows a blog to be added to a First Class website. Now, I can blog when I am not teaching my students math.

After blogging for a couple of years, I continue to find more places to express my ideas openly because blogging continues to catch on everywhere. I look forward to sharing ideas with my university colleagues and with my teammates in my school system.

2008 Tie Network Summer Institute

The TIE Network is an organization of teachers who use technology and encourage its use with their students. This summer we met in the Georgia region and discussed the latest technology. I have been a member for a little over a year now. I am a deemed Mimio and Camtasia expert.

As a doctoral candidate, I am constantly looking for ideas that not only help my students but also motivate and bridge the gaps in learning that occur when I teach. I am a firm believer that organizations like the TIE Network are the front runners in giving teachers an avenue of change. Teachers can join for free and all of the resources are free.

Check out some pictures from my recent Summer Institute with the TIE Network and if you are a teacher consider joining today. Also check out some of my blogs on the Georgia Public Broadcasting website. Join so you can get green on the brain like I did.