Software Review: Promethean's ActivInspire

ActivInspire is downloadable of software for a Promethean Board, but can be used without a board as well. The setup in my classroom consists of a big screen television, my computer hooked up to the television, and my Qomo tablet that is wireless capable. I can write on the tablet, which goes to the computer, and eventually ends up on the television for classroom viewing. The system works well, and quite honestly, I do not know how I ever managed with just a regular white board. My back was always turned to the class...what a mess.

Even though this process is effective, I am always shopping around for new interactive displays in order to find the best available. I started the process with RM EasiTeach, which seemed to work fine. This was actually a case of not knowing what was available. I could do a software review of RM EasiTeach, but I will save time and just invite you to pass if you are met with a decision to use this product. It looks nice in the video, but the number of problems far outweighed the positives in my mind.

Enter Promethean's ActivInspire. The first nice part of ActivInspire is the price. Most of the items that are made from Promethean are free (not the hardware but the software). This is a great bonus because not only do I use it, my students have access to it on their own computers. My students each have a graphics tablet so they can essentially use what I use anytime to show work and understanding, or to just take notes.

The display on ActivInspire can be used in many ways. I can write in real time for the students to see. I can also type up items beforehand to show the class. I use different math symbols, lines, and tools (like a protractor) with a simple touch of an icon. The interface is easy to use and allows me to take a screen shot of something, and then write directly over the top in seconds. This is the feature I use the most. The transition from picture to writing is smooth.

While I believe ActivInspire to be the best interactive writing tool I have come across, there are some negatives that I would like to see fixed in future versions. First off, while the system seems friendly enough to me, my students often have a tough time catching on and remembering how to do everything that ActivInspire includes. My students are handy with technology, so when I see them struggle, I know improvements could be made in order to make ActivInspire more intuitive.

The other negative I see if the lack of colors and options. This seems like more of an elementary problem, but when you are a math instructor, having a different color for everything is important. Other writing software that I have used also has had the option to change your writing to text on the go. This was always a nice feature (because my handwriting is sloppy), but did not always work the way I wanted it to (because my handwriting is sloppy). I hope that Promethean can come up with a more effective way to use technology to transfer writing into text than other companies.

Overall, I have used ActivInspire for an extensive amount of time, and while improvements need to be made, it is the best of what I have found. I am always looking for the next best item that will make my job more streamlined, so any suggestions in the comments section would be welcome. I am sure that a company as progressive as Promethean will improve on future versions of ActivInspire. I will also check into the Google drawing tool as they expand. If there is anything better available, please do not hesitate to comment!

Credit given to the following: http://browardpromethean.pbworks.com/

An Attempt at New Technology in the Classroom: Twitter

In all honesty, I signed up for Twitter a year or so ago and sent a few Tweets. I found this new tool to be the biggest waste of space that I had ever used. People were Tweeting about their day and when they were going to the grocery store... as if anyone would care. I was boggled as to why it was catching on and what the fuss was about.

Fast-forward to a technology class I am taking for my Doctoral program....

I am willing to try most anything in my classroom to get my students interested in exploring mathematics. Here are my initial ideas for Twitter...

1. At the conclusion of class, students write a short reflection on what they got out of the current session. A different hashtag would be produced for each class for easy access for my students and myself to all reflections. TweetDeck would be needed for easy organization.

2. With each student having a computer to take home each night, I am going to have students watch a preview video at home as to what we will be doing the next day. After students watch the video, they can Tweet as a summary of what they learned. All responses will be sent to the same hashtag. I can use this information in determining who needs more instruction and who would be eligabe to start right away when the students arrive the next day.

3. I would like students to follow different Twitter users to gain a larger prospective on what jobs are available that have a mathematical emphasis. I feel that most student do not have a concept of the different jobs that are available to them, and I would hope that this connection could open some eyes as to what is available.

During the final week of school, I asked a few students to give some of this a trial run. For the most part, signing up and Tweeting worked fine. I will have to ensure that TweetDeck is on the toolbar in Chrome or in some other capacity for easy access. One problem I ran into was that some parents did not want their students to have an account (which is understandable). This is one obstacle that I will have to work around.

Please leave comments on ways that you use Twitter in the classroom. Also comment with ideas that you have always wanted to try but never have.

Credit given to the following: http://lavrusik.com/

Adaptive/Assistive Technology

My Current Situation with Adaptive Technology

            In my six years as a teacher, I have not come across many severe situations in which adaptive technology was needed. Obviously, the benefits are numerous. After viewing the videos, looking at some of the provided links, and doing research of my own, I understand just how important adaptive technology really is. Adaptive technology can mean the difference between a student learning, or living a life of solitude. When thinking of simple, everyday situations, many of my students do not have 20/20 vision. The laptops come with a wide range of features to enhance their personal experience such as zooming in on text or making text larger. I use this technique when I display information on my television. I zoom in to a level where everybody will be able to read. I have also had students with mild problems with motor skills. We have used a larger sized keyboard, as well as voice recognition to allow for typing. While these enhancements are rather low-impact, I do want to be prepared should the need arise for more evasive technologies so that all of my students can experience a quality education and be literate in the 21^st century.

Practical Uses for the Classroom

            One piece that I learned from my research is the growing amount of students who have been diagnosed with autism http://www.neatmarketplace.org/services/content.asp?SubnavID=15. I will be the first to admit that I do not have expansive background knowledge when it comes to autism. We have had a few students come through our district with autism, but neither participated in my regular classroom. I assume that in the future, this will change. One hint that I learned through research is just how important pictures and colors are to students with autism. Easy ways to deal with this are to use more pictures to make connections, and adapt screen colors to suit the needs of the student. Both of these are easily attainable through settings on a computer, options on a website, or locating the unlimited amount of pictures available to anyone on the web.

http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst10.htm

            Microsoft has a nice array of assistive technology that I think could benefit many students in the classroom, with or without special needs. Here is an example. Right now, I am typing this report, searching on the Internet, and actively fielding questions from my classroom 50 miles away. I am keep up with important Tweets as well as emails. I am able to pull this together through the use of my cell phone, which beeps each time I have a new email, and a noise that I can hear when I get a new instant message. I am in a library so I have to do this quietly. I know of one student in my classroom that has mild hearing loss. This would be a tough task for this student. Microsoft has created a set of lights that go off when you have a new form of communication coming in or an alert that needs to be attended to. Similar to this is a Google alert that will automatically appear on your screen if something new happens. I do not have this enabled, but this is another option for multitasking, especially for the hearing impaired. The following website has other options available from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/types.aspx

http://toolbar.google.com/gmail-helper/notifier_mac.html

           

Places to Acquire Adaptive Technology

            I think one of the simplest places to find adaptive technology is the local library. The Toledo Public Library (near my residence) has many lower levels of assistive technologies. One of the top options are books on CD. These can benefit individuals who are blind, or just have difficulty reading. Large print books are also available for those who have less than perfect eyesight. My grandma frequently checks out these types of books because she cannot read without them. The library also has access to headphones and CD players to aid in the listening of these books. Their own website even has its own option of making the text bigger.

http://www.toledo.lib.ia.us/accessibility-info

            Another place to locate adaptive technology is the Iowa Braille School. They offer a wide range of adaptive technology options. One of these options is a Braille reader that uses a USB to plug directly into your computer. The words on the screen are transported to the strip and bumps rise up in the form of the words on the screen. Other technologies include numerous magnifying devices, and mp3 like devices that eBooks can be download to and transferred to audio. A teacher would have to fill out the provided form, state why the technology is needed, and the student will be able to enjoy the capabilities of learning with adaptive technology.

http://www.iowa-braille.k12.ia.us/vnews/display.v/SEC/Library%20%26%20Assistive%20Devices

This is an additional site I found that contains an expansive amount of knowledge in regards to adaptive technology.

http://www.pluk.org/AT1.html

Credit given to the following: http://blog.eastersealstech.com/

Learn 360: A Review

Today's AEA resource review of Learn 360 will be taken from my classroom perspective. As a reader, please keep in mind that what works for my classroom, may not necessarily work for your classroom and vice versa.

I only have a few major expectations for my students as the year progresses, and these are expectations that if you asked any of my students, they would know...almost like a way of life or a credo.

1. Always try your best
2. Always improve
3. Be responsible for your own learning

The common theme of all three of these is that I do not care what you have done in math up to this point. You could be the lowest level of math student in the history of math students. This does not concern me. I want students to understand that they can help themselves for the future by following these three statements.

I always try to have many options for students available at all times so they can be responsible for their own learning. This is where Learn 360 comes into play. Videos are always options that I have ready for students if they choose to use them. Videos come in very handy because it allows students to work at their own pace for the sake of the learning and the understanding.

Thus the first thing I was looking for was sharing options. In the overview, teachers can provide access to specific videos for students to use. This is a great feature because I do not normally show a video to an entire class, the video is more of an option for learning. I can also filter out what videos I want them to see or what videos are relevant, which is another plus. This also includes podcasts, which is another feature that my students could use.

I wanted to see how easy the actual functionality of the site was, so I logged in and gave it a try. The searching feature was the first part that caught my eye. I could continuously narrow down until I found what I wanted. There were many options for math. I found a video on adding fractions and I was pleased because it showed more "why" than "how". This concept of visualization is important to me. If you do not teach math, there looked to be numerous videos for other topics, but again, you would have to check them out to see if they fit what you were looking for.

The other important factor is cost. When used through the AEA, this service is free to our district. Free is the key work for these rough economic times. Anything I get in my classroom is grant written, and having something for free is welcome.

Some of the other features do not strike me as exciting. Blogging and calendars do nothing for my classroom because the students will have their own blogs and they all have calendars on their computers so those are unneeded. They do feature technical support through videos, phone, and email if you need help which may come in handy, but the support is not 24 hours but "will respond in 24 hours". This may be a deal breaker for some teachers who may have needed the answer 5 minutes ago.

Overall, this seems like a quality option that I will add to my list of resources for students to use. The cost is free, their are thousands of grade level appropriate videos to choose from, and the sharing option allows students to find and watch the videos on their own, or with a friend. My only concern for Learn 360 and many sites for that matter is how obsolete locations like YouTube and Blogger (free sites) are making other paid sites. Even with Learn 360, YouTube will be a staple in my classroom because of the unlimited amount of choices that it provides.

If you have any additional questions, please comment and I will reply with answers.

Official Learn 360 Site

Learn 360 Video Tour

Flyer on the Features of Learn 360

Credit given to the following: http://blogs.bcbe.org/

Will the Written Word Become Extinct?

Books...we have all grown up with them. Whether we have used them for education or pleasure, everyone has used a book. With all of the new technology currently available like eReaders, laptops, and tablets, is there a possibility that the world will no longer have a use for the paper creation? When I go to the bookstore, it does not seem like paper books are being phased out at the rate necessary for them to go extinct. People are still buying books.

With that being said, think back to the switchover from tapes to CDs (I am not old enough to remember the records to eight tracks to tapes conversion). Tapes held on for quite awhile because of cost. CD players used to be expensive. Now they are a dime a dozen...much like the DVD player. eReaders are currently fairly expensive (depending on your definition of expensive). On top of the eReader price, many eBooks are not that much cheaper than a paperback (not true for hardcover books). I will predict that when the cost of eReaders and eBooks plummets, sales will increase. Will I ever say that books will be obsolete? If it happens, it will not occur anytime soon. There are still a few generations of non-technology users alive. As long as these human beings still walk the earth, books will continue to exist. Either way, books have had a nice run.

Other interesting debates dealing with books...

1. What will become of the local library? Will they adapt or be left behind?

2. How will sharing issues come into play if books do become extinct?

Credit given to the following: http://typedesk.com/ and http://farm5.static.flickr.com/

Cell Phones in the Classroom

Cell phones in general have many practical uses in the classroom to go along with texting information. A few of these methods include video and voice recording, access to the Internet, educational apps, email, calculators, sharing, reading eBooks, and social media. This is quite a list, and I think whether you use phones or accept their presence in your classroom depends on personal preference. I have had this debate before with someone who thinks blocking everything and not allow cell phones to even be in the schools is a rational idea. There is nothing wrong with this perspective, and if you feel this well, that is perfectly fine. In my opinion, the more you withhold, the more students try to get around the restrictions. At our school, we allow cell phones to be used in the hallways during passing time, at lunch, and before and after school. I feel that this works well and students can get most of their texting or talking out of the way during that time. In the classroom, they are forbidden to be out unless a teacher is using them for some purpose.

I have only used them for a couple of items. The students like to use them as calculators so I allow that. We also do projects every once in awhile where they need to text or call someone. All the other uses are great, but I think it depends on what you have for technology in your district. I have little reason to have the students use phones because every student has a computer. All of those components listed above are easier to use with a computer. If you are a district who does not have an abundance of technology, I think cell phones would be great. As long as you have wireless (and even if you do not most of the plans do) they have access to the Internet and anything else.

I think one of the biggest worries with the texting and the sharing is cheating. I do not feel like I have that problem because the students are always free to get help and look up anything they need. There are no secrets. Students understand that they are RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING. This type of culture certainly does not happen over night and is not 100% full proof, but it has worked out well for me. I also use more of a checklist system anyway, so grades mean very little. As far as mandatory testing goes, student still take those on their own, and do quite well.

I would use cell phones a lot more if we did not have technology. I realize that many teachers and schools are against cell phones, and that is a valid opinion. It just seems to me that these students use technology EVERYWHERE, and in some situations, the only place they are not using technology is at school. As long as expectations are set and you build quality relationships with your students, the focus with the phones will shift more to the learning.

The following is an extensive site dealing with this topic, a video depicting a situations where cell phones are used in the classroom, and a cartoon giving commentary on the situation...

http://thinkingmachine.pbworks.com/w/page/22187713/Think-Mobile-Phones-for-Learning

Credit given to the following: http://static.toondoo.com/

Gaming in a Math Classroom

I use gaming on a regular basis in my classroom. I use a lot of games that link directly to the curriculum, but I also include numerous problem solving games that the students can choose to play when they are done. There are a lot of ways to waste time on the Internet, so I wanted to give the kids some choices that would be worth while. We often have competitions to see who can get the furthest. There are always help videos available online for those students who get frustrated. One game I find particularly challenging for the students is Liquid Measure/Liquid Measure 2. The basis of this game is to take certain amounts of water and strategically fit them into containers. The game has great graphics and a nice feel that the kids enjoy. Here is a link to my problem solving page on my website. Both Liquid Measure games are included as well we numerous other selections. All these games involve advanced thinking at some level, and are not mindless or skill based.

https://sites.google.com/a/spartanpride.net/edwards/Home/math-classroom-website/problem-solving

Credit given to the following: http://tinypic.com/