iPad Trial 2 – Starting to Evaluate

It might seem like a bit of a leap from my first post of introducing the trial to the second one being starting to evaluate, but it has been a hectic few months with so many things going on. I will still break down and share findings in future posts such as useful apps etc. but in the meantime we are meeting as a group this week and on the agenda is the initial stage of evaluation.

To try and draw together thoughts and ideas there are a number of questions we are going to discuss as a group and as we continue with the trial we need to think about potential next steps and how we could move things forward.

The questions we are going to be considering are:

EVALUATING THE iPAD TRIAL – The story so far….
(a) Teaching using the iPad

1. How has the iPad helped fulfil general admin tasks as a teacher, has it made everyday life easier?
2. How have iPads enhanced the learning experience of your students? Have they? Could they?
3. Is there anything that has held you back in getting the most out of using the iPad as a Teaching and Learning tool?
4. Is there anything that you can do with the iPad that is not possible or is more difficult to achieve without it?

(b) Potential for student use?
5. What further potential does the iPad have for transforming learning opportunities for students in the way we teach?
6. Do you feel students could make good use of iPads in your subject area? If so in what kinds of ways?
7. In what ways does the iPad have potential to support students? SEN? Gifted and Talented? A’level students etc..?

MOVING FORWARD
8. What technical issues / problems have arisen when using the iPad which need addressing?
9. Are there any particular concerns over e-safety and use of the iPads by students that need to be considered?
10. What would be the main goals of any future iPad implementation? Engagement, access to digital textbooks, access to digital environments, watching videos / listening to audio; media production (editing of photos / video), or a mixture?
11. What do would be the main challenges in increasing use of iPads / implementing use with students?
12. Will iPad use always require forward planning? Or have you found tools which you would be able to naturally integrate into lessons when needed (adding to the teachers everyday toolkit)?

… and so the next stage in the trial commences!

Twittertastic! – using Twitter in Education

Danny Nicholson has recently published a new blog post on his Whiteboard Blog, called “Ten Twitter Tips for Teachers“. Danny has written a short guide to Twitter for Teachers before, but as the name of his recent post suggests, here he provides 10 quick tips for people interested in getting started with twitter.

I often hear people being quite sceptical of twitter, but this is usually before they have actually tried it! I have been using twitter for about 3 years now and have found it invaluable for professional development and the reciprocal sharing of ideas and links with fellow educationalists not just from the UK but around the world. Give it a go and be amazed by the links and professional development opportunities it opens up. You can soon find people with simillar subject specific / pedagogical interests who you can follow!

Educational Use of Twitter

This blog post by Steve Wheeler of Plymouth University considers the use of Twitter a as a teaching tool – it includes an interesting “top 10 uses of twitter for education”. There are many other ideas and links to suggested ways of using Twitter in education on the EmergingEdTech website here.

A collaborative online book on Twitter for Teachers is also a growing resource for teachers keen to look at the potential of twitter.

Interactive Maths (1) – SMART Notebook™Maths Tools

The forthcoming Teaching and Learning session is focused on the use of ICT in maths and as part of this I will be adding a number of “Interactive Maths” posts to provide follow up information looking at the use of the following interactive technologies and the Maths curriculum:

1. SMART Maths Tools
2. SMART Response kits
3. SMART Document cameras in maths
4. Interactive Games – Content Generator and Tarsia.

INTERACTIVE MATHS (1) SMART Notebook™ MATHS TOOLS

This video clip from Smart Training and Professional Development provides a useful overview of how the SMART Notebook™ Maths toolkit works.

The SMART Notebook™ Maths toolkit includes the following tools:

Equations 

- Handwriting Recognition for mathematical symbols
- Equation solving
- Equation editing

Advanced shape Creation and Manipulation ToolsRegular – - -

- Polygon Tool
- Irregular Polygon Tool
- Advanced Shape Manipulation

Graphs
- Dynamic Graphing
- Custom Graph Builder

Texas Instruments™ Emulators
(launch TI-Nspire™, TI-SmartView™ 84 and TI-SmartView 73 software in notebook (note the TI Emulator software has to brought separately).

This video clip provides a useful look at the maths toolkit in action to support secondary maths:

A 30 day trial of the SMART Notebook Maths toolkit can be downloaded here. If you decide to purchase the add on, a number of licenses are available from one-computer to multiple computers from a range of suppliers of educational software.

Remember, there are measurement tools, including a ruler, protractor and compass which are now a standard part of SMART Notebook™ 10 and don’t require SMART Notebook™ Maths Tools as a separte add on.

SMART Document Camera and Art and Design

An interesting video with some suggestions for using a SMART Document camera in an art and design lesson to explore the elements of good composition.

Using a SMART Document camera

I am very interested at the moment in the use of the SMART Document camera in various curriculum areas. In the first of what hopefully will be a number of posts over the next term related to the use of the SMART Document camera (essentially a visualiser which integrates with ease with SMART Notebook on the SMART IWB range),  I will start by looking at what a SMART Document Camera is and think about just some of the possible uses of one in a classroom situation.

What is a SMART Document Camera?
The SMART document camera is basically a visualiser – it will show anything that is put underneath it. Unlike an old style OHP, the document camera provides a digital image and therefore anything put under it can be seen, including 3D objects, it can also be used for demonstrations.

How does it work and how simple is it to use?

Very simple and integrates easily with SMART notebook, whilst I don’t have experience of other visualisers, I know that one of the benefits of the SMART document camera is its ‘plug and play’ ease! As long as the computer has SMART notebook installed the camera, which connects via a USB port can quickly and easily be set up, making it very user friendly in lessons and for sharing between classrooms / departments.

The camera has a good zoom and an auto-focus function, giving a good quality image for using in teaching and learning opportunities. When used in conjunction with the many SMART notebook tools, such as the magic pen, highlighter, pen tools, camera tools etc.. it has great potential as an interactive teaching and learning tool.

Incorporating the SMART Document Camera in lessons:

There is a useful little video clip here from SMART Training and Professional Development with lots of little examples:

Some other ideas….

Excellent opportunities for AFL, including:

• modelling exam answers / technique; including the ability to de-construct / annotate answers clearly in front of a class
• share student work – student work can be put under the camera and peer assessment undertaken (been successfully used during exam time) – good for promoting collaborative learning.
• share good work / used to show examples of good presentation / re-work draft answer / comment on student answers.
• manipulate and reposition sentences / paragraphs / objects from a variety of manuscripts / documents / students work using the SMART notebook camera tools.

Other uses:

• projecting worksheets
• projecting images that can be captured and re-arranged using the board – e.g. for composition work in art and design
• can be used in conjunction with microscopes in science to project images for the whole class
• used to show demonstrations to the whole class, e.g. scientific experiments (enabling stills to be captured which can then be analysed and annotated (and used in revision!)
• project resources – e.g. textbooks for whole class scrutiny.

Some useful links and documents related to the use of visualisers in the classroom:

Visualisers – Secondary, Further and Higher Education Case Studies (Visualiser Forum)

Whiteboard Blog – Visualiser Presentation

Why would I use a classroom document camera? (many ideas for using a document camera in school settings)

O2 Learn – brand new website launched!

O2 are trying to help connect teachers and students with the launch of their brand new website O2 learn. Aimed at 13-18 year olds the site’s objective is to provide a way of helping students with revision or an opportunity to catch up in subjects that they might have missed or find difficult through access to free educational videos. The site encourages teachers to share inspirational teaching styles and approaches by uploading their best mini-lessons on camera. They are looking for clever ways of remembering things or understanding more complex processes.

O2 have made the site as safe as possible in relation to the moderation process. Only registered teachers can post visitors and every video and comment is read and moderated. Indeed no one is able to comment until they register and agree to the terms.

Prizes!
Twice a month, the video with the highest ratings and most view win a prize – £2,000 for themselves and £2,000 for their school. During the summer of 2011, a panel of education experts will choose 8 finalists who will eligible for winning the big prize of £50,000 for themselves and £100,000 for the school. (a second prize of 20,000 for the teacher and £40,000 for the school and a third prize of £10,000 for the teacher and £20,000 for the school will also be awarded). Winners are to be announced in October 2011, based 50% on the public vote and 50% on a panel of experts.

Thanks to Danny Nicholson (Whiteboard Blog) for the Headsup!

ICT Support on Teachers TV

Teachers TV is an excellent source of inspiration for ideas for using ICT in the classroom and has many excellent programmes which can be watched online. There is useful search function on the website. The videos can be played directly from the website (see screenshot) or downloaded. Below are just a few examples of some of the fantastic videos available:

General Videos linked to use of ICT

• Using ICT to engage parents
• Online Social Networks – Friends or Foe
• E-Assessment – Where next?
• Mobile Phones, Mobile Minds – mobile phones and potential impact on education
• Hi-Tech Transition – easy the tradition between schools for students
• PDAs and Webcams - use of PDA’s on fieldtrips and the use of webcams for animation
• Blogs and Wikis
• Enhancing Visuals (Using Digital Videos) in PE (Use of Digital Video)

TOP 10 ON THE WEB SERIES – For subject specific areas – a series of programmes based on secondary subjects and websites that can be used to support teaching and learning in these subjects:

• Secondary Art
• Secondary Music
• Secondary Citizenship
• Secondary Maths
• Secondary ICT
• Secondary Science
• Secondary Geography
• Secondary English and Media

Hard to Teach:

• Secondary Science - Using ICT
• Secondary English - Using ICT
• Secondary Maths – Using ICT

SMART Notebook Tip – Setting a default font.

Got a favourite font and size that you like to use in your presentations? Fed up with having to keep change the font and size to your favourite every time? I know that a number of people would like to be able to set a default text style and font in notebook so that you don’t have to keep reformatting every time you type and if that is you, here is the answer!

Instructions for setting a default font and size in SMART notebook.

1. Open up notebook and select the text button (shown in diagram below)

2. Click on the first ‘Aa’ button that appears

3. Now click on the format tab (last tab down on left hand side – shown in diagram below) and click on Text style from the list of options that appear

4. Make your selection from the options given for the text and size that you want to appear as default and then click save properties in the bottom left hand corner.

It is possible to repeat this to set the style and text for the other buttons on the Text selection bar (below) so that you can quickly select the text / sizes you use (e.g. for different size headings etc.)

Training Session: Effective use of IWB (SMARTBoard)

A new term and straight back into a training session. Wednesday morning’s training session for staff from Hartford Student Support Centre is on “Making effective use of the Interactive Whiteboard” – the rationale behind the session is to introduce what Interactive Whiteboards actually are, the basics of how they work and a presentation of SMART notebook and its interactivity with the aim of showing the potential the IWB has for enhancing the teaching and learning experience. This will be followed by a chance for staff to actually try out the SMART boards and start creating simple interactive resources.

The session is in 3 parts: (a full programme is here)

1. An Introduction to the SMART Board – “Unlocking the Potential”

2. Getting to know the Interactive Whiteboard – practical session based on staff actually using the SMART Boards

3. Adding Multimedia and finding out more about using the SMART Board.
The handout resources used in the session can be downloaded here:

Beginners Guide to Using Smart Notebook

Getting to know the IWB – Practical Tasks

Inserting Multimedia in your Notebook

Finding out more / Support

A copy of the notebook presentation used is available for staff of the Hartford Secondary Support Unit on Request.

Ideas to Inspire

Today I came across this superb site relevant to most curriculum areas and it certainly does what it says on the tin – it has many  “Ideas to Inspire“! The site has been put together by Mark Warner and is a collaborative project including a series of presentations giving short overviews of creative ideas for use in the classroom. The presentations have been put together using ideas contributed by classroom practitioners and provide real inspiration for engaging students.

The site is divided into 3 areas:

(i) Curriculum Ideas – specific ideas and resources for areas across the curriculum (e.g. Maths, Science, Geography etc.)

(ii) Interesting ways to use ICT in the classroom - one of my favourite sections – this takes particular ICT tools such as the IWB, Visualisers etc. and looks at creative ways of making the most of these to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

(iii) Other Collaborative presentations – such as this superb one on “Techy” tips for not so “Techy” teachers!

The site is rapidly increasing and Mark has reported 500 ideas already and 50 new ideas on the site just this week!! A brilliant site – well worth frequently returning to (I have added it to the Professional Development links) – a huge thanks to Mark and all the other collaborators for sharing such a wealth of ideas.