Whiteboard Challenge #4

I posted my Whiteboard Challenge #4 to voicethread.com here @ http://tr.im/o32.

I had fun working this one out and thinking of ways to use voicethread with my students. I like the option of either adding voice recording or txt response. This is another outlet of collaboration in a larger scale. I plan to use this resource to further challenge my Math Club students. I am going set up a few additional activities using voicethread and I will blog on the results of its integration.

Looks like another shift is on the way…

Just finished installing WP on my test box.

I ran into a few twists and turns, however I will probably install it on my moodle box that I have over here… I will properly document my procedures later, but for now, enough for the celebrating…it is time for some shut eye…

Whiteboard Challenge #3

Another one down! I was able to compare the functionality of the transparency function between version 9.x and 10.x. Version 10 allow you to use the slider bar as demonstrated in Danny Nicholson’s video demo. I found this function of Notebook to be very useful especially bringing in real life objects in math (or in other disciplines) and finding its measurement or just identifying shapes.

The difficulty of this challenge was low however it pushed me to become even more creative. For example, when you go to the second page in the notebook file, when you fade out the top image, the words will appear to identify the skeletal system. I did this by using the white pen and attaching it to the top image. So when the top image fades, the words underneath appears. Cool effect. On to WB Challenge #4!

Notebook file

Whiteboard Challenge #2

This activity using the infinite cloner tool was really cool. After seeing the video, many idea went through my head. The result of my thinking went to the activity I attached to this blog as shown below.

In this activity the multi-colored points are draggable where the teacher can have students place points on designated coordinates. Thanks for this challenge! On to Challenge #3!

-Malik

Notebook file

#BAD08

This post is in tribute to Blog Action Day. As an educator in a school that is affected by poverty, I do not believe that the community-at-large understands what is needed to defeat this problem. However, may I ask the question….is poverty really a problem? If it is a problem, logically there exist a solution. Poverty has been around for many years, and has taken toll on many generations of people. So, does poverty today exist as a culture, curse, all or none of the above? 

The students that I see on a daily basis come to school with many needs. Their needs may vary but all are great. The federal government through NCLB support schools like mine through Title I funding. I am not going to talk much about that because if you would like details on how disadvantaged urban youth are benefitting from this funding, ask any educator in a Title I school, they will let you know.

In my humble opinion, I believe that education is definately the key, path, direction, main objective, requirement, necessity, essential element, momental goal, or whatever you want to call it, you need it in our society to elevate oneself. Elevate from what? Bad decisions, wrong choices, misdirection, etc…

However, poverty is not a dead end as many believe. As it is shared in the teaching philosoply of Quantum Learning, Failure leads to success. The children at my high poverty-stricken school have received this key to success and are living it. Success helps to eliminate poverty. My question to you, is what have you done lately to help someone affected by poverty feel success, and be successful…If so, you must be an educator. May God continue to bless you!

Whiteboard Challenge #1

Yes… I have enrolled myself in the Whiteboard Challenge provided by Jess McCulloch and company. I am going to go through the each of the challenges to see if it is that and if this is a resource that I can refer other teachers to experience rigorous professional development in using their interactive white boards at my school.

WB Challenge #1

I first had to think how could I use recorded sound effectively as a math teacher. I started to create a spelling test, or vocabulary matching review. Boring… However I recalled a Mental math activity that would be most effective using the recorded sound.

I created the mp3 recordings using Audacity and then dragged and dropped the files to the gallery. From there, I placed the individual gallery items into the notebook area as demonstrated above. Then I added text to complete the finishing touches. This activity worked very well with the SmartBoard. I am excited to share this activity with my fellow math teachers. I will later use this activity to create more mental math activities and vocabulary matching quizzes.

-Malik

Notebook file

SmartBoard and Middle Schoolers

[fyi...this repost this from my old blog site]

There is a tremendous growth of SmartBoards and their usage in my school district. I am only discussing this topic at the request of one who heard my blurb on a SmartBoard podcast.

Problem:
Here’s the situation, you are on hall duty and you have your warm-up or some other activity on your SmartBoard. As your students walk in (knowing your rules for entering the classroom) someone has placed their fingers on your board causing you grief and anxiety to reload the warm-up or heaven forbid retype/rewrite it.

Solution:
The Transparent Screen Lock by e-motional.com allows you to lock your screen and still have your PPT or whatever visible to be seen without disturbance! This is the only product that I’ve searched for that allows this feature (since Smart hasn’t figured it out to include it in the Notebook SW). For the full function, it costs about $24….but I believe that it will be a well worth investment.

I guess that would be a benefit of having a Promethean board over a SmartBoard. However, I’m sure those pens will add up if you lose them over time.

What troubles me is…

Maybe I am getting old or getting frustrated in the level of professionalism I am encountering in the education. Please excuse me if it sounds like I am venting in my blog, however it is due to what is happening in the classrooms that I have been observing and the expectations that Administration has also noticed around the school.

Someone new to the teaching field usually learn a few things to survive in the classroom from college classes, boot camps, veteran teachers (do they exist any longer?), and most definitely from the students that you teach in the trenches. Most of the time, the researchers in textbooks say that the level of management usually indicates the level of learning in classroom. It troubles me when teachers have students used to do nothing. The failure of stepping up hurts everyone. I have seen it from year to year (historically!), when the teacher give up, students give up. I thought that NCLB would defeat this with highly qualified teachers at helm.

In my humble opinion, students do not care about high stakes assessments. Students pay attention to their peers. I guess some brilliant educator figured this out and labeled as learning communities when students are able to learn from their peers. I think that this idea developed after the explosion of cooperative learning.

Going back to high stakes testing, I challenge high officials in the school to take those assessments that students are accountable in taking and post their results to the public. I know that it would never be done, but it would be good for grins and giggles. Or maybe not? Maybe it would expose the injustice of our teachers not providing rigor and cooperative learning environment in our grade school career. Geez… I never used a calculator when I was in school. I never worked in a group and collaborated with my peers to learn a topic presented by teacher. I can also say that I was taught by the best educators that South Carolina had to offer (except that Geometry teacher I had in high school).

I have been sitting on this post all week. I guess I need to talk about something else. Since it is Friday, let me go and chill…

The Latest MUVE; Sackboy shall rule, but…

..can he be used in the classroom?

I must say that I am excited to foresee where education is going with technology. Virtual worlds are literally popping up everyday. I am not going to talk about Second Life, The SIMs, Lively, or Grand Theft Auto (GTA). However, I am going to talk about the latest buzz about the game LittleBigPlanet (LBP) available for the PS3 on Oct. 21.

The hype about this game has really been stupendous in the gaming community.  A beta demo was released the other day and I missed it! However, in this game, the user is able to create objects and interact with them; and other users or Sackboys in a  multi-user virtual environment (MUVE).

I see potential for LBP as a tool for educators where only your imagination may limit you. Once I get my hands on this… I will be able to share possible classroom applications. Right now, it just looks cool.

Updating my blog using…

Word 2007… what? How convenient, eh? The only issue I have is that I notice that I cannot save my blog as draft; but I guess this IS my draft. I wonder what are the limitations of the functionality of adding videos and sort using this method of posting… Well, here goes…