smartboard review

Prior to the presentation last class, I had never seen a smartboard before. What I gathered from the presentation is that essentially it is a large touchscreen monitor with specific software aimed at educators. I think this is a great way to increase motivation in the class and to keep the class interesting. There are an infinite number of things you could incorporate into lessons using the smartboard. I feel that the ability to instantly save everything you write, in terms of notes on the board, is in it self revolutionary. Plus it incorporates the computer with your board, so with the internet comes even more posabilities. I already went back to play with the smartboard, and to play checkers. :). I have really enjoyed thinking of ways to utalize the smartboard in lessons. It also is a great way to make lessons more accessable to students of different abilities, it utalized many different forms of media and touch, the hands on aspect alone should help students learn.

For our groups actual lesson, we came up with a comprehensive lesson on the frog. starting with the life cycle and then looking at anatomy. We utilized many of the smartboad components and features. We made the lesson interactive and utilized many of the multimedia features. The main focus of the lesson, is the "hands on" dissection that can be done using froguts.com. This allows students to touch and explore the anatomy of the frog with out having the real life frog in front of them. With out loosing the experience of the frog dissection all together. there are many ways to expand our lesson to fit any classrooms needs, and in of itself the lesson accomodates for students of different abilities, because it utilized so many mediums.

This might be useful for some

In creating the blog lesson plan I found my prior knowledge on creating lesson plans helped me a lot. I was thinking that our class was not made up solely of education minors, and that some would not have taken a class on lesson planning yet. So I thought I would post Hunter's Direct instruction model. Now keep in mind, going off of what our professor outlined for us and what the examples look like in the book, this is more detail then you will need, but I found it useful.

1. objectives
2. standards
3. anticipatory set
4. teaching
   • input
   • modeling
   • check for understanding
5. guided practice/monitoring
6. closure
7. independent practice

1. Before the lesson is prepared, the teacher should have a clear idea of what the teaching objectives are. What, specifically, should the student be able to do, understand, care about as a result of the teaching.

2. Standards: what the students are expected to do, what knowledge or skills are to be demonstrated and in what manner.

3. Anticipatory set or Set Induction: sometimes called a "hook" to grab the student's attention: to relate the experiences of the students to the objectives of the lesson. To put students into a receptive frame of mind.
   • to focus student attention on the lesson.

   • to create an organizing framework for the ideas, principles, or information that is to follow (c.f., the teaching strategy called "advance organizers").

   • to extend the understanding and the application of abstract ideas through the use of example or analogy...used any time a different activity or new concept is to be introduced.

4. Teaching/presentation: includes Input, Modeling, and Checking for Understanding.
   1. Input: The teacher provides the information needed for students to gain the knowledge or skill through lecture, film, tape, video, pictures, etc.

   2. Modeling: Once the material has been presented, the teacher uses it to show students examples of what is expected as an end product of their work.
      

   3. Checking for Understanding: Determination of whether students have "got it" before proceeding.

5. Guided practice: An opportunity for each student to demonstrate their grasp of new learning by working through an activity or exercise under the teacher's direct supervision.
   

6. Closure: Those actions or statements by a teacher that are designed to bring a lesson presentation to an appropriate conclusion.
   
   • to help organize student learning,

   • to help form a coherent picture, to consolidate, eliminate confusion and frustration, etc.,

   • to reinforce the major points to be learned.

7. Independent practice: Once pupils have mastered the content or skill, it is time to provide reinforcement practice.
   

From what I can tell our lessons plans are set up as follows;

Objectives: same as above
Grade level: target student body
Standards: same as above
Materials: in terms of technology
Procedures: Like a general version of #3,4,5, and 6 from above mixed together, with less detail.

Accommodations for students with different abilities: how flexible is this lesson, in what ways can it be adapted?



Information gathered and then modified from:
our text book :
and
http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/hunter-eei.html

Blogging about Current events and the government: A high school lesson

Subject: Social Studies

Grades: 9th and up

Objectives: Students will practice their Reading, listening comprehension, and writing skills while demonstrating their understanding of current affairs through the president’s weekly address found on whitehouse.gov.

Standards: NYSED Standard # 5: Civics, citizenship, and government- Students will demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments, the governmental system of the U.S., and the basic civil values of American constitutional democracy.
Could also Tie in # 4: Economics- Students will demonstrate their understanding of how the U.S. develops an economic system.

Other standards will apply depending on what is covered in the weekly addresses.

www.nysed.gov

Materials: A computer with access to the internet

Procedures:
First instruct students how to set up a blog, as well as how to find the presidents weekly address at http://www.whitehouse.gov/weekly_address/ and how to find the presidents blog at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/. Next explain that the students are to watch the president’s weekly address and view the blog updates. They are to then summarize in their blog what they have learned from the weekly address in conjunction with the blog updates. The next step is for them to, in blog form; respond to what they have learned. What are their opinions, their questions, and their concerns? Providing an example blog entry is recommended. Lastly they are to review each other’s blogs and respond with constructive comments regarding the other student’s questions or concerns (a lesson on “what are constructive comments” may be required). Note: The president’s weekly address happens on Saturday, so Monday night would be a good time to have the blogs due, then perhaps the comments should be due a few days later, such as Wednesday night. Also you could specifically tie in Standard number 4 by having them at times focus on economic issues.

Accommodations for students with different abilities: there are many ways to cater this lesson to students of different abilities; the specifics really depend on the students in your classroom. A separate rubric could be used for students who have difficulty writing, one that accommodates extra time, and allows for you to review and revise his work with him or her. Perhaps the students could first write their blog in a word document to be reviewed by yourself and then the student could revise it before it is published.

Rubric:

Topic Analysis: How on topic is the blog- does it show that the student watched the weekly address- does the students response either raise questions, concerns, or express opinions regarding the weekly address and blog updates? -20%

Application: Does the blog show that the student is applying what they have learned either to their life or to information we have covered in class? – 15%

Critical thinking: Does the blog show upper level thinking? Does the student look at what was said in the weekly address and express an understanding or concern of what the implications are of any changes being brought forth? - 10%

Writing clarity and Readability: Spelling, Grammar, is the entry easily read or are there distractions within the writing? – 20%

Creativity and expression of ideas: Do the blog entries express the student as an individual? Are their own ideas being presented, or are they bringing in outside information and citing it when their own ideas are not being used? - 25%

Timeliness: Was the blog entry on time 5%, were comments made on others blogs on time 5%?

Blog Rubric

Accuracy of Content- how on topic is the blog, is it connected to what we are learning, does it answer the question? - 20%

Applications and critical thinking- does the blog show personal connections and upper level thinking?- 25%

Writing clarity and readability- spelling, grammar, is the entry easily read, or are there distractions within the writing? -20%

Creativity, expression of ideas- does the entry express you as an individual, are your own ideas being shown? How is the appearance of your blog: pleasing, organized, distracting, chaotic?- 25%

Timeliness- was the assignment handed in on time?- 10%