Springside School
Attendees
Ron Larentowicz, Bob Rowan, Loren Smith
Take-Aways
Things I thought we should do as a result of attending this workshop include:
- Practice using Microsoft Office OneNote
- This can act like a virtual "binder" with tabs for different classes (or whatever way to want to divide your notebook) - Look for extras from Microsoft to download for Tablet PC before finishing image• Consider offering a summer training class on Flash animation
- Some teachers had made simple animations to demonstrate lab procedures - Consider sending Tips about the following items:
- Use of thumbnails/slide show to display images in Windows XP
- Using "Ink Aware" applications, such as Word and PowerPoint
- Inserting Comments into Microsoft Word
- Using Tablet PC Sticky Notes
- Using Tablet PC Flash Cards
Creating Hyperlinks to web pages and/or documents in other programs(in Word, PowerPoint, and SMART Notebook) - Consider requiring all Tablet users to sign up for VPN access
- Maybe check if they are using it - Tablet PC users will need training in using remote access to school resources
- Investigate the ability to "Replay" your writing of notes on the SMART Board
- One presenter mentioned that she could play back writing notes (as though she were writing it again) using either the SMART software or the Tablet PC software (she didn't say exactly how she did this) - Ask students/teachers the question: Why do we want to be paperless?
- Recycling, organization, and neatness could be potential answers, but the process could lead to less dependence on excessive printing
Introductory Presentations
Cathy Hall, Director of Technology, The Episcopal Academy
- Episcopal issued Gateway Tablet PCs to their teachers
- They made training mandatory before teachers could use the computers
- They have projectors mounted in each classroom and the teachers plug their computers into the projectors (though they use a wireless network)
- They found that a tablet + projector was cheaper than mounting SMART Boards in the classrooms
- They were not able to find a wireless projector that worked without causing problems with their wireless network connectivity - Classrooms at Episcopal's new campus will not have SMART Boards, nor will they have LCD projectors; they will use Plasma TVs mounted at the front of each classroom
- The screens will be mounted to the left of the center of the room (a larger "normal" whiteboard will be in the center) on a slight angle - They commented that teachers are more comfortable using technology if they have access to it all the time (as opposed to reserving for "special" uses)
- They made the following hardware choices after considering several vendors:
- Gateway tablet
- 14" screen (anything smaller led to strained eyes or teachers perceiving the tiny screen as a "downgrade)
- Did not choose a slate
- These choices meant the laptops were heavy, which meant carrying them around the classroom while teaching was generally not practical - They started with a 2 year pilot for using the tablets
- Teachers submitted proposals for how they would use the technology, answering the following questions:
- How does it fit with what you are already doing in class?
- How would it transform what you are doing in class? - Episcopal offers a 5-day tablet PC workshop during the summer
- Sessions are June 25 - 29 or July 16 - 20 and cost $300
- http://www.ea1785.org/eax_mind.aspx?contentId=654&mode=0#skills
-They found that summer workshops were much more productive than classes they offered during ½ days or afternoons during the school year
- They offer teacher stipends for attending these sessions - Episcopal has not started any tablet PC program for students
Pete DiDonato, Director of Technology, Springside School
- Springside began using SMART Boards in 2001 with mobile boards, before permanently mounting the boards during recent renovations
- They have 68 classrooms with SMART Boards, LCD Projects, and DVD players
- Some have separate speakers, though a few use the projector speakers (though they don't recommend this)
- These were added to all Middle/Upper School classrooms as part of new classroom construction, when the school designed classrooms to meet learning and teaching needs of their school
- Lower School also wanted boards, but the technology department was not provided with any funding to make that happen
--> The school chose to start 5 year leases for the Boards for Lower School - They chose SMART Boards over other interactive whiteboard manufacturers primarily for their dedication to education
- They used Visual Sound to setup their classrooms
- (and seemed pleased with their work)
- Visual Sound is close to signing some sort of agreement with Philadelphia Area Independent School Business Officers Association (PAISBOA) that would involve support/installation of SMART Boards
--> I didn't get details about this - They mentioned that Chestnut Hill Academy (CHA) hired a former student to setup their SMART Boards in classrooms
- They sent teachers to workshops (including the training sessions that SMART offers regularly throughout the year) to prepare for use of the Boards
- Much of the use of the Boards was supported by Faculty Technology Leaders
- These are a group of 9 teachers, who serve 2 year terms
- They apply for the position and receive a stipend for their work
- They are expected to encourage use of technology during faculty and department meetings and help others in the school to use technology more effectively - They showed this video clip of an individual being reluctant to use what we now consider to be a relatively mundane form of technology:
- http://www.devilducky.com/media/57946
Breakout Sessions
Tablet PCs at Episcopal Academy
Several individuals presented some ways they have been using Tablet PCs in their classrooms. I did not get complete names for all presenters.
Chrissy Caceres, Assistant Head of Lower School, 3rd/5th Grade Teacher
- Tablets allow her to move around the classroom, which fits with how she sees most Lower School teachers interacting with their students
- She can still use the screen to display things she is writing on the tablet, even if she isn't standing in the front of the room
- She prepares class notes ahead of time
- Students use her tablet to practice cursive handwriting
- Her students enjoy writing on the tablets more than using paper (it sounds like the novelty has yet to wear off)
- She takes notes while the class brainstorms ideas
- She uses the tablet when students are doing peer editing of written work
- She shows examples of "complete" answers to worksheet questions and/or class notes, so students can judge if their answers were appropriately thorough
- She uses the Windows Journal for many of these applications
Kristen Powell, 8th Grade Science
- She is currently using a tablet and SMART Board in her classes
- Both Tablets and SMART Boards are similar in some ways:
- Students enjoy writing on them
- Can save class notes + post them on a web page
- Can show all applications on the computer
- Can use "ink aware" applications, such as Word or PowerPoint - One negative of the tablet, compared to the SMART Board, is that the small screen can make drawing some diagrams difficult
- One positive of the tablet, compared to the SMART Board, is that the teacher can face her students while writing on the computer
- She used several Flash animations
- She has just started using the OneNote notebook
- This includes a series of "tabs" like a 3 ring binder, that could be used to store notes from different classes
Chair of English Department
- She uses the Insert > Comment feature in Word to edit student papers
- Note: This does not require a Tablet PC - She creates Macros for comments she writes frequently
- This also does not require a Tablet PC - She e-mails papers with her markup (corrections) to students
- This creates a paper trail so you can prove you sent a document to a student who might claim not to have received it
- This also assures that you always have a saved copy of what you sent a student, in case they claim to have "lost" your paper - She looks at her notes on student papers when writing narrative comments for report cards
- Students create electronic portfolios of their work during their Upper School years
- She uses the Sticky Notes application to note things you might have written on post-it notes in the past
- I believe these is part of free software you can download from Microsoft - She uses Microsoft Ink Flash Cards
- These look like regular flash cards, though it appears you can write on both sides and "hide" one side, just like a "real" flash card - She uses the "Side Note" feature of OneNote
- This looks like an application that runs all the time where you can copy text, pictures, etc. and then easily retrieve that information while working in OneNote
Notes from Question/Answer Session
- You can "train" the tablet to better recognize your handwriting
- The tablet pens get lost frequently and are expensive to replace
SMART Boards at Springside School
Several individuals presented some ways they have been using SMART Boards in their classrooms. I did not get complete names for all presenters.
crogan@springside.com, Math Teacher
- He setup a chart to record results from a horse raise probability lesson
- This included interactive dice (search the SMART Notebook Gallery for "dice" and look for those with the Flash logo)
--> There are dice in different colors + those that read the result in English, French, or Spanish - One page was to move tiny clip art horses ahead each time you rolled the two dice (the horses corresponded to possible outcomes of the roll of two dice, between 2-12)
- Another page was used to tabulate results and determine which numbers were rolled most frequently
- He uses SMART Notebook rulers to demonstrate measurement
- You can use boxes that rotate where you write on the front and the back (so one side is always hidden from view, until you click on it) - Search SMART Notebook Galleries for "jeopardy" and look at the Interactive or Multimedia resources to find these
Kathleen Tkac, Math Teacher
- She found that SMART Boards support several areas of her teaching:
- Using motion to teach
- Helping students visualize concepts (especially those who are not visual learners + would otherwise have difficulty "picturing" some things without this support)
- Providing interactive learning - She used the SMART Notebook's ability to easily rotate objects
- She used the example of a graph that she proved could be inverted and still look the same
Janelle Collet, History Teacher
- She likes to brainstorm ideas with the class and then have them move those ideas into some logical order/sequence
- She used an interactive Civil War Map + the aforementioned virtual dice to play a Risk-like reenactment of the Civil War
US/MS Science Teacher
- He created his handouts for class using SMART Notebook and filled in the answers during class
- He presents Lab Procedures and Class Rules in SMART Notebook
- He has students check of items from a checklist on the board to make sure items are put away during labs (Cleanup Checklist) - Students record data on the SMART Board during labs
- Students present weather maps daily during Meteorology unit and make predictions (including for Snow Days!)
- He created a virtual earthquake assignment
- He recorded a virtual seismograph for 4 different locations in the classroom (this took some prep work to figure out the correct times to show "earthquakes" for these different locations)
- The class was split into 4 groups, one at each location, and they had to find the epicenter of the earthquake based on when each location "felt" the quake
- This would have worked just as well with 3 groups
Eric, MS/US Latin Teacher
- He presents worksheets in Microsoft Word (the same as he prints for students) on the SMART Board
- Students diagram sentence (circling parts of speech, etc.)
- Students translate sentences - He show images of artwork inspired by text the students are reading (Virgil) and asks students to write on the board what was happened before, during, and after the scene
- He plays "Latin Battleship", where students have to properly conjugate verbs to select spaces on a grid that correspond to a Battleship board (which I think was an actual board from the game Battleship, but it wasn't clear where his ships where actually hiding)
Kathy, LS Art Teacher
- She uses PowerPoint presentations with links to web resources that show artwork she wants students to be familiar with
- She uses Geometer's Sketchpad to demonstrate 2 point perspective
- She uses the SMART Board to display instructions for multi-step assignments, with links to how to complete each step
- Students are free to navigate to any section to check what they should be doing
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