Assignment #5

I used one technology which was fairly new to me (SMARTboard) and one which was entirely new (wiki), both centered around 7th grade language arts students. I will explain my idea for how to actually use these in a classroom:

First, I had created a SMARTboard presentation for my classroom; the topic is "internet resources for paper writing." I wanted to create a presentation I could potentially give in a class, going over some of the online tools available to help students successfully write a paper. The SMARTboard was great for this, as I learned how to create links, both to webpages and to slides within the presentation itself. I did this by creating individual slides, each with a help topic, and each with link(s) about the topics. (The process for linking was simple, but I had to research to figure out how to do it. I had no idea. It just involved clicking on an object, then the drop menu arrow, and clicking the link tab, then inserting either the webpage or the slide number.) So links and creating my own texts/backgrounds were the main new pieces of technology I used. I had used SMARTboard in class but had never made my own SMARTboard page or presentation; neither had I ever edited one. I learned how to do this simply by experimentation, until I got it right. I had only previously found a pre-made lesson online and looked through it. I had planned this to be a presentation to go over in class, as a tutorial for the students, because I know that 7th graders would not be motivated enough to go discover these resources themselves, even if I posted them on a website for them to access. View my SMARTboard presentation here.

However, I also created a wiki webpage for students as my second piece of technology, specifically so they can access these resources later. Originally, I was just going to make students take notes during class on all the online resources presented with the SMARTboard. However, I think it would be more effective to have it posted to a class website, in case they lose their notes or want it even further in the future. I didn't make the wiki very detailed, because my main goal was to create a place to post the "internet resources for paper writing." But I learned a lot in creating it, as I had never done so before. I used a site called wetpaint.com. They offer a variety of templates; I chose the "classroom" one, which already included several of the topic areas (assignments, announcements, etc.) But I had to edit these. It's something I had never done using a wiki. It was fairly simple using the "Easy Edit" button; basically, I was able to click anywhere on the page and edit text, pictures, etc. I learned how to use the features by experimentation. There were brief instructions on the site, but I wanted to learn on my own;. I discovered own how to personalize the look of the page and how to add links. One of the more advanced tools I used was adding a "widget," which included an Meebo Instant Messaging tool for students to contact me easily and directly on the wiki. One of the best things I learned is that a wiki does not have be viewable by everyone; nor does it have to be editable by everyone. I set my preferences to "viewable by everyone" but "editable only by invitation." This, I thought, was a nice resource for a classroom website; this way a teacher can post her things and not worry about students editing them. View my wiki here. Specifically, you can view the links to the SMARTboard material here.

All in all, the SMARTboard presentation will function very well for an in-class lesson on internet resources. The wiki will function very well for out-of-class access. It's the same lesson using different technology for different purposes.

I actually feel fairly comfortable with both SMARTboard and wikis now, after using them. I feel like I know enough to use both effectively in the classroom. And I plan to learn more as the need arises. The projects I did were advanced for my skill level. I spent hours doing them, yet they still seem amateur. I think there are far more advanced features available with these tools, and I hope to learn as I go along.