ACTEM Conference

I thought that the ACTEM conference was a great experience. I learned so much about how to incorporate technology into the classroom and use it to help students learn. After attending this conference and seeing how current teachers are successfully using technology in their classrooms today, it has increased my confidence and belief that one day I will also be able to successfully use technology in my own classroom. 

The first session that I attended was the Sspongebob Smartboard and student response system. In this session I learned how the Smartboard actually works. I knew what it was but I had never seen how they were used. The presenter showed how seamless it made lessons appear. I learned that links can be inserted into the slides so as the teacher talks about the topic they can touch the link and it will automatically go to the website. 

The second thing that I learned at this session was about the program Scratchpad. I had never heard of this program before and I learned that during a lesson it makes impromptu brainstorming permanent. In other words you can ask the class a question and you can write on the smartboard what it is that they say and then you can save that list and print it out later for tests and quizzes. I thought that this was a great idea to get the students involved with their learning and be able to print it out for later use. 

The third thing that I learned at this session was about the Senteo. I had also never heard of this tool before. I learned that a Senteo is a handheld device that allows the teacher to give the students a paperless quiz. This can be used as an excellent assessment tool. It allows the teacher to give true/false tests, yes/no questions, and multiple choice tests. I also learned that this is a helpful tool because it leads to differentiated learning/teaching. For example, the teacher can take the students who all missed certain questions on the quiz and work with them in small groups until they understand. Not to mention, the Senteo created student engagement so that the students actually looked forward to test taking.

The second session that I attended was about using Math programs to improve math scores. This session was a little more difficult to understand but I still learned a lot. The fourth thing I learned was about a program software called Geogebra which is a mathematics program that combines geometry, algebra, and calculus. It is an interactive program that allows students to learn how to measure using a movable broken ruler for example. Here is a link that gives more information about geogebra. http://www.geogebra.org/cms/

The fifth thing that I learned at this session was about Curriki. Curriki is an open educational resource as well that gives teachers access to all types of lessons. The site allows you to browse by subject or type in a specific key word. It gives teachers access to lesson plans, simulations, ideas, and worksheets. http://www.curriki.org

The sixth thing that I learned at this session was about the program Jing. Jing is a program that can be used to create a movie or screen shot of a students learning and thinking process. If a student is doing an online math exercise, jing can be used for the student to talk about what they are doing and the reasons why they are doing it that way. Then when the teacher looks at the students answers the teacher does not have to guess how the student got the answer they did. Instead the teacher can listen to the students reasoning and can see how the student is working. This tool gives better teacher incite on how the student is learning and where they may be struggling. 

The third session that I attended was Jim's Best of the Web. This was an absolutely amazing session. Jim talked about how to find great teacher and student websites to assist in learning. Not only did he give us a wonderful list of web resources he also offered great advice about using the technology in the classroom. I found this session the most helpful.

The seventh thing that I learned was that the number one problem with education is lack of creativity and inspiration. There are great websites out there that can be used to re-engage students in learning if they are used along with lessons. However, it is best if students use these websites to push the learning boundaries, not just as a tool to help fill out worksheets. For example, he showed us the website called Spelling City and explained that spelling does not really help students it is a waste of time, if you want good spellers then you must have them reading. However, if you use this website it can be a great tool that can get kids excited about spelling again, but have them explore with it and learn new words. http://www.spellingcity.com

The eighth thing that I learned was about a website called iknowthat.com. It is a great resource that kids can use and play interactive games and activities to get kids excited about learning. There are games and activities for every grade level in every subject. There is also great information available for teachers as well. He also talked about not using the term virtual when looking for an interactive lesson, instead use the term quick time virtual reality or QTVR instead. http://www.iknowthat.com/com

The ninth thing that I learned was less about technology and more about teaching. Jim said that we need to have kids become connected to the digital world but keep them engaged in the real world. technology is great for students to use but we need to connect it back to the real world. 

The final session I went to was less helpful. It was about a program called CREST that works with rural middle and high schools. The goal is to develop careers and life aspirations towards IT careers.

The tenth thing that I learned was about integrating technologies like the GIS, GPS, and web design into lessons that focused on solving a community problem. I learned what place-based education is. It is about taking the curriculum and making connections to the community. It is about using the community as a learning tool.