Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Putting All the Pieces Together



I recently completed my SMART Certified Lesson Developer certification through SMART Learning Space.  I have been using SMART products for the past 8 years, and picked up lots of tips and tricks during that time.  However, it was until I completed the SMART Lesson Development Workshop (Intermediate and Advanced) courses, that I learned how to tie all of the pieces together to create a complete all inclusive lesson.  This course taught me how to use my SMART board for whole group instruction, small group instruction, and independent student learning.  I also learned how to include SMART Response questions for formative assessments during the lessons.  These formative assessments allow me to guide my instruction.  By using the SMART Response, I am also able to collect data, so that I can individualize my instruction to meet the needs of my students.

Now when I sit down to think about the lessons that I will develop for my classroom, I no longer just design whole group SMART board lessons to introduce topics to my students, I design a complete lesson to meet the needs of all my students.

Even though I've been using SMART products for years, it was the courses that I took through my SMART Certified Lesson Developer certification that helped tie all the pieces together for me.  Check out SMART's Training Course Catalog.  I highly recommend their courses.

You can find several of my lessons on the SMART Exchange.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Collaborative Learning a Changing World

After viewing the SMART's video Collaborative Learning a Changing World.  I am just in awe of where technology is taking education.  As technology continues to advance, today's students will no longer be confined to the four walls of the classroom.  Our students will need to be able to live and work in a global economy and I can't think of a better way to be prepared then through worldwide collaborative learning.

In order for this to become a reality it is important for teachers to do the following:
  1. Continue to learn--learning never ends and the more today's teacher can stay on top of technology advances the easier it will be to properly integrate it into the classroom.
  2. Develop a worldwide social network to begin to develop relationships so that when the opportunity to collaborate outside of your classroom arises you have the relationships already established.
  3. Fight for funding.  Let your district know how you integrate technology in your classroom and how you will be able to expand the learning opportunities for your students.  Check out any and all grant opportunities....where there is a will there is a way.
The world is changing and with technology teachers have a great opportunity to enhance and broaden the educational opportunities for their students.