The most interesting happening today was when the school had a fire drill and as soon as we began to walk outside the skies opened with a down pour of rain...man did I feel stupid. We were told to come back into the building and that we would try again tomorrow but the damage was done, my students and I were soaked by the time we made it back into the building. I can laugh now but at the time it was not very funny, though my students thought it was great.
My search online has found a great resource for teachers using the Promethean ActivBoards and software. You may want to check out PrometheanPlanet it offers a wide variety of free materials for teachers to use covering lessons in almost every subject area. The free materials are offered by other teachers who have submitted their materials for download. There is a collection of materials that can be bought as well, though I havn't really explored that area much, I love free stuff.
I am making my first activity with the software for lessons this week. The best way I can describe it is that it reminds me of powerpoint but much more interactive and dynamic. The students can click and drag any of the things I place on the screen plus we can use the pen tool to mark up the page or highlight important ideas. I am excited to explore the capabilities of these tools together, what many of my students do not realize is that this can be just as exciting for me as we find new tools.
I am going to need to try some new strategies this week when I dismiss my students to line up at the door because so far this is when I see the worst student behavior. I end the activity for the day and suddenly they think it is time to fight over who stands where in line. Each teacher has their own way of lining up their class which makes it difficult for me because when I try to line up my students they are arguing with me about where they are supposed to stand, maybe I should just keep them working until the teacher calls them? Time will tell what my solution will be.
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2 comments:
I only get to see these boards when I'm doing staff development at PDC. I'd love to see what they're truly capable of.
Perhaps you need to give the students an "exit ticket" activity which would dictate the lineup that day? I'm just spitballing here; I usually work with the younger bunch.
As far as rain: I dressed for it, but every time it rained today I was inside. When I was outside with the coat on, I felt like an overheated moron.
If you are new to Promethean Planet, be sure to check out all the tutorial courses you can complete. These were really helpful in teaching me ALL of the features of the ActivBoard. It can be overwhelming, but the kids love using them!
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