Reflection on Blogging

This was my first experience with blogging, not only as a poster but also as a follower. In terms of following the blogs of others, I found that those of my groupmates who actually posted regularly did a fantastic job of educating me about their topics. I am disappointed that not everyone in our group actively participated and that I was called out for not specifically posted a certain number of times to fulfill the requirements of the course. I enjoyed reading blogs about the same topics that I was posting about to see how different people pick out different information to share. I also liked that because we are all doing different things with our time; full time grad school, full time working, some teachers, some not, that various perspectives and points of view were shared.

As a blogger, I found it was very important to be invested in the blog topic. I absolutely loved posting about Interactive WhiteBoards and have become a little obsessed with them. I really enjoy making connections between course work and my teaching and the IWB has become a tool that I now use on a weekly basis. Looking back on my postings about IWBs, I used pictures, videos, links, and text to bring life to the blog. I was looking for a different way to disperse the knowledge I had gained to my followers so that they would enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoyed creating it. I learned how to post video clips from YouTube onto the blog which I had never done before. It was fun to incorporate other technologies that were discussed in this class into the blogging experience.

During the second half of the semester, my topic changed to iTunesU. I debated whether or not to stick with the IWB topic and now wish I had. I just couldn't get interested in iTunesU to the same level that I was with IWBs. I struggled each week to find something relevant to post about. I admit that I took the easy way out a couple of times and posted random clips, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. I also started to slack on the responsibilities of the blogging assignment because I didn't want to sign in and deal with it.

If I am going to continue to blog, it would have to be about something that I am really invested in. I don't think that it would be something school based or for a class. I keep a log of what I cook for dinner and have for over 2 years so maybe that would be something that would be more fun to blog about. I also go and see live music at every chance I get so that is another potential topic. I am glad for this experience as part of IDE 611, but as of right now, I don't see it as something I am going to maintain. I like the idea of it being a class assignment and do think there are many benefits from participating in it. Thanks to all who have read my posts and made comments.

Teacher's TV

I have been trying to find a good K-12 topic to share about iTunesU so the topic of this blog entry is going to be Teacher's TV. It is based out of London. Teacher's TV is funded by the Department of Education but is operated by an independent media consortuim Education Digital. It provides videos, resources, and an online community for teachers to learn new things, practice teaching skills, and connect with others in the field. The iTunesU page offers links to Teacher's TV's homepage, contact information, about page, and terms of use. Its site is divided into 4 sections; subjects, whole school, featured programmes, and focus on. Each section then has a primary and secondary subset where tracks are listed according to topic. I was very puzzled when I noticed that there have not been any updates to any of the sections since March of 2010. I visited the homepage and clicked on the help button. There I learned that Teacher's TV was an actual television channel in the UK. It was recently turned off in favor of an online only format where teachers can just search for the content they want. Users are encouraged to register with the site so that videos and resources can be saved for future use. I am guessing that the transition from television to Internet only is what is causing the delay in new content.

So I have a hard time suggesting that Teacher's TV is a good resource for K-12 teachers here in the United States. Major differences in the curricula of the two countries is a cause for the lack of faith in the site. I also am not understanding what the hold up could be with adding new content. Isn't summer vacation supposed to be used for something?

Unless you live in Australia, New Jersey, or one of the other 14 states that have iTunesU pages linked under the K-12 tab, there isn't going to be much value for iTunesU to the K-12 teacher. It appears that the U in its name really makes it more appealing to colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning. I would still only use it if I was taking a course that specifically required me to access content from it. At least most of the content is free with an iTunes account.

Maybe some of you have used it in the past of can identify other uses for it for K-12 teachers. If so post in the comments section. Thanks.

Thanksgiving Part 2

Here is a second clip from Boston University that is a less factual and more humorous.

I hope these two clips provide you with a look at the range of media that iTunesU offers. Colleges and universities can present potential course content or spotlight campus life and those who inhabit it. I hope that your Thanksgiving experience and knowledge are improved after watching these clips. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Part 1

This week I searched Thanksgiving in the general iTunes search window. I scrolled down to the iTunesU section where there were 50 listings. I selected a short video clip from Boston University to represent the potential media that iTunesU offers. There is a chance that you will not be able to view the clip if you do not have iTunes installed on your computer. Please let me know if this is true or not.

This is a historical look at Thanksgiving. I did not know these facts behind the holiday.

An interesting note... I had to upgrade to a newer version of iTunes and I noticed that the older version did not have a menu tab for iTunesU. It took me a while to figure out that I had to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to find a link to iTunesU. Previously, I was accessing iTunesU from its website. The newer version, iTunes 10, does have a menu button for iTunesU. This suggests to me that there has been an increase in its usage and value, which warrants an easier way to get to it.

To be honest, I am having a hard time coming up with topics to blog about for iTunesU. I would appreciate it if the followers would include any questions or things you would like to know about in your comments for this or future postings.

At the bottom of the iTunesU homepage there is a link for the Monthly iTunesU Spotlight.I decided to click on it to gain some inspiration for this week's blog. As I should have guessed, November's Spotlight is on United States History and Politics. The opening description does a nice job of hooking users into to wanting to know more. The content is divided into 5 collections; US Politics, Early American History, Famous American Figures, Insightful Inspirations, and More to Explore. There were clips ranging in duration from less than one minute to over an hour long. Some of the clips were very new and discussed attack campaigning and the Tea Party Movement. Others were very historical and relevant to what is currently going on in our country. I was happy to see that there was a link to American History: Speeches and Essays, created by the Florida Department of Education and the University of South Florida, which presented very famous moments in history geared towards a K-12 audience. Stanford had 5 features links on the Spotlight page and other universities also present content that would be made available for specific academic courses. I wonder if the courses are repeated each year for the content is used for more than just one semester. Some of the topics are very nichey and deal with tapped White House phone calls and specific time periods and individuals. I wonder what qualifies a clip for potential inclusion in the Monthly Spotlight other than matching the topic. I wonder if next month's spotlight will be on the December holidays or something along those lines.

What's on iTunesU?

Last week I briefly described what iTuneU is. This week I will inform you of what can actually be found on it. The iTunesU website states that over 600 universities have active sites. When searching the list of them, I found it interesting the Syracuse University did not have one and SUNY Cortland did. Cortland's site has two sections, Course Podcasts and Welcomes You. The Course Podcasts section contains information about specific courses that are offered as well as podcasts utilized in the courses to deliver content. The Welcome You section provides more general information about campus life and ways to use the technology hosted on the iTunesU site. Most of the content on the SUNY Cortland site was uploaded in 2008 and only two links were updated in 2010. I also looked at Cornell's site and the oldest update on their homepage was from yesterday. Cornell's site provides three sections; Featured, Fields of Study, and Campus and Community. The most frequently downloaded podcasts are listed at the top of the page as well as links to key Cornell University websites.

Beyond Campus allows visitors to access content from art and science museums, businesses, libraries, and news outlets. Clicking around on things that seemed interesting, I found content lasting from a few seconds to over an hour. It wasn't just all lectures either. There were slideshows, entire exhibit tours, video clips, segments of television shows, and audio only files. Every thing I saw was free of charge and there were options to subscribe to specific sections within sites.

 I was excited to see a k-12 section on the iTunesU main page. There are 25 links in this sections. Many of them are state departments of education. Maine's looked much more interesting than Virginia's. New Jersey claims 5 of the links and provide content from larger school districts. There are a few links from outside of the United States. Teacher's TV separates its content into primary and secondary for easy searching for appropriate podcasts by topic.

The final link offered by the homepage is the Power Search. It allows users to search the entire iTunesU library by title, description, or university.

There appears to be a lot of material on iTunesU to explore. I will provide more insight in the weeks to come about what I find.

New topic- iTunesU

During the second half of this semester I will be blogging about iTunesU. I have no idea what it is or how it works so I will be learning right along with the followers who will be reading this to gain information. The tag line on the top of the iTunesU website is "Learn anything, anytime, anywhere". Certainly that is a bold statement that is very intriguing. iTunesU is obviously an Apple product and by looking at the URL it is a part of their education outreach.

My journey begins with the What is iTunesU? tab on the homepage. It is a means to distribute information to learners of any level. It also allows educational setting to host all of their digital content in one place. iTunesU not only is usable on Apple devices but also PCs.

Ok wow this is cool... iTunesU is educational audio and video content that is accessible though iTunes. So if you are able to download and listen to your favorite songs you should be able to use this with ease. It provides access to information for individuals with disabilities as well. I will explore this topic in a future posting in greater detail. An iTunesU site can be kept private within an educational institution or made public for the world to see. An iTunesU site is free of charge from Apple.

I am going to stop there for the initial posting so I can learn more before presenting next week. I will say that this might become a piece of my collaborative project's final product. I will keep you informed if this becomes a reality.

The last one about IWB's... for now!!

So the thing that I have really enjoyed from my course work in IDE is that every class opens my eyes to something that I didn't know anything about, that kind of consumes my curiosity for that semester. Interactive WhiteBoards is that thing this semester. I am planning on extending the collaborative project from this class into a year long alternative evaluation project through my school. I was interested in continuing this blog topic so that I could have a forum to present weekly lessons and sites that I will use with my students. I have decided to allow someone else to pick up the topic of IWBs for the second half of the semester. I have really gained a lot of knowledge and excitement from creating this blog. I am so grateful that after 10 years of teaching I am able to discover something new that will improve my teaching abilities. I am eager to collaborate with other educators who are more proficient with IWBs so that I can use them to their fullest potential.

Just today, the entire 2nd grade team gathered in the library to learn about a pen-pal project that we are going to be doing with Van Dyne School. The students watched a BrainPop video about friendly letters and then wanted to take the quiz. Another teacher was sitting at the computer and using the mouse to manipulate the screen. So I stood next to it and just tapped on the answer and the kids went wild. They did not know that it was a touch screen. I told my class to get ready because we are going to be doing a lot of work with the SmartBoard and they will have plenty of chances to touch it once they are taught how. It was a pretty sweet moment to see how excited they got. I hope that it carries over from week to week as we continue to develop lessons that use the IWB as an important teaching tool.

Some cool last minute stuff

Since this will be my second to last blog about IWBs, I wanted to show off some interesting things I have discovered while learning about them.

Here is a video clip where a remote for the Nintendo Wii is used to create an IWB. I thought it was just used as the pointer but I was very wrong.



As a huge sports fan, I find it super cool that SportsNation on ESPN has a regular segment in which the hosts use an IWB. Take a look at this example.



If anyone else has any examples showing IWBs being used outside of the classroom, please share them.

Our New SmartBoard

My school recently underwent a library make-over from Target. As part of the renovation, a SmartBoard was mounted on the middle wall. I had a conversation about this particular IWB as well as IWBs in general and related topics with our school's library media specialist.

My school currently has 4 SmartBoards including the new one in the library. The other three are located in the1st, 3rd, and 5th grade Inclusion classrooms. The 4 boards vary in size from 60 inches to 72 inches diagonally. The three located in the classrooms are operated with portable front projectors that need to be orientated before each use. This process involved touching 9 targets so the board can sense the boundaries of the projected image. The library's has the front projector mounted on top of the board itself. The library's IWB is also accompanied with a side mounted sound system. A comment from an earlier blog asked if there was a preferred type in schools, if so why, and how much did they cost? The answers are: SmartBoard is the brand the SCSD purchases, the reason being that the district likely signed a contract with them, and the new one our library just received costs $3,800. That is the total cost for the IWB, audio system, cables, and mounting.

Every school in the district has at least one IWB. Two of the elementary buildings have one per classroom. My school has two more IWBs on the way but the librarian was not exactly sure when they were expected to arrive. These would be given to the 2nd and 4th grade teams to house. Ideally, each classroom would have their own but there has to be funding to purchase that amount of equipment. The school district does offer inservice courses for staff to learn how to use IWBs. One is provided by the Teacher's Center and provides very basic information about how to set it up and turn it on. There is a more advanced course offered from time to time which provides more in depth ways to use the IWB. The librarian said she has heard people desiring to have a course that offers participants to create their own lessons using the supplied software. The district purchased a license to use the SmartBoard software and its own technology department installs it in the computer that will be used. The library media specialists meet monthly and have been charged to include technology in each of their weekly sessions with classes. It has even been suggested that there be less time spent on reading stories aloud in favor of technology education. Standards are being developed by the SCSD in conjunction for technology proficiency for each grade level.

In terms of how to go about using an IWB in your classroom, the LMS had a few suggestions. The biggest thing is to just try it out. If there is an interest, attend professional development that is offered. She suggested visiting Smart Exchange to explore lessons that teachers have used that incorporate IWBs. She also demonstrated how to use a Word document for editing practice. Teachers might worry about students knocking into the board or projector while moving about the classroom. Defining a space for the board with tape can prevent students from getting too close to the expensive equipment.

The bottom line is that students really respond to lessons that utilize IWBs. They are eager to interact with the image and show their knowledge. The LMS shared a story about an Autistic student who is in 5th grade. He has participated in lesson using the SmartBoard in his classroom. He eats lunch in the library to avoid the noise of the cafeteria. Earlier this week he asked the LMS if she could turn the SmartBoard on and figured out how to get to the site used in class and was solving math problems in no time.

Here are some pictures of the new SmartBoard in the library.

The front view

Notice the overhead mounted projector

The complete work station

Look its my blog!!

Any questions for an "expert"?

I am meeting with my school's librarian Thursday morning to discuss what she knows about IWBs. If anyone has any specific questions you would like me to ask her please post them in the comments before 8am Thursday morning. I am looking forward to this conversation. I will also be taking a picture of the new SmartBoard that was installed as part of out library's renovation provided by Target.

Do Smartboards make students smart?

I was reading through my stack of magazines last night and I came across an article with the same title as this posting. The article is located in the August/September 2010 issue of neatoday magazine. The author, Rosita Force, teaches technology in Omaha, Nebraska. Her answer to the question at hand, "sometimes yes, sometimes no." Ms. Force provides two good examples for the pro Smartboard side. The first is a kindergarten teacher who's students learn letter sounds by tapping on letters on the Smartboard. The second is an interactive problem solving site by the BBC where students use their hands to make choices to further develop solutions. Ms. Force questions whether the use of Smartboards enhance our students ability to solve problems or if they are being used to babysit. She refers to teachers who have turned their IWB into a big movie screen. It saddens me greatly to think that there are teachers out there who would do such a thing.

The article raises the fact that the generation of students we have seated in front of us daily are so connected to technology and school often serves as their time away from their devices and gadgets. We have already discussed through our course readings that it may be to our advantage to incorporate the technological fads our students utilize into our teaching so they become more invested in the learning process. Does the increased usage of such technologies limit our students' creativity and innovation or encourage it? I think back to discussions with Alan Foley about developing mobile apps as teaching or learning tools. If students create their own programs or apps to use on Smartboards or Smartphones, it would appear they are solving problems on many levels.

Ms. Force ends her article by reminding the reader that some of our greatest thinkers had only tablets and a something to write with as tools. Are we doing our students a disservice by including more advanced tools in our classrooms in leu of pencil and paper? Only time will tell.

To read the article in its entirety visit neatoday magazine.

They don't all work the same way either...

This week the discussion topic will focus on different types of IWBs. There are different ways to operate, display, and interact with IWBs. I had no idea there was such variety in this tool.

Most Interactive WhiteBoards work using one of three main operating systems. Touch-based systems rely on changes in pressure over a membrane that is stretched over the electronics. Users like that fingers, pointers, or any stick like object can activate the mouse click. Electromagnetic pen-based systems utilize a coordinate plain and the displacement of electric signals to determine the location of the touch. Accuracy is a key feature with this type of IWB. The third category is ultrasonic IR pen-based. They can turn most surfaces into IWBs once the special pen is calibrated to the projected image. This type is also portable, which leads us to the display options.

IWBs use either front or rear projection to display the images on the screen. A video projector transmits the images onto the screen with the user in between in the front kind. The biggest issue with this type is that the user gets in the way of the image and can cast a shadow on the board interfering with the image and accuracy of the operation. Rear projection models tend to cost more than their front counterparts and pose the issue of where to mount the projector if the screen is located on a wall, since it must be behind it. Users enjoy not having to stare into the light while interacting with rear projection type.

How do IWBs sense that a touch is occurring? Resistive IWBs feel when two membranes touch and locate the spot of interaction. Electromagnetic IWBs react when magnets on the board surface or in the pen to pinpoint the location of the touch. Capacitive IWBs use an x, y coordinate and touch to produce the mouse click. Optical  IWBs use lasers and the reflection of inferred light to function. Ultrasonic IWBs work when ultrasonic waves become suppressed after being touched.

While writing this blog, I realized that this entry could have been several weeks worth. If anyone has questions about a specific type of IWB, let me know and I will do my best to locate an answer for you.  

I thought they were all SmartBoards.

A Google search for "electronic white boards" reveals that there are many brands that produce the product being discussed. I didn't realize that SmartBoard was the name of a specific company. It is probably the first name educators think of but it appears that the business world also has a strong presence in the market of purchasing these tools. Traditional electronics powerhouses Panasonic and Hitachi made the top 5 brand list from that search. The final two spots went to mimio and PolyVision. mimio focuses on the portable EWB market, while PolyVision offers progressive technologies including a calibration free model and one that requires no cables or wires.Going back to that Google search, the first link offered is for the Electronic Whiteboard Warehouse. Who knew that there was such a place? I was even more shocked when looking at the left side navigation menu and counted 20 different brands of EWBs. Did I mention that SmartBoard is not among them? The Warehouse offers bundled packages of EWBs, projectors, mounts, and other accessories from between around $1,000 and $4,000. The two best selling boards alone were $995 and $1095 respectively. Installation prices vary depending on the size of the board. Since the company is based in San Diego, I wonder how far they would travel to install the EWB to the standards they list on the website. Probably not all the across the country to New York. 


I wanted to make a connection to this week's course content. One of the synchronous communications that was discussed in the readings was video chatting. As I mentioned in my discussion board posts on BlackBoard, my 2nd grade class participated in a video chat last school year. The interactive white board that was housed in our school's library served as the medium for the video chat. It provided a large enough screen for all students to see and be seen by the friends on the other side. Since the librarian set up the hardware and the video chat, I am not sure if the EWB was used because it was convenient due to its size and lack of wall space or because the technology required it to be. 


Next time I will discuss the different types of interactive white boards. I didn't know there were different types. I am enjoying learning about them and sharing it all with you.

Introductions

Who? What? Why?


I am Greg Bickett. Currently I am enrolled in an Instructional Technologies Master's Degree program at Syracuse University. I have also just begun my 10th year as a Special Education teacher in the Syracuse City School District. I teach in an Inclusive 2nd grade classroom at Elmwood Elementary School.

This blog is going to focus on Interactive Whiteboards also referred to as IWB. We may recognize the brand name SmartBoard but IWB is the more general term for these devices. IWBs are free standing or wall mounted touch sensitive display boards that present images created by a computer and a projector. A Wikipedia page about this topic reveals that there will be plenty to discuss.

I chose to blog about Interactive Whiteboards for a few reasons. My school possesses several IWBs and is looking to purchase more with technology based grant monies. The 3rd grade Inclusive classroom, where many of my students will be placed, has their own IWB, so it would be nice to partner with them in to create a continuum or flow  to instructional practices especially for students with special needs. As I look at the trend of incorporating technology into classroom instruction, I see IWBs as an option that is very ready for integration and a replacement for chalkboards. Additionally, I have a friend who works for an educational technologies company that promotes products and staff development concerning Smart Techologies.

I intend to blog about what Interactive Whiteboards are, their uses, brands, and differences between them. I will also discuss classroom implications and lessons. I will attempt to include several different points of view by utilizing the resources available to me. I hope that followers will be able share their knowledge and experiences using such devices as we converse throughout the semester. I am by no means an expert on this subject but look forward to expanding my understanding and use of such a dynamic tool.