Digital Diagrams

Before this week I didn't know too much about making digital diagrams. I have seen them numerous

times, however. I was really excited when I found out we would be able to create our own digital diagram. I think that visual learning is a great things and that diagrams can be extremely helpful for students of all ages.

I learned that it is actually quite simple to create a digital diagram. It was a great learning experience as well. I did get a little frustrated trying to fit my whole diagram into the allotted size on the monitor, but once I found the right shapes that would make it fit better I was able to figure things out. I felt a lot better when I used the proper boxes and when my diagram was able to fit in the right amount of space. It made me feel accomplished knowing that I took the extra time to make sure that everything was properly done.

I will definitely use digital diagrams in my future classroom. I think it is an awesome tool to incorporate into lessons. I did mine on the seasons and I plan to use it in my future class. I had so much fun getting to be creative, and I hope to carry that creativity into my own classroom one day. I also think that my students will really enjoy learning through digital diagrams!

Interactive Whiteboards Week 2

As I mentioned in my blog from last week I actually do have some previous experience with

interactive whiteboards. I volunteer at Northwest Middle School and we use the boards quite a bit. I think they are a great tool to have in the classroom and I hope that I am lucky enough to have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom when I become a teacher. I think they can offer so much to students and they provide students with a fun, more hands on learning experience.

Over the past week I have learned SO MUCH about interactive whiteboards and flipcharts. I am slowly but surely getting more comfortable with my flipchart project and I think that the outcome will be good! I have learned just how much interactive whiteboards can help students and how hands on they can actually be. I feel that teachers should have the proper training before they begin to use the interactive whiteboards. If they do not, I think that it can be stressful and confusing for the students. I hope that I can take my knowledge I have learned and teach my students using the flipcharts and whiteboards effectively!

I would definitely use an interactive whiteboard in my classroom. I think they are fabulous, especially for younger students. They get the chance to go up to the board and perform an action themselves instead of just watching you do it. So many fun lessons can be planned with these boards, and students can really learn a lot from them! I plan to use the board in every subject; whether it be working out a math problem, structuring a sentence, labeling the parts of a planet, or playing interactive games. Sometimes technology can be a little tricky, but I think that interactive whiteboards are wonderful and that they can really help enhance a lesson.

Interactive Whiteboards

I actually do have some previous experience with interactive whiteboards. I volunteer at Northwest

Middle School and we use the boards quite a bit. I think they are a great tool to have in the classroom and I hope that I am lucky enough to have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom when I become a teacher. I think they can offer so much to students and they provide students with a fun, more hands on learning experience.

When reading the handout on the boards I learned that different studies on interactive whiteboards have show different results. Some say that students are benefiting from having the boards in the classroom, but others say that there is no difference between those who use the technology and those who do not. Obviously not every school is lucky enough to be provided with these boards. Teachers that don't have them are still using effective teaching skills to teach their students and that is why I think some studies don't show much difference. In my opinion, I think every classroom should be equipped with one of these boards. Features such as matching, dragging and dropping, and hiding and revealing can be fun lessons that allow students to learn by going to the board and performing the lesson that you have set up for them. As the handout says, these features can enrich instruction by increasing student attention, motivation, and participation. However, as the article mentions I do believe that every teacher should be properly trained with these boards so that they will be most beneficial to the students.

I would definitely use an interactive whiteboard in my classroom. I think they are fabulous, especially for younger students. They get the chance to go up to the board and perform an action themselves instead of just watching you do it. So many fun lessons can be planned with these boards, and students can really learn a lot from them! I plan to use the board in every subject; whether it be working out a math problem, structuring a sentence, labeling the parts of a planet, or playing interactive games. Sometimes technology can be a little tricky, but I think that interactive whiteboards are wonderful and that they can really help enhance a lesson.