Though I have had my iPhone for one year, I am convinced I am not using it to its fullest potential, especially after watching (via UStream) Vicki Davis’s, aka CoolCatTeacher’s,  NECC presentation Using iTouch and iPhones for Teaching and Learning.    I am always amazed to see how others are using the iPhone in the classroom and I love learning about the new apps!

On iThinkEd, Dr. Richard Beck, guest blogger from Abilene Christian University, describes how the introduction of the iPhone enhanced his senior level Psychology class by promoting interactivity and enabling the use of multimedia content. Professors are using apps to poll students in large lecture halls.  Teacher support apps are springing up everywhere.  Use Grade Pad app to manage grades.  Use Jaadu to control your desktop.  Use Graphing Calculator instead of the pricy alternative.  Use Fact of the Day to learn one new thing to share with students.  Need more ideas?  Check out Online Database’s Top 50 iPhone Apps article.  As I watch the video below, my mind whirls with possibilities!

Evangel Christian Academy officially got active 4 years ago after we were awarded one of the first ActivBoard in the United States. Promethean Activ Products changed teaching and learning forever in A-5, our classroom. Last year, the students of A-5 produced a video to share their thoughts on Promethean products. As you can see, we are huge fans!!!

A Promethean ActivBoard is so much more than another presentation tool. It is designed to be interactive! I know from experience that an ActivClass impacts student achievement, student motivation, and the classroom environment as students are transformed from passive bystanders to active and engaged learners.In preparation for 10 additional ActivBoards being installed on our campus, our school recently held a Curriculum Camp. We covered ALOT of tips and tricks in a short 5 day period!!!To serve as a review and tutorial for camp topics covered, I will begin (on July 1) a blog series entitled: 30 Days to Get Activ. I will post Activ ideas, include lesson samples, and embed “how-to” videos to make any lesson engaging, enriching, and inspiring.

Time to get busy blogging as Promethean plans to give away oodles of goodies!!!

ActivBoards, Expressions, Inspire, Slates, and Tablets …Oh my!!!

To kick off the National Educational Computing Conference in Washington, D.C., Promethean USA announces its 2009 ActivBlogging Contest. Promethean plans to give away teaching tools to the top 3 bloggers who write about the NECC experience, Promethean Planet or a classroom experience. Include pictures or videos to make your blog even more exciting and winner could be YOU!!!

Carol Kordsmeier immediately gained fellow “campers” attention during her ActivLesson presentation as she donned her peers in lab coats while the tune of “The Adams Family” played.  Instantaneously, the atmosphere in the room changed from quiet reserve to obvious excitement and expectancy of what was to come. Carol frequently uses music to make her middle school science lessons come alive and set the tone the classroom.

Research supports the use of music in the learning environment.  In Twelve Benefits of Music Education and Using Music in the ESL Classroom, authors state that music can help increase standardized test scores, foster teamwork, help students think creatively and solve problems, improve concentration and memory, and motivates learning. From Elona Hartjes’ Teacher at Risks: In “Music and the Mind”, author Nina Jackson, calls music the new teaching tool for the 21st Century.  She believes in the use of music to stimulate students’ brains, get pupils ready to learn, and cause their brains to function steady and stronger.  She writes:

 At the Ron Clark Academy, music is used throughout the day as a basis for reinforcing important facts, dates, and ideas.  Teachers and students frequently use the tune of a popular song as a springboard for learning.  Original lyrics strongly focused on curriculum content are composed and sung to a familiar tune.  As the students sing the lyrics,  they are moving, engaging different parts of their brains, enjoying the classroom experience, and LEARNING! So, to sing or not to sing? I would say, definitely, sing away!  Plus, music makes learning FUN!

ClassTools.net: Create interactive flash tools / games for education

Curriculum Camp attendees create original flash games to be utilized with their ActivBoard. ClassTools.net does all of the work on the html code and gaming side. Simply type in the curriculum content to generate a custom game.

Classtools.net allows you to create free educational games, activities and diagrams in a Flash! Host them on your own blog, website or intranet! No signup, no passwords, no charge! Game links are saved to the computer and links can be embedded into the flipchart presentation. Games can be used again and again.
The students absolutely love to “play” games in class. In fact, they beg to continue to work to improve in each challenge! I wonder if they realize that they are reinforcing ideas and concepts along the way?

Tonight we joined Livonia High School in a video conference to discuss the logistics of delivering instruction to LHS students next school year through the Evangel/LA Tech Dual Enrollment Math Class.  For both schools, it will be the breaking of new ground as we connect students from North Louisiana to peers in South Louisiana.  Parent and students were amazed as we were able to chat face-to-face,  share desktops, and receive real time feedback via the use of students’ cell phones.  Evangel has participated in numerous video conferences this past year though none were designed for class to class collaboration.

Over the past year, the technology has truly turned our school into a place without walls.  Our students have connected with NASA, explored physics concepts, learned about animal adaptations, and even extracted their own DNA.  Through the use of this technology, teachers have been able to plan experiences for students not otherwise afforded.  Students have connected with real-world mathematicians and scientists to tie curriculum concepts to authentic experiences.

As we connect students to students, the possibilities are exciting.  So, welcome students of Livonia High School to A-5! Should be fun!