The tablet and Lenovo technology have given me some great new tools, both for teaching and for lesson enhancements with my students. I am more likely to look for a tech solution to improve my instruction or a lab activity for the students. I’ve decided to just make a list of all the wonderful things I’ve done this year.
- Class pictures – I have used my tablet all year to take pictures of my students working. At first, it made them nervous, but I have done it so much that they don’t even notice anymore. And I have loads of evidence for my teacher evaluation summary!
Physics students building a spaghetti bridge.
Chemistry students hard at work.
- Khan Academy – I’ve used some of their video tutorials to go along with my physics units. They are linked on my physics web page http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/10407.
- Screen cast-o-matic – I used this along with my tablet to record some of my own videos. I assigned them as homework for chemistry to begin flipping my classroom. Here’s an example – enjoy!
- QR Code reader – I created a set of QR codes for chemistry students to learn about pieces of lab equipment.
How to use a crucible.
- Dropbox – WOW, what a lifesaver this is! During my fellowship I was working on 3-4 computers and this streamlined the whole process. I wasn’t forced to keep up with my flash drive everyday!
- Prezi – while this technology was not new for me, I did incorporate it into one of my physics projects. I had a few students create them instead of the usual power points.
Personally, I now Skype. It’s been very cool to talk with my kids when I’m in Raleigh and away from them. Also, I use Dropbox to share pictures with my family in South Carolina. I am more open to using technology in the classroom. I am definitely still a novice, but I don’t view the phones only as a distractor. Students are using them as planners and to document ideas and events that happen during class. It’s interesting to see the many ways they use technology, and as we move to BYOD, the innovations will surely continue.