Blog Assignment #8

21st Century Learning and Communicating Tools

     I hope that one day I will be teaching an elementary grade between kindergarten and third grade.  I know that technology will be in full force, even more than it is now, and I hope to use some of the learning and communicating tools that I have found while researching the internet for this blog post.
     When I watched Katie Gimbar's video on, "Why I flipped My Classroom,", I realized that I will probably try to do this when I become a teacher.  I feel that by flipping a classroom, it is easier for each student to work at their own pace and level.  Many teachers have to teach at the middle level and hope the students
from the bottom come up.  Then, the students at the top become bored and cannot accurately perform activities and achieve their goals.  With flipping the classroom, the students can pre-load the information outside of class.  This way, the students can develop questions to bring to the next class session. By having the information on a video, the student is able to pause, rewind, and even reflect on what they have just watched.  Some students are able to listen to a lecture one time, and absorb the information. Others need to hear it multiple times to get the right concept.  Either way of learning is fine, and by providing the lectures online, the students can then work at their own pace.  I agree with this teaching style to a certain extent.  I will definitely use this in my classroom for the older age children because it gives the student a since of responsibility to actually do the work themselves while also helping them by working at their own pace.
     Another learning tool I found useful is SMART Board.  I believe that the SMART Board is an excellent learning tool for the classroom.  Some of my high school teachers just starting using a SMART Board when I was a senior.  Now, in college, teachers are using them much more frequently. My Math 201 teacher strictly uses a SMART Board.  I believe this is a great way to engage the class. He writes examples as well as notes on the SMART Board.  Then, after class, the notes that were taken are saved as he writes, and he posts the notes on Sakai.  He writes it as if he was writing note cards which makes studying the notes much easier.
     SMART Boards can be extremely useful in elementary grades as well.  At the elementary age, students love to be involved in the lesson, and the SMART Board offers a wide range of options for the students to get involved. The SMART Board also offers a wide range of opportunities for teachers.  For example, SMART Board offers the 10.8 SMART Notebook feature.  This allows the teachers to easily share lesson plans and collaborate ideas. I believe the SMART Board is a great way to teach in the classroom.  It allows the student to be involved in the lecture by coming up to the board and using their finger or an electronic marker to write the answer.  It is wonderful that the lessons and whatever is written on the board can be saved for future reference.  I will definitely use the SMART Board in my classroom when I become a teacher if the opportunity is available.
     I enjoyed searching the web for different communicating and learning tools for this blog post.  There are so many options with technology today, and it just continues to grow.