Leapfrog in Education

The Leapfrog is a great tool for teachers to use in their classroom. It's a great tool for Early Childhood teachers to use in their classroom to help advance their students learning. It also works well for students that are in Elementary School. Well, what is the Leapfrog??? The Leapfrog is an educational tool that has a pen and a lot of different books that go in the tool. The Leapfrog has these books that include many different activities for different subjects that the students are able to do. Some of these subjects include math, science, social studies and these are just a few of the subjects. The Leapfrog also allows students who don't read very well or who don't read at all to use this tool. The Leapfrog allows the student to be able to press on the words and there is a voice recorded that will say the words for them. This is a great way for students who don't read or who have trouble reading to expand their vocabulary. It also helps to keep students confidence because if they are struggling with a word they will be able to click on the word to help them continue reading. The Leapfrog can be very beneficial for a teacher to use in the classroom. It can help students learn how to read during center times or do any type of activities. This tool can also help students who have trouble participating in front of the class. They can use this tool and it can help them to build up their confidence with certain subjects so then they will feel more confidence and be able to participate in front of their classmates. Overall, I think this is a great tool for teachers to incorporate into their classroom. This tool is on the expensive side but if the school has enough funding or you as a teacher can help to get this tool in the classroom you will see great strides in your students work.

http://mine.uwcblog.com/2010/04/06/leappad-leap-frog-shrek-2-reading-storybook-2nd-grade/

Benefits of Using ELMO Projector!!!!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1652830/elmo_projectors_the_new_wave_in_education_pg2.html?cat=15


Have you ever heard of an ELMO projector??? Well, the ELMO has been on the rise in the past few years and has become a new trend in today's classrooms. An ELMO stands for Electricity Light Machine Organization and it is the new digital projector that is installed on the ceiling. Ever since I can remember teachers have been using transparencies to workout problems on the overhead or they copy the reading onto the transparencies. I can remember my math teacher working on problems and smudging all across the transparency because their hand would smear the writing. Well, have no fear the ELMO will prevent this from happening. Don't worry about having to rush to make transparencies before class if you have something in your book that you want to show the class simply slide it underneath the projector. You can adjust the size of the picture as well it's very convenient for teachers. Above is a picture of some of the options that the ELMO does have when it is used. The projector shines on the wall so the size of the picture is big enough for everyone to see wherever they sit in the classroom. No more worries about having to switch transparencies or having to raise the transparency up so everyone can see it. It also has the option of being able to show the picture in different color to keep the students interest or to mix it up. These projectors can range in price from $500-$6000 it all depends on what type of projector you plan on purchasing for your classroom. Even though they are pretty expensive you can talk to your Principal and see if you can get a grant written or possibly do a fundraiser. The ELMO projector is a great addition to any classroom and can benefit students learning.

image from www.flickr.com

Smart Board

Take a second to ponder what a smart board is or if you ever heard of it. I remember the first time that I learned about the smart board. I was a student at Northwest Missouri State and I was in my first math class called Fundamentals of Math. My teacher would put the power points on the smart board and have problems to work out. Then she would work through the problems by writing on the smart board. This was so convenient to have in the classroom and was very beneficial especially in math. The smart board is basically an interactive white board that allows users to click on the board and do certain tasks. It comes with these pens that range in different colors they almost look like a marker but have a pen for a tip. The smart board also comes with an eraser that is in the shape of a circle. To use the smart board the teacher just has to use it just like a typical white board except you are able to click on the board or you are able to double click on the page to go to the next one. Now why would this be beneficial to use in the classroom???? Well, for one this is advanced technology at its finest and since our society is becoming more and more dependent on technology the smart board is the way to go. With the smart board teachers are able to stand at the front of the classroom explaining an assignment or working on a worksheet so the whole class can be involved. Another advantage that the smart board has is it can be used for any subject. One article that I read was about a music classroom that a teacher used the smart board to teach lessons. Really music and the smart board is this possible???? Definitely is possible and very beneficial for the teacher and the students. This just shows that any subject and in any classroom technology can be used for anything as long as you use it appropriately and understand what you are trying to accomplish from this technology. Another positive about the smart board is it is very easy to see for everyone else in the classroom. It's a great way for the involvement of the other students because they could come up to the board and also participate with the worksheet or whatever task you are doing in your classroom. One down side of the students being able to participate in front of the class is if the student doesn't do the problem right or they struggle with it this could be upsetting for them. There are definitely ways around this in order to make the smart board a very efficient tool to use in the classroom. Overall, I think the smart board is a great piece of technology to have in the classroom and would be very beneficial to help the students learn.

image from http://www.wikimedia.org/

http://owensville.k12.mo.us/~SMART_Lessons/Professional%20Journal%20Article/Last%20summer%20in%20July.htm

Education and Technology

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_baker


Technology...... It's crazy to see the advancements in technology on a daily bases. As a society we are so focused on fast, convenient, and everything being quick and easy. That's why we see people always texting, listening to their Ipods, using the internet on their phone. I am amazed at how advanced we are as a society with technology. Every year it seems like students are getting more advanced in technology and when they come to the classroom they know so much more about this subject. In today's classroom there is a lot of new equipment that teachers are able to use to advance their students learning. Some of this equipment includes an Elmo reader, smart board, projector, and the new hot item a kindle e-book reader. The kindle reader is a portable e-book device thats from Amazon that provides wireless connectivity to Amazon for e-book downloads as well as Wikipedia and search engines. The kindle reader also includes a built in dictionary. The kindle reader can hold books, magazines, newspapers and blogs. For the kindle reader to function it uses an electronic ink monochrome display in order to allow people to see the book, newspaper, blog, and magazines on the screen. Can you imagine if you had one of these??? It would be great to be able to be reading a book and then you finished one and you wanted to read another one. You wouldn't have to go get another paperback book instead you would be able to look at all the books on your kindle reader to make a decision on what you wanted to read next. It's also very convenient when you travel because you wouldn't have to carry all these extra books and magazines. Instead the kindle reader will resolve all these problems for you and you would be able to carry just one thing. It's great for all ages because the font can be enlarged for beginner readers or for readers who struggle with reading the normal size font in a book. The kindle reader is pretty costly and can range in prices depending on where you get one from. If I had the money I would definitely invest in one for my future classroom. I think this would be a great resource for my students to be able to use or for me to use while reading them a book. I feel that the kindle reader is a very beneficial education tool that should be recommended to everyone.

image from: www.flickr.com

Get Ready World Here I Come!!!!!!

Well... This is my first time ever blogging so I am kind of just feeling everything out haha!!!!