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Monday, July 14, 2008 7:13 PM EDT
New tools bring teachers closer to students
By Jeff Shaw
Olean Times Herald
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| Olean Middle School math teacher Diana Dunbar demonstrates use of the SMART Board, which allows her and her students to physically interact with lesson material. She can also pre-record lessons to show the information in a more efficient and entertaining manner. Photo by Darrell Gronemeier |
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(This story tells of the in-class technology that Olean teachers employ. But what about the changes throughout the entire district?
Part one of the School Tech series discussed why wireless Internet will increase classroom space in small elementary schools, and how the district will make sure it’s always staying current with technology.)
OLEAN - Carrie Samuelson can teach her science class from anywhere in the room while still demonstrating work at the front of the room.
Rather than drawing up problems on the front board, Diana Dunbar uses a giant touch screen to demonstrate to her math class how to solve algebra problems.
Soon, Olean teachers will be able to test how well a class understands a lesson by instantly seeing what percentage of the students are getting the right answer.
These are the tools changing the face of modern education.
“Our kids are digital kids,” said Cso Woodworth, Olean City School District’s technology administrator. “You’re just meeting their needs, making things a little more interactive.”
The newest item coming to the schools is a student response system. The program gives each student in the class a remote control. The teacher can ask a multiple-choice question and immediately see the results on a screen.
“It gives immediate feedback by response,” Ms. Woodworth said. “The teacher can see who understood the concept. Or maybe (the teacher) needs to re-teach something because the students didn’t understand.”
Those items will be available to teachers in Olean soon. But for other state-of-the-art technology, the schools already use much of it.
Get SMART
One versatile tool used by teachers in the district is the SMART Board - a large touch screen for teaching lessons.
“It’s an interactive white board,” said Ms. Dunbar, who uses a SMART Board teaching eighth-grade math at Olean Middle School. She added that she uses the board “every day, every class, all the time.”
The technology allows Ms. Dunbar to use computer programs to demonstrate problems, but the touch screen allows her to teach at the front of the class rather than being stuck behind a computer desk. The software included with the SMART Board also lets her create interactive classroom material that keeps the students interested and involved in the subject.
“The kids love it,” she said. “They fight to get on it. They want to be the teacher.”
Ms. Dunbar demonstrated the use of the board using an algebra problem. She was able to simplify the concept by physically reaching up and dragging numbers from one side of a problem to another. She also showed interactive programs where students would come to the screen and drag answers into appropriate categories.
Although she admitted she was not on the cutting edge herself, Ms. Dunbar said she knows learning modern technology is necessary to teaching.
“Because kids have changed, I need to change,” she said.
Ms. Woodworth added that a SMART Board lasts 15 to 20 years.
Catching some air
But in Ms. Samuelson’s eighth-grade science class at Olean Middle School, there was no room for the interactive touch screen.
So she was given SMART Board software to use on a regular overhead projector, but with a wireless pad called an AirLiner to control the information on the screen.
“It’s a wireless tablet, and it frees up the teacher to move around the classroom,” Ms. Woodworth said. “It also allows the teacher to pass the slate to the student and say, ‘Demonstrate to me how to solve this problem.’”
Ms. Samuelson said she also uses the technology every day, and that it is a great aid to her teaching.
“The students are way more engaged,” she said. “It lets me walk around the classroom and it really gets them involved.”
Ms. Samuelson said she makes in-depth presentations that combine in-class problems, class participation, new concepts and information, and even video clips. Working in education for over two decades, she said new technology like the AirLiner is a complete shift in how information reaches students.
“It’s amazing what it has changed,” she said. “I teach the same concepts, but it’s way more exciting.”
A new look
A new technology available to teachers on a sign-out basis is the ELMO digital document cameras, a new take on the traditional overhead projector.
“Teachers sign them out as needed,” Ms. Woodworth said. “And trust me, they are used a lot.”
Rather than writing on a clear light source that is then projected onto a screen, the document camera - using the same projector as the SMART Board and AirLiner - shows live-action digital video. The video technology allows teachers to not just show paper, but also three-dimensional objects or even demonstrate use of a tool.
Ms. Dunbar said she uses the camera to demonstrate how to use a protractor, meaning she doesn’t have to go from one desk to another demonstrating to each student individually.
“It’s like a newfangled overhead projector,” she said. “It’s great for going over homework that’s non-traditional.”
Ms. Woodworth said the camera is adjustable to show different angles of an object.
“Rather than passing a photo around for everyone to touch, I can put it on this document camera and show everyone at one time,” she said. “If I have a three-dimensional object, let’s say a rock with a fossil, the head of the camera swivels around so I can show all sides of the object.”
BREAKOUT
Here are some examples of the in-class tools used by Olean teachers:
® SMART Boards - Large, interactive touch screens, with software that allows teachers to pre-plan their lessons and involve students more actively.
® AirLiners - Wireless pads that allow teachers to move about the classroom, working closer to students and being more active.
® Digital document cameras - An advanced version of the overhead projector, it allows teachers to show high-quality video of tasks or objects. Useful for demonstrating tools or showing three-dimensional objects.
® Student response systems - Multiple-choice answer remotes for each student let a teacher know if he or she hasn’t taught a concept efficiently, and informs which students are struggling.
(Contact reporter Jeff Shaw at jshaw@oleantimesherald.com.)
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