Feeling up-to-date on technology? That seems to be an almost impossible task. Just when you get used to blogs and tweets, suddenly everyone is talking about whiteboards and apps instead. This post features a few technology-oriented products, contests, and freebies that’ll certainly help you catch your students’ interest—and may even help you sound like a techno-geek at your next in-service or staff meeting!
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Submit a comment to our blog by midnight EST on Monday, February 21, 2011, and you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win one of the new Interactive Whiteboard Software titles from Lakeshore. I have several to choose from, including Sound Sorting for PreK-grade 2 and Math Quiz for grades 1-3 and 4-6, so be sure to include your grade level in your post. If you don’t have an interactive whiteboard in your classroom, the software works on individual computers as well. Submit your comment today! (Update: Congratulations to Susan, who was our winner! Thanks for submitting your comments!)
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Angling to get an interactive whiteboard in your classroom? Consider this: with the Epson BrightLink, you can transform almost any wall or traditional whiteboard into an interactive surface. To find out how it works—or to sign up for the free Epson e-newsletter—click here now!
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And speaking of whiteboards, Pearson is offering free interactive whiteboard lessons and activities for teaching our nation’s history. The materials are geared toward grades K-5. To download, visit www.pearsonschool.com/symbolsofamerica.
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Doodle 4 Google is back! Challenge students in grades K-12 to redesign the Google logo to reflect this year’s theme: “What I’d like to do someday…” Registration closes on March 2, and entries are due March 16. The winner receives a $15,000 scholarship, and his or her school receives a $25,000 technology grant. Sign up today!
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If one of your springtime activities includes hatching chicks, then here’s a technology you need to know about! Brinsea incubators warm and turn eggs automatically and include display countdowns to tell you when the eggs are due to hatch. Plus the OvaScope allows you and your students to watch the live embryo develop inside the egg! Brinsea is the winner of a 2011 Learning magazine Teachers’ Choice Award. To learn more, click here now!
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Don’t forget, submit your comment for a chance to win our prize!
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| Karen |
I will definitely use the United States flag lesson in Social Studies.
Wow! I’ll use the U.S. Flag one for sure,and will find
out more about the chick incubator..Our kindergarten
teacher has hatched chicks for the last 2 years and the kids absolutely love it!
Doodle4Google is a fantastic contest. Thank you for the reminder! I am organizing a school contest and will send our school winners off to the regional Doodle4Google competition.
The U.S. Flag unit is well designed. It’s helpful to have all components of the lesson embedded into a user-friendly format.
I will be looking into the incubators as we are taking a new field trip this year. One of our local parks/farms has a new program based on eggs, chicken, turkey and ducks. Can’t wait.
As a resource specialist with a significant number of continuously off-task students (Hey, wait a minute! That sounds like any classroom!), any technology is more likely to hold their focus than, say, teacher talk. My students would definitely benefit from the Sound Sorting for PreK-grade 2 and Math Quiz for grades 1-3!
I was so excited to see this as a freebie contest on facebook. i am a subscriber to mailbox and i love all the information and wonderful ideas. I teach special ed in a residential school, i love the bright link, though i do not have it, it looks so interesting and would love to learn more about it. i think my students would really benefit from it. i teach students ages 10-21 in an ungraded classroom but most function at a pre-k to kindergarten level.
I would love to have the sound sorting for Pre K- 2 software. I would also love ton look into the incubators because I think that is something that my kids would enjoy seeing. We have to incorporate more and mroe technology into our rooms, and I am always looking for new ideas and activities to do with my students.
I am a student working toward my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. I am looking forward to teaching Kindergarten or First grade in the near future. I currently homeschool my daughter Kindergarten and am always looking for great resources to keep her interested in what she is learning. The Brinsea Incubator looks like something I could use now for my daughter and hang onto for my future classroom.
As a first grade teacher, either one of the Lakeshore Interactive games titles would be great! We are always reviewing our math skills and sounds for sure! We would love having this in our classroom!
This year is my first with an interactive whiteboard in my classroom. I am the only teacher at my school who has one at the moment and I am loving it! I use it instead of my chalkboard all day and the kids love it too. I am always interested to learn about new software to use with it. There is a lot of content on-line to use on the whiteboard, but it is nice to have software that is more reliable than the internet.
Wow, this would be so neat to have in our classrooms! My school needs a technology make-over ASAP!
I have always been so fascinated with the interactive whiteboards. I have not had an opportunity to use one, but would love a chance to try one out.
Wow, the chick incubator sound so neat!! I teach K-2 Special Ed, so I would love to win the OSUnd Sorting software for my students!
The students in my class of children with Autism will do anything whiteboard or techy before they will pick up pencil and paper.
I teach Second Grade special ed and my kids love anything that we can do on our Smartboard. It holds their attention for so much longer than a regular lesson does. The Interactive Whiteboard games sound like alot of fun and my kids would benefit so much from them.
I would LOVE to have an interactive whiteboard to use with my Kindergarteners-but there is no money in the budget here at school! I looked into the Brightlink 450Wi, but we don’t have projectors either! I get so jealous of the schools that have access to all this technology! I wish my kiddos could learn using new technology! We just got 2 computers in our classroom for the students (they are old ones from the high school), but I am excited to be able to let my students explore on them!! We would love the Lakeshore Sound Sorting software!!
I love your products. The Math products have been a blessing for helping my 3rd graders. Thank you so much!
I wonder how the whiteboard would work for the toddlers in my place. It really might be fun for the older ones (threes) and a real great way to introduce them to technology and fun learning!
A technology grant was used in our school district to purchase smartboards for every classroom with the exception of my preschool room. The more I research the smartboards, the more I feel it would have been a benefit to my preschool children. Unfortunately, there were not enough funds to purchase one for my room.
I have never had the opportunity to use a white board, however I have seen them in use by other teachers. I just recently moved from IL to Ky and most of the classrooms here use them on a daily, however I do have access to use technology of any kind. I am still interested in knowing more about today’s technology and I have talked to our district about giving us training and allowing us access to use the technology it the classrooms where I sub.
I love, love, love my interactive whiteboard. Not only do I use it every single day, but my students are also constantly using it. I enjoy creating my own lessons and activities, however there are so many really good resources (many free) on the web. On the first day of school, I pointed my remote toward the projector to turn it on and a very excited 5 year old exclaimed “look she has a Wii”. Well not quite, but just as much fun for a teacher!
What a cute story, Janelle! Sounds like you and your students are really having fun.
–Karen
I teach 18 at-risk Preschool children! I use my white board every day. It is such a great tool to use for teaching preschool. I don’t know how I ever taught without one! I am always looking for more lessons to add to my files.