I have wanted an interactive whiteboard for my class ever since I saw a demonstration of one in our technology class. I went so far as to find out how our school could get one at half price. Now i may have found a way to get one for $40.
An interactive white board would grab the attention of most kids, I know it caught my attention. An interactive lesson would make any subject more interesting. matching and sequencing exercises could be made into PowerPoint games. Words could be chosen from a word bank and dragged into position to make sentences. The physical interaction with the information would create even more interest in already popular websites like Starfall.com.
My original idea for this blog was to write about the benefits of having a Wii console in my classroom. What I found was the instructions on how to convert a Wiimote and a digital projector into an interactive white board. An individual named Johnny Lee has written software that will connect a Wiimote to a computer via a blue tooth connection. The Wii mote is used as an infrared camera that follows an infrared LED light pen. The pen can be made for very little cost. Using his instructions, any surface can become an interactive surface. His videos and instructions are available on Youtube.com as well as at his official website. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/ . All the necessary software is available for download at no cost!
The SmartBoard website has a page of case studies highlighting the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards in the classroom. I selected one that dealt specifically with special education classrooms. the entire case study is available at http://education.smarttech.com/NR/rdonlyres/61891957-3B4C-4A69-AE61-53129B6C2494/0/CustCaseStudyTheBridgeSchool.pdf .
3 comments:
Eric, I know how badly you want that SmartBoard! I think that in particular with the population that you have been working with, this bit of technology would be fantastic. Anything interactive helps to get kids' attention and hold it. It makes things more fun for both the kids and the teacher.
This is an excellent resource. Jesse and Corey think that a "little bit" of soldering might be necessary, but again, we're looking at an excellent tool at a reasonable price. Thanks for the resource!!!
Hey Eric, Thanks for all of your input. It is exciting to see someone who is into technology as much as myself. Keep rockin the free world...
Later,
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