Replacement+Ideas

Leslie's Replacement Ideas:

The SMART interactive white board will definitely replace old, regular whiteboards, chalkboards (if people still have those), and projection screens. The SMART board does it all and more. The SMART board is extremely engaging and motivating during any learning experience. The programs you are able to use in conjunction with the board provide an exciting, interactive learning experience. Students are engaged because they want to be the one manipulating things on the board or participate in the ongoing activities. They are also engaged because they don't know what will come next with using the board. Keeping students on their toes definitely keeps them engaged and motivated to learn. Many sites and programs these days are "interactive white board compatible" which means more learning experiences are interactive rather than just sit and get/watch. Students are used to technologies and are surrounded by them, this is what they are used to. So it is only natural that they gravitate towards such equipment and are motivated to learn when using the resource. These boards get students up and moving and interactive in their learning. When students are able to do this it becomes more engaging and motivating for them to learn the task or content at hand.

I believe teacher and student blogs are definitely becoming more prevalent in today's classrooms. If I had to think of a practice that this technology might replace I would have to say classroom newsletters in print. Having a classroom blog allows the teacher to keep their viewers up-to-date much more frequently than a 6 weeks or paper newsletter. It is very simple for a teacher to post a reminder, or any piece of information to their blog. The internet is much faster than traveling paper. We often also know that papers sometimes do not make it into the parents' hands. Parents knowing about their classroom blog have 24 hour access to classroom information. With students having their own blogs too, there are many engaging and motivating learning experiences available. Instead of journaling or writing a response to a prompt, they can get on their blog and type it. On the blogs is an area to leave comments, which is basically immediate feedback for the students. Students can also learn 21st century skills such as uploading, adding links, and more. Students would be extremely engaged in such activities because they know this is the world they live in today. These are skills they could see benefiting them outside of the classroom.

Amber's Replacement Idea:

Why does testing always have to take place with a pencil and a piece of paper? This is something that I had always wondered until I realized that this does not always have to be the case. In my classroom we use differing forms of assessment strategies. Our school system has ActiVotes, which are used with our Promethean Boards. These can be used to poll the students on particular questions or ideas; however, they can also be used for assessment purposes. The great thing about the ActiVotes is that they provide immediate results and do not require the wait of grading papers; therefore, you know right then who is getting the information and who may be struggling.

This strategy can be used to replace that of paper and pencil, while still integrating large amounts of technology in the classroom. It also allows the opportunity for the teacher to discuss the question immediately after it is given and answered. If students miss the question given, they are able to see the correct answer, and the class can discuss the reason for that answer. This provides a great opportunity for reteaching!

Maya's Replacement Ideas: The 21st Century has changed our society in many ways. I have noticed that our students are so different from when we were in grade school. Most of the things and activities that interest me, no longer interest our students in of the 21st century. There are a some replacement ideas that I have used and was a great success. Instead of using a graphic organizer to help with details to put in a story, students can now complete a story map to use Windows Movie Maker and create their story using pictures. Students do not have to paper and pencil to write a story, instead they can share a story using movie maker. Depending on the genre, students can become creative and include text that can compliment their pictures.

When students are given the opportunity to be creative they can be expressive online. Instead of passing out construction paper, crayons, colored pencils, etc, students can visit art.com and draw whatever they like and then share it with others.

When students have to create their own book, they can create an electronic book online with turning pages at mixbook.com This website is similar to movie maker but it has turning pages with more options. This is really a great way to integrate technology into the classroom.

Students with autism needs many visuals. Instead of using some of the visual cues within the lesson, I can add words to a comic strip to relate to the words and/or phases as needed at toondoo.com. This would be a unique way to communicate to them when appropriate during any lesson as a pose of making gestures or using a single picture cue.

I feel that these replacement ideas are great for any subject and/or lesson. They can be used to help upgrade the curriculum and make the lessons more interesting to our students of the 21st century.

﻿Brittani's Replacement Ideas: In this day and age, technology is in high demand and being used very frequently in and out of the classrooms. It's constantly replacing modern items that were being used. Being young has provided the opporutunity for me to have been exposed to both old techniques/resources and the new technology.

The Promethean Board and it's other versions SMARTboard/TEAMboard are a popular technological item taking over today's classrooms. This itself has taken the place of the chalkboard, whiteboard overhead projector and in some cases televisions. I previously had a SMARTboard and I know from working and manipulating it that because it's interactive the students are more engaged because they feel as if they are more a part of whatever is being taught. I now have a Promethean Board and although it has a few differences it serves the same purpose for both the teacher and student. Speaking from methods within my classroom, I know I use it for every subject and to incorporate all types of activities/strategies. Not only can it be used for introducing a lesson but to provide practice and assess what's being taught. It's very visual and so are many of the students in today's classrooms, which makes it a great asset. A popular replacement idea that is gradually taking over many classrooms because of it's abilities to be incorpated into any subject for all parts of the teaching process and not to mention it's popularity with the students.