Journal+Reflections

Post a **//response to this prompt//** in your Wiki Journal OR //**reflect on your week as a technology user**// in the classroom OR //**describe a technology experience you had this week**//.
Description: During the past two weeks, I have done quite a bit of searching on the website that accompanies our Smartboard - [|www.smartexchange.com] - I found a lot of interesting activities and lessons to use with my lessons. I found Smartboard activities to support my intstruciton in all 3 content areas - Math, Social Studies, and Science. One activity was as simple as an interactive protractor which allowed the students to measure and draw angles (a new skill). I also downloaded an interactive lesson on plants. Timothy Littleboots narrates in a great British accent that helped to keep the students' attention during the plant lesson and the interactive activity that followed. For test preparation in any content area, I downloaded a Jeopardy template and a game called Brady's Basketball (Brady is our principal's last name). I have yet to completely figure out the basketball game. It will take some time. It has 67 total pages. Additionally, the students used the laptops and the website Create a Graph to create bar graphs based on Skittle colors...a most enjoyable lesson as the students get to eat the Skittles once their graphs are printed. :)

Impact: With TPACK in mind, I realize that my students' learning could be greatly enriched by incorporating more technology into my teaching. With the small increase in technology usage over the past two weeks, my students are begging for more. In order to move away from the beginning level and more consistently into the developing level, I have 58 student that are ready and willing to be intensely involved in daily usage of technology. Their minds are open and willing.

Intent: I intend to continue to search for websites and activities that use technology as a means to engage the students in the learning process.