Interactive White Boards

We've been working with interactive whiteboards like Promethean and Mimio Boards that essentially do the same thing, but cheaper.  and Boy, they are flashy.  You can do some pretty neat things with them, like create games, interactive class lessons, etc, and their respective websites are full of creative lessons and ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms.  Because that way, people will buy more of them!

Its for your child's future!

I think there's a lot of pressure on teachers to adopt technology in their classes, and that is good, and they should. 

Preferably in a box with a fox, because I'm a hack writer.

But I don't think that Promethean boards, especially at five thousand dollars apiece are a good enough way to do this.  After all, your still just a teacher, teaching at students from a board, the same way they've been doing it for decades, with a much fancier board.  There are better, free-er ways to use technology and collaborate.

Lincoln Elementary Visit

We went as a class to Lincoln Elementary School in Cedar Falls this week, and got to see some example of how technology was being used by the students and teachers there.  My Classmate Katrina Bauer got some great pictures of the trip, check 'em out on her blog.

Also, her Camera apparently only takes pictures of people with souls

It was pretty amazing to see that level of integration in an elementary school.  I was amazed at seeing what sixth graders could do with Google sketch up:  One boy made a complete bar and grill, including a glass front on his building that you could see chairs and tables through.  Yikes. 

How will I defend having a job when there will be hordes of tech-savvy young people everywhere?  I'm going to have to reach Skynet levels of integration just to keep up.  I'm even learning to speak robot.  Apparently, both "Hello," Goodbye," and "Obey," are all the same phrase:  "Beep."