Using Elmo During the Black History Month School Celebration

ELMO is cool!!!!! Our school celebrates Black History Month basically by making the children visit the different centers the teachers prepared. My students visited the following centers: Madam CJ Walker, astronaut center, and inventions.

Maximizing the historical opportunity of Barack Obama’s election as the first black President, my buddy class and I prepared a Barack Obama center. Using my Elmo, one of the major activity in our center was giving each child an opportunity to pretend to be Barack Obama. Using the Elmo, the excited “young Barack Obamas” looked at the screen projecting what the Elmo captured. It was an awesome experience watching the children do this activity. I’m very thankful for having been given the opportunity to use this technology equipment in a meaningful celebration of the Black History month.

Children reactions to document camera

I am loving the document camera! I have been using it almost every day. I love the way that I can show so many more whole group lessons. The children are still trying to get used to the fact that I am teaching from behind them but they are adjusting. The children often want to turn around and look at me and the document camera instead of looking directly at the screen. They love the document camera so much that they all want a turn to do something at the document camera.

Our Teachers

Ms joy and Ms. Ronlyn,
I want to thank you for being so patience with me during trainintg. becuase it takes a lot of patience to teach any way but adults are the worst. You had a lesson plan, you power point were large enough that we could read it. When you are learning something new many things won't stick in the my especially when you teaching teachers who want to become computer literate. After all we are digital divide.

ELMO Training

Today was the first “formal” STEP training we had, with Ms. Joy and Ms. Ronlyn. We got our first equipment – the ELMO! An ELMO produces document camera output with the use of a projector. It also allows one to capture and zoom in on images from the internet. I couldn’t wait to use this in my classroom!

January 24, 2009
I created a photo story at home today. I found this program to be very easy compared to PowerPoint. I also tried adding my own music which I found I had to really time it to get it to play with all of my photos.

Prior to using the ELMO document camera, I showed the children a thermometer. I tried to show the children how the mercury would rise and fall depending on how hot or cold the water was. I saw first hand today how frustrating it is for the children to see something in a whole group setting that is so small. When presenting the lesson again using the ELMO, the children were so excited and remained on task for a longer period of time because everyone could see the mercury rise and fall at the same time.

Digital Camera

January 22, 2009
In class today we received our digital cameras and learned all of the functions, which I have never used before on my own camera. Honestly, I never even paid attention to them. I snap and go and zoom in and out when necessary.

Sharing ELMO with team

I am so proud of myself! We had a team meeting this morning and one of the agenda items was to place a new student. The team leader usually shares the test scores and other information on this new student verbally as she reads it from the form she's been provided. I volunteered my ELMO so the team could see the information visually. It was definitely a more effective and efficient way to share this information.

Blogging, Blogging, Blogging

I've blogged but it seemed to disappear 'somewhere' on the internet. I made the mistake of setting up my blog under my personal g-mail account, and I could not seem to figure out how to put my blogs onto the blog that my STEP partners were using. So I just saved my blogs in a word document.

Confusing, to say the least, this 'blogging'.

Work Session

Today we had a worksession for our Document Camera. I was glad to have this work session because it forced me to sit down and work on my document camera portfolio. I don't know who loved the document camera more, me or the kids. The children love to see themselves on the screen, especially when they are dancing. In addition to working on my document camera portfolio, I learned about the Flaming Text website and how to upload the title pages. Just when I thought I knew a lot about technology I am quickly reminded that that there is still so much more to learn.

The Elmo

This tool for the classroom has be such a godsend . Now I can readtto my students and focus on pictures that I would like for them to comprehend. It is so much better than your overhead projector it is compact. I am going to use it with small books and when I am doing some hands on activities.

Elmo

I’m really loving the ELMO! The increase in the children’s attention was immediate! It is such a great way to read a story so that everyone can see and everyone is focused. Since the first time I used it in class, I keep it set up, ready to go. I find that many of the activities I do during Meeting time (e.g. matching pictures or objects; using picture symbols, etc) can be done on the ELMO and projected on the screen. I’m looking forward to incorporating more technology during Opening and Meeting.