IWB

An interactive whiteboard (IWB), is a large interactive display that connects to a computer.

A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or floor stand.

They are used in a variety of settings, including classrooms at all levels of education, in corporate board rooms and work groups, in training rooms for professional sports coaching, in broadcasting studios, and others.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_whiteboard

  

 

 

We learned about interactive whiteboard  in TECH2108  course (Educational Technology for Children). I was interested to know about IWB because I heard  about it before generally ,I would like to  know how it work and how the teachers use it in their classes. After we took the theoretical class about interactive whiteboard we took the  practical class in active inspire program . then the instructor asked us to design a lesson for kids using active inspire and present in the class by using IWB . I really liked this experience and I think that it is useful way  to teach children by using technology because interactive whiteboard allows children to be more focused and engaged .
 

I trained in child care center ( CCC ) in SQU and I noticed that teachers use different ways in teaching ,however they do not apply technology in their teaching . after I knew about the technology of the interactive whiteboard I suggested for them to have it and use it in group activities . It will be effective for children because as you know children prefer using technology so they will be more active.

 

 

Also in the government  schools the ministry of education applies  the interactive whiteboard in one school in Oman which is Thuriya AL-Busaidi school in Muscat . I asked a teacher in this school about the advantages of this technology .she said that she is very happy that the ministry of education has chosen her school to apply this new technology . she added that education becomes more effective when they use interactive whiteboard . also she said the students concentrated on the lesson more than before because they participate with the teachers in teaching. also I asked my sister who is a student in grade nine in this school about how she benefits from interactive whiteboard in her school ,she said that the teachers always ask students to do their presentation using active inspire program and that allows her to be like a little teacher .

These are some examples of Thuriya AL-Busaidi teachers lessons:

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_MX8e9xDPZfbUREbGVIQXVYaTA/edit?usp=sharing

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_MX8e9xDPZfTXI2enFVVkpuODA/edit?usp=sharing

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_MX8e9xDPZfclFGZFNOZ0lMYU0/edit?usp=sharing

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_MX8e9xDPZfYXp5SkEwR3Y5MWs/edit?usp=sharing

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_MX8e9xDPZfTjJld3pBRy1uUUU/edit?usp=sharing

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_MX8e9xDPZfTjJld3pBRy1uUUU/edit?usp=sharing

 

when I sow the lessons I notice that the teachers don't have much knowledge of using active inspire program ,so I suggest to do a workshop for the teachers who work inThuriya AL-Busaidi school to teach them how to use active inspire program . 


To know more about IWB :

 

   

 

 

Supporting Teaching By Creating Presentations

 

Presentation is a way of communication  that aims to introduce information  in different ways. There are many programs that you can use to create a presentation such as : PowerPoint ,prize  ,zoho show  and ….Ext. 

we learned how to design  effective PowerPoint presentation in TECH2108  course ( Educational Technology for Children ). It should be :   Clear, Readable : Look at it from 2 meters away ,Simple : not too many  font  and  colors and the 6 x 7 rule :  No more than 6 lines per slid and No more than 7 words per line .

 

 

 

To create an interesting presentation you should take in your mind that your presentation include that points .

Most teachers use a presentation to deliver the contact to the students . Only a few of them have the skills of a good presenter . A good presenter should speak loudly and clearly, maintain eye contact with audience, don’t read the slides word-for-word, use them for reference and leave time for questions .

In my experience I noticed that some teachers in the university  presented their presentation without any interaction with the students . I remember one teacher who taught me when I was in my  third year he read the slides word-for-word . we feel bored because there is no discussion and communication in the lecture . Also the slide had too many lines and it was difficult for the students to read what was written especially for those students who cannot see clearly.

 

 

 

I suggested to do a workshops for the teachers in SQU to teach them how to design  effective presentations . It is very important for the teachers to know how to present their presentation and create a good presentation because if they don’t have this knowledge that will affect the learning and the students will not benefit from the lectures.

In my opinion ,using presentation for teaching is an effective way ,but not with children because children learn by doing . they learn by do the activities that the teacher prepare for them . On the other hand we can use the presentation for children once a week to show them video and pictures of the topic that they learned about .

 

 

In this like you will find 12 tips for creating better PowerPoint presentations :

 

http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/skills/presentations.aspx#fbid=dn70D3_gVpa

 

 

 

Technology in Education

In the past, learning and education simply meant face-to-face lectures, reading books or printed handouts, taking notes and completing assignments generally in the form of answering questions or writing essays. In short; education, learning and teaching were considered impossible without a teacher, books and chalkboards. Today, education and training have taken on a whole new meaning. Computers are an essential part of every classroom and teachers are using DVDs, CD-ROMs and videos to show students how things work and operate. Students can interact with the subject matters through the use of such web based tools and CD-ROMs. Moreover, each student can progress at his/her own pace. 

Technology in Education



  

Research has shown , that students learn best when they are engaged. Through the use of technology, students can become active participants 

Using technology in education is very important to enhance learning . so it’s easier for the students to acquire the  knowledge by using the methods that are closer to daily life .The methods that can be used are :

• Visual aids, whether PowerPoint or Flash movies or even
• The use of education in ways podcast
• Use Blogs
• Use the online search
• Create a group on BlackBerry,Viber and WhatsApp devices
• The use of digital messages
• Sound recordings

 

 

 

I personally agree  with the idea of using technology in education .When I was in the school the teachers taught  us the lessons just by spoken explanation without using technology and that was traditional way of teaching .students need to be active by participating with the teacher . It will be better if the ministry of education applies interactive whiteboard in all schools in Oman to enhance learning. In the university the teachers use the technology in education for example: they create PowerPoint presentation, send for the students lectures notes by e-mail and some courses use interactive whiteboard ….Ext. In conclusion  , I think education system in the university is better than in schools in using technology .

 

How is Technology Transforming Education? :

 

 

 

for more information about this topic :

 

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED498562&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED498562

 

 http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED426051&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED426051

 

 

 

The importance of cyber safety

 

Cyber violence and the antidote of cyber safety are fast becoming a global concern for governments, educational authorities, teachers, parents and children alike.

A range of harmful activities through the use of Information and Communication

technologies fall under the term of cyber violence (i.e. hate-speech, threats, stalking,

harassment, sexual remarks, vulgar language and cyber bullying). The work of Herring.

 

We discussed this issue in TECH2108  course (Educational Technology for Children) . the instructor asked us to make groups in WhatsApp and discuss this issue . I interested in the discussion and I benefited from their opinions about cyber safety . we said that nowadays parents give their children freedom to use internet without any supervision . That is the basic reason  why children exposed to Cyber violence .  on the other hand we discussed the reasons why adult hurt children through internet . We reached the following reasons :

. some people do not have ethics.

. They want to steel money from kids by visa.

 

 

  Also we discussed the problems that children faced when they use internet  for example:

   Herring (2002) had identified four different forms of cyber violence: online

  contact/ off line harm, cyber stalking, degradation and harassment. Online contact that

  leads to off line harms is signified by one person aiming to gain the trust of another in

  order to abuse them in real life, either physically, sexually or financially.

 

we discussed  the role of the parents and teachers in protecting children from cyber abuse. We  think that parent should monitor their children and give them a limited time when they use internet.   Also teachers should advise their students about the problems that may face in using internet.

 According to Ria Hanewald in his article about “Confronting the Pedagogical Challenge of Cyber Safety in 2008” he said we  need to design cyber violence prevention programs for parents and children.

 

I agree with him because parents need a solution to protect their children from cyber violence, so we can solve the problem.

 

see the video to know the solutions for the parents :

                    

for more information about Cyber Safety :

 

 http://www.identity-theft-scout.com/cyber-safety.html

a story about cyber bulling :

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ42Jwg6GhY

 

 

Digital Storytelling

 

       “Digital storytelling is the process of writing about a story, and adding the multimedia elements of voice, imagery, and music to create a visual story”

 

We learned about digital storytelling in TECH2108  course (Educational Technology for Children) . We have taken this topic in two parts. The first part is the theoretical part and the second part is the practical part. In the first part we learned about the meaning of Digital storytelling, why do we use Digital storytelling , The Steps in Creating a DigiDoc  and how do we assess a Digital Story . In the second part we learned how do we create storytelling by using moviemaker programme.

 

 In the theoretical classes the instructor showed us a video about Digital storytelling. The video was like a silent story with classic music and short messages. I like the idea how to say the message of smile by using storytelling. We were interested in watching the video and learning a lesson in life.

 

 - If you are  interested to watch the  video this is the link :

 

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTVyl_VxRMs

 

My personal experience : when we used moviemaker program in practical class I thought that is easy to use it for storytelling .Then I realized that it is not easy to create  storytelling by using such program because first you should think for the events of the story , the purpose of it  and you should look for pictures that are related to the story .all these steps need too much time .Me and my group spent one hour thinking and collecting pictures in the class then we created a short story for kids .

 

 I liked this topic and I think that it is very important to use digital storytelling as a way of teaching especially when we teach children because as –Confucius says :

 

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

Confucius

I strongly agree with him . according to his say students remember when they see ,so it is good to apply this technic in teaching children .  

 

We learn. . .

•         10% of what we  READ

•         20% of what we  HEAR

•         30% of what we  SEE

•         40% of what we both SEE and HEAR

•         70% of what is DISCUSSED with others

•         80% of what we EXPERIENCE personally

•         95% of what we TEACH someone else

William Glasser

So as we notice that storytelling plays an important role in leanring because it takes 40% of the learning rate.

 

 

Alice Program :

 

In contrast to the large number of people who use computers and computer programs in their daily lives, relatively few learn to create their own computer programs. Storytelling Alice is a programming environment that motivate a broad spectrum of teachers to create short 3D animated movies and use it when they teach children to give the information to the kids in effective way.

On the other hand Alice allows older students to immediately see how their animation programs run, enabling them to easily understand the relationship between the programming statements and the behavior of objects in their animation. By manipulating the objects in their virtual world, students gain experience with all the programming constructs typically taught in an introductory programming course.

To enable and encourage users to create animated stories, Storytelling Alice includes:

1. High-level animations that enable users to program social interactions between characters.

2. A story-based tutorial that introduces users to programming through building a story.

3. A gallery of 3D characters and scenery with custom animations designed to spark story ideas.

 

I attended  a workshop in SQU  Education College about Alice program . Digital Hands team introduced the course on 9-11/March/2013 presented by Asia AL-Sulimani.She is a student from Learning Technologies Department . She showed  us some animated movies that she created by herself using this program . she took the story from English book for grade one. I really interested in this course and I learned how to create storytelling by using Alice program . I will use this program in the future when I work with young children.

 

If you are interested in watching Asia AL-Sulimani’s movie:  

 

 

For more information about this program :

 

http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=what_is_alice/what_is_alice