VIDEO REVIEWS!
Brain Pop
Before this class, I had been exposed to Brain Pop. The teacher I interned with loved using it with the class as a whole. Brain Pop is an interactive website with various video clips, games, activities and more to engage students in learning about a particular subject. With a teacher account, one can have access to the many different sub-topics within each general subject such as math or science. A teacher can use this site to help kids better understand a concept with a video clip, engage them in an online or printable activity, or quiz them on the topic. There aren't many negatives to Brain Pop, however, if your district does not provide you with an account for it, then you will be missing out on many of the exclusive sub-topics. Also, if the topic is very specific, it may not be available on the website. There is also the ever present problem of no Internet access. However, overall, Brain Pop is an excellent way to add variety into the students' learning. |
Smart Notebook
Smart Board is a growing phenomena that is taking over classrooms across the nation. Smart Notebook is a software that corresponds with the Smart Board. This technology allows teachers to have a new medium besides the old school chalk board to create lessons. Teachers can type, include pictures and videos, and use special effects to make the lesson interactive and exciting. Some benefits of this program include the ability to write on the Smart Board. This allows children to come up and be engaged in the lesson. Also, there are many subject sensitive features that could be utilized to help the students learn. For example, there is graph paper, rulers and protractors that could help with a math lesson. Some drawbacks, however, include the fact that the classroom needs to have a Smart Board to fully utilize the program. These are very costly and some schools may not have them. In addition, there could be bugs that do not allow the program or board to work, hindering the teacher's ability to teach that lesson. If these problems don't exist, I would highly recommend this technology to teachers. |