Terrific trio for Today's education
Technology helps deliver content like never before! It makes communication and collaboration more effective, in or outside of the classroom.
Teaching tools, such as:
Promethean Boards and ActivPanels: These interactive learning systems allow teachers and students to collaborate, connect and share ideas via multi-touch interactivity, HD viewing, dry-erase writing or touch technology.
Swivls: Swiveling video cameras follow classroom activities, recording images and sounds during lessons to be used later for reviewing or sharing with other learners.
Double Robotics: This technology connects classrooms across the country and around the world to share language, lessons.
Justands: These specially designed stands mount high-tech equipment from iPads to Swivels and other tools for easy operation by students and teachers alike.
CIW Certification: This set of industry-standard computer lessons provides web technology education and certification as students gain unique understanding of Internet business, data networking and website design, all critical for many of today’s careers.
Wow!
Each of these innovations brings education into the 21st century without replacing educators. Classrooms equipped with such high-tech tools still need teachers trained in using them to direct learning effectively. That’s why West Michigan distributor Aim Up provides extensive staff training with each product sold to schools, colleges or universities.
Classrooms equipped with today’s technical marvels need teachers well-trained in technology to lead students in the right direction.
Left to their own devices, most young people are likely to migrate to fun and games. Rather than using technology to acquaint themselves with art, literature, math, science, history, geography, social studies, languages and culture, most would be content to wander aimlessly over the internet until settling on a few popular games suggested by their peers.
Trained teachers use technology to tap into incredible resources
Teachers trained to use technology to their students’ advantage open a universe of learning never before available. Let’s say a classroom contains a robot for communicating with other students at their grade level around the world. With the help of a trained teacher, students can actually sit in on lessons on all continents. Whether they choose Europe, Africa or South America, they can pose questions to far-away teachers and students that:
- Piggy-back on geography lessons.
- Reinforce foreign language studies.
- Satisfy curiosity on cultural trends such as music, dance or customs.
- Find out what students in other countries are learning in math or science.
- See for themselves which subjects are critical in other countries of the world.
Along with training in the use of technical tools, educators who purchase equipment from Aim Up also receive a portfolio of ideas on how to facilitate lessons in every subject. A typical lesson plan might look something like this:
Step 1: Ask students to make a list of everything they have already learned about a specific subject they’ve studied, read about in a story or saw online, in video or smart board.
Step 2: Have students add questions they’d like to ask about the subject. If they’re studying a country, for example, encourage their curiosity about fads, fashions or foods, along with questions on economics, government, country leaders, jobs, careers, etc.
Step 3: Use their robot to connect with students in an actual classroom somewhere in the world where same-level peers can see and talk to them.
Step 4: Let students take turns asking questions via Double Robots, while their classmates takes notes to discuss later.
Step 5: Use a Swivl to record the session to share with other classrooms or to review for retention. Recording lessons reinforces learning and promotes classroom discussion.
Step 6: Expand knowledge further. Go to a Promethean board to bring up facts and photos about each subject, or to actually experience related music, culture, history, etc.
This outline is just one of many examples of how teachers can use technology to make lessons real, vibrant and memorable. For further details, check out www.aim-up.com. For live demonstrations, purchasing plans or info on training educators to use these tools, call Carlos Valladares at Aim Up at 616.347.6300. Or email him at carlosv@aim-up.com. ___________________________________________________________________________
Article written for Aim Up by Susan K Maciak, Business Consultant. For permission to reprint or quote from this article: Contact service@aim-up.com
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