More about interactive displays....
According to a press release from Smart Technologies, a study conducted in the UK and Europe during the years 2002-2006 found positive results regarding the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom:
"The following outcomes were among its key findings: interactive whiteboard use results in improved student performance in national tests in English, math and science, compared to student performance without interactive whiteboards; digital content on interactive whiteboards is engaging, motivating, and students pay more attention during lessons; and interactive whiteboard use encourages greater student participation in the classroom."
There are several types of interactive large-screen displays available for use in educational settings, and there are several companies working on large touch-screen displays that could be adapted for use in schools, media centers, and public libraries.
(I prefer large-screen displays/interactive boards that do not rely on an external projector)
Resources:
Link to PDF of full report: "The ICT Impact Report: A Review of Studies of ICT Impact on Schools in Europe" (Anja Balanskat, Roger Blamire, Stella Kefala, European Schoolnet.)
Resource and Research List, "Interactive Whiteboards", from the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
Education World article "Speaking of Electronic Whiteboards?"
Large Display Research Overview from Microsoft Research (PDF)
The following is a partial list of companies that make or sell interactive displays and/or whiteboards:
SmartTechnologies
NextWindow
Promethean
Mimeo
Accenture
NEC
Interwrite
For Teachers:
Lessons and Links for Interactive Whiteboard Classroom Activities
Online interactive whiteboard activities for primary classrooms (from Topmarks Education, UK)
SmartTechnologies lesson activities for the SmartBoard
National Gallery of Art Kids
PBS Kids
National Geographic Kids
NASA Kids
Discovery Kids
Music Tech Teacher (Includes online games and music learning activities)
Flash Music Games
(some games cam be downloaded)
I'll be posting more links on the Interactive Multimedia Technology website soon.
The above link is to my editorial, "Gender Beneath the Surface", posted on the NCWIT blog.
Although women make up half the population, they are under-represented in computer science and related technological fields. If your are interested in issues related to women and technology, the National Center for Women in Information Technology -NCWIT- is a great place to start.
I wrote the post on the day I learned that all of the members of the executive team for Microsoft Surface (Madrid) were male.
(dually posted - techpsych and interactive multimedia technology blogs)
Tango!
According to the Blink Twice website:
"Blink Twice is led by our CEO, Richard Ellenson, a USSAAC board member and advertising industry veteran whose son, Thomas, has cerebral palsy. Wanting to incorporate some of the energetic communication technologies from his industry into the world of speech-generating devices—and drawing from personal experience—Ellenson reached out to many of the world's most well-respected companies. In the past three years, Blink Twice has worked with companies as diverse as frog design, Flextronics, and Nickelodeon to develop new approaches to building communication for youngsters and school-aged children."
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools recently announced that it will be spending $300,000.00 on Fast ForWord software (from Scientific Learning) to support reading and related skills. According to an article in the Charlotte Observer:
"The program is an exercise in neuroscience disguised as a game. Kids see animated figures, for example, and must indicate whether a sound's frequency and pitch is getting higher or lower. Or they play a version of Memory that forces them to match sounds such as bit and pit.
The games slow the speech so kids can succeed initially. As they answer more questions correctly, the difficulty increases. If kids make mistakes, the computer tailors the games to improve weaknesses.
The repetition improves the brain. After eight to 12 weeks, students' reading abilities make an average of at least a year's progress, the software's maker says."
If you are a school psychologist, special educator, speech/language pathologist, reading specialist, teacher, or parent who is familiar with this program, feel free to comment about this on this blog!
I am particularly interested to learn if you are a graduate student doing research in schools using Fast ForWord. What do you think? How does this method compare with other methods?
(Note: I do not own Fast ForWord software- - and I'm not affiliated with Scientific Learning. )
According to the GLEF's Edutopia website, "our experience has shown that the most successful schools share many common traits. Here, you'll be able to learn more about these key elements and discover how specific schools have put theory into practice. You'll also find a wealth of resources to assist you in your efforts to transform schools"
Edutopia's grant Information page has links to a wide range of organizations that offer technology and related grants to educational institutions. Many of these grants have early deadlines, so if your school's team is interested in looking at these resources, start as soon as you can. Keep in mind that the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) is not a grant- offering organization. It is a great on-line resource for educators.
