a look at the past

Having worked in a 1:1 laptop program for six years now, I have used a variety of Microsoft applications to enhance learning in my classroom. My students frequently take notes in Word and Inspiration. I particularly like this program for its flexibility and ease of transfer from web to outline views. I have also taught my students to keep track of their grades with Excel. I have found a number of ways to use Power Point beyond the traditional presentation method. The view slide sorter function opens a number of possibilities for students in manipulating information. See my lesson on the four types of sentences which we then apply to the work of Langston Hughes. This year I am going to use PPT to quiz my students as well.

In December I began using a tablet (Lenovo X41) and was given the task of assessing whether this would be a useful tool for teaching and learning. Trying to incoporate use of a new medium in the middle of the school year was challenging, and so far I have found that the use of the tablet has not significantly increased my effectiveness as a teacher.