Ms. Little reviews area and perimeter with Smart Response Pads

Integrating technology into classroom instruction can provide instant feedback on student’s understanding and help teachers make informed instructional decisions. Blair Little uses Smart Response Pads to quickly assess her students understanding of math concepts. She immediately knows where their understanding is weak and can adjust her teaching to address student needs. She can tell immediately if her students are ready to move on or need more practice with a specific concept. She can also determine specific students who may need more help. This allows her to adjust instruction as she is teaching to effectively meet her students learning needs.

A 4th grade "teacher" with the Interactive Quilt

4th grade students at Science Hall created a Texas Museum for the rest of the school to enjoy. The 4th graders were museum docents, sharing information about Native Americans, plants & animals, early explorers, the Civil War, and the Alamo. All grade levels were able to travel from room to room and ask questions and watch presentations on the different areas. The students enjoyed all the authentic artifacts, dress, and even food provided at the exhibits. In Mrs. Evans’ room the students created an Interactive Quilt to use on the Smart Board. One side of the quilt square had a picture and the other had information about the person. It was great to see students using the Smart Board and learning about the Civil War.

A first grader at Elm Grove uses the Smart Board in the Library

A Smart Board was recently mounted in the Elm Grove library.  Librarian Mark Weems and Library Tech Karan Ratliff have been using the interactive white board with their classes and the kids couldn’t be more excited to jump up and participate in the lesson.  The photo above was captured during a first grade lesson in which the kids were asked to help “dress the naked mole rat”.  The game is based on a character in Mo Willems book, “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed”.

A third grade student practices reflective symmetry.

Four of the six grade levels featured digital math activities using SmartBoards and Mimios at KES’s Family Math night. Students clustered around waiting their turn to play math games and to show their parents the technology tools they use in class to help them learn math. Fifth grade demonstrated how to use the Mimio Interactive white board device. Both Ms. Cannon and Ms. Little use a Mimio as an instructional tool. Students practiced identifying odd and even numbers as well as division in a fast paced game format. Fourth grade students used the SmartBoard to identify  multiples of ten. Third grade students practiced identifying lines of symmetry using an interactive website on their SmartBoard. Place value was the math topic 2nd grade students demonstrated. Using interactive place value blocks, students built numbers on a place value chart and wrote the number they constructed in digital ink. These devices have greatly enhanced instruction by providing additional tools that increase interactivty and motivation to learn.

Mrs. Sweet’s class at Buda Elementary learned about homophones in their Daily 5 lesson by using the Smart Board. The kids were able to do a hands-on interactive activity choosing the correct spelling of words that sound just alike. So we “know” that when we say “no” to a “hare“, that we are not talking about our “hair“.

Using the interactive SmartBoard in Mrs. Sweets Buda ES class.