Brief description of your project
The “Engage-Me-Elmo” Project will enhance, enrich, and expand, the second grade curriculum with interactive, project-based, collaborative, “hands-on” learning. Purchasing two ELMO™’s (digital overhead projectors, often called document cameras) to be used by second grade teachers will afford the digital natives of today (our students) an improved teaching and learning experience – as the impact of this technology will allow teachers the opportunity to engage students in interactive learning across all subject the educational curriculum inexperiences needed to engage them in the learning process.
The goal of this project is to offer second grade students the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to become successful learners and ultimately productive members of our global society. As a result of the Engage me Elmo project, teachers and students will use the digital projector (ELMO™) across the curriculum to:
· Display, reflect upon, manipulate, and/or revise any paper, book, 3-D object, pictures – including moving pictures, and student-work,
· Showcase scientific processes, predictions, procedures, and findings.
· Model and share effective use of Writing Traits, Thinking Maps, learning and problem solving strategies.
· Collectively reflect upon and modify student-work (Either teacher or student-led).
· Students will work with use the projector in to manipulate 3-D objects, showcase their predictions, processes, findings, showcases their creations, share learning strategies,
· Create and share lesson plans during grade level meetings (which will be housed on the school server.
Timeline:
October 2009: Unpack, Set-Up Elmo ™, put on Cart, and meet with second grade teachers to discuss check-out procedure. Attend Grade Level Meetings to in-service teachers on initial uses. Sample Lesson Plans will be distributed and teachers will share their ideas.
November 2009: The Computer teacher will conduct 1-2 model lessons in all second grade rooms where teachers need support in implementing ELMO technology.
December 2009-August 2010: The Elmo technology will be used throughout the second grade classrooms. Lesson plan ideas will be created and distributed via the Interact Conference and the school server.
This equipment will be used across the curriculum for a variety of purposes. It will prevent the needless act of copying, as any paper can be projected onto the screen. Another important feature will allow the manipulation of data in any form to be used to keep materials interactive and students engaged. Any manipulative could be placed under the Elmo to allow all students to visually see and manipulate as an entire group. Ideas for cross curricular implementation include: calendar activities, sharing student writing samples that can be edited by the class and then used for publishing student books, interactive math activities, word sorts, categorizing parts of speech, spelling practice, connecting with literature, and thinking maps.
By using the technology of an Elmo and a projector, students and teachers can collectively discuss and manipulate data about authentic learning experiences while completing shared writing practices. Students will develop writing skills while expanding on higher level content. These pieces of technology will allow students to organize information while being supported by the teacher and provide opportunities for the students to develop expertise in all aspects of the curriculum. They will collaborate with their peers to reflect upon and revise their own work. They will share strategies and manipulate objects to enhance and expand the curriculum. The teacher and students will collectively discuss the findings, data and information that were recorded by the students. Students can collectively discuss, write and edit these experiences as a whole group. Not only does this make the student notebook valuable, it also will allow more opportunities to integrate technology into the curriculum. This entire process, although meaningful to all students, will be exceptionally beneficial to struggling readers and writers as well as second language learners who benefit from the visuals that this type of technology will afford them.
The project can be used again…
collaborating with their peers, not only showcasing their work, but working collectively with their
in an interactive environment, and participating in project-based, learning. An Elmo is a digital overhead projector that supports teaching and learning b
This project will bring 2nd and stand up in front of a classroom to deliver information or expect that students work only individually to research using hard copy research p
Presenting the information and findings of a scientific experience is an important process that is often left out of the science curriculum. Students are given the experiences of the science content, but are not given the platform on which to build upon these experiences and to share the data that they have collected. science content, present their findings, state their conjectures and understandings, chart their questions, and provide for opportunities that will support students in both reading and writing strategies.
One of the many uses of this equipment would be to have the students complete an authentic scientific experience. Upon completion, students will use their science notebooks to reflect on their experience and record their findings individually. After this process has taken place, student notebooks can be placed under the Elmo and then projected onto the board. By allowing the students to share their experiences through the use of their notebooks, they are being given a platform in which they can present their findings as well as state their conjectures and understandings. Misconceptions can also be discussed through this process. Questions and observations can be charted and referred back to easily to promote inquiry experiences.
The cart will allow the portability for sharing with other classrooms. This is the type of equipment that is needed to reach the learners of the twenty- first centaury. It is very visual, allows for the hands on opportunities as well as engagement that our students so desperately need in order to succeed.
