Mirroring Displays

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Having trouble getting your SMART Board to mirror your laptop/computer screen? Doing this will allow you to remotely control what is displayed on the board and allows a teacher to control the flow of a lesson while students interact with the board for specific activities. It’s easy!

Windows computer: Go to the start menu and select “control panel.”  From there click the tab that says “screen resolution” and check the box that either says “multiple displays” or “mirror display”. Hit apply!

Mac: Find your system preferences by clicking on the Apple icon at the top left of your screen. Select “displays” then, “arrangement” and check the box for “mirror displays”.

VTC Classroom

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Virtual Field Trips? Guest lecturers from France? International debates hosted in your classroom? It is no secret that audio visual technology has long been seen as a cornerstone in helping to run a 21st century school. But beyond PA systems and overhead projectors there is the world of much more far reaching technologies that will enrich learning experiences and help better prepare students for opportunities that arise later in life. This month, Presentation Products shines the spotlight on Video Tele Conference systems (VTC) and shows how they are being used in New York City Classrooms today.

Access to technology has become a right more than a privilege in today’s classrooms, and in our schools, students suffer when they are not exposed to the latest forms of communication and education technology. Organizations like Global Nomads Group, a New York based non-profit which helps schools build curriculums that incorporate the far reaches of the virtual classroom into the school day have been pushing for the use of this technology in our schools for years. In the 15 years since their birth, GNG has helped to connect more than one million students around the globe through the use of video conferencing technology. GNG primarily works to set up platforms for students to discuss global issues across national borders. Weeks after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, they linked a classroom in Port-au-Prince with a high school in New Orleans to discuss frightening times and the poetics of hope together.

Video conferencing is effective because when integrated into the classroom correctly, it provides schools with access to an endless source of professionals and collaborators who can help to engage students in ongoing lessons and assignments. Typical systems consist of an HD camera and connection to the internet through either a dedicated VTC server or a secure hosting application. Video-conferencing can be an exciting solution for your school! Contact our Account Managers today about designing a custom system for you!

 

Flipping Your Classroom

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The Flipped Learning Network is growing. Across the Untied States and around the world, teachers are adopting “reverse learning” techniques to reach more students during the school day. In order to be successful with this model, teachers must understand how to make learning resources available to their students after 3:00 pm. It’s easy to create lectures using SMART Notebook software, which allows you to record voice and computer activity and post videos for students to access from home.

SMART understands the needs of teachers using this model and can help you get more out of your flipped classroom. In case you haven’t heard of it before, the Flipped Classroom is a teaching model in which the typical lecture and homework sections of a course are reversed so that students get introduced to new concepts through videos watched at home, and come into class the next day prepared to work together on projects, practice new material through problem sets, and engage in more two-way discussions with each other and instructors during class time. In the basic workflow, teachers begin by creating short videos (15 minutes or less) with screen-casts and voice guidance. These videos are then posted online so that students can access them on their own time and at home. Having students watch lectures at home helps to develop a more student centered classroom, where class-time can be used to encourage learning through engagement and develop new concepts with related activities. SMART Notebook Software allows you to prepare all of this for your classroom.

There are plenty of opportunities to learn more about best practices with the flipped classroom. The recently launchedFlipped Learning Network, is a valuable resource/community for teachers looking to improve upon the model. Jonathon Bergmann and Aaron Sams have also written a guide to flipped learning, called Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. Here is a video of Aaron Sams explaining his experience with the Flipped Classroom.  You can also invest to improve your lessons with the help of PPI SMART Trainings. Learn how to use technology to flip your classroom and have your questions answered by our SMART Trainers. Email us today and mention the promotional code WB13 to set up a training in your school or in our dedicated training room.

SMART amp

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In late November, SMART announced a partnership with Google which will utilize Google’s Cloud Platform to improve the reaches of collaborative education. Teachers and students will be able to log in to SMART amp software with their Google username and share lesson materials from any device with internet access. This could be the answer to setting up a consistent experience for teachers and their students. Stay updated as more news is announced about SMART amp and stay in touch for information on training from Presentation Products’ SMART Trainers and Google Educators.