Since posting my last journal, I have had a few discussions with my LSTC about possible project ideas. We both agreed that anything pertaining to the Mimio would be beneficial to the staff at our school. Now that 95% of the teachers at my school are integrating the interactive whiteboard into their lessons, a tutorial site would greatly improve their confidence and usage of technology.
My school has committees that meet on the first Thursday of every month. In August I signed up to be on the technology committee. I am joined by 10 other teachers each morning as we discuss the integration of technology at our school. We are also the first to know of new technologies that are soon to be introduced so that we are able to assist the LSTC in training fellow teachers. Recently, my LSTC asked me if I would lead our Technology committee meeting on October 6th by demonstrating how I use the Mimio in my classroom. I thought that this would be a great lead-in to my semester project. As I plan for my presentation, I will be constantly brainstorming ideas for my semester project.
The Hong, Clinton, and Rieber article frame two of the most important aspects I aim to include in every lesson I teach and my Studio project: interactivity and creativity. I immediately related to the last section of the article, "Enhacing Creativity to Design Creative Interactions". Since I am not very artistic, I sometimes struggle with being creative. I found the tips listed in the seven suggestions to be applicable. Suggestion #1 was a great starting point for me. I need to choose to be creative. I find that I get discouraged when taking on a project that requires artistic ability, so agreeing to be creative will put me on the right path right away.
The fourth suggestion relates to my last journal when I talked about using the IDEO cards. Simply looking at something from a different perspective can develop creative ideas. I will try this when working on my Studio project. Since I am familiar with the Mimio, I'll try using it from the perspective of someone who is not accustomed to the technology. This is definitely an article I will refer back to while working on my project.
Holly
Hong, Y., Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010). Designing creative
interactions for educational multimedia. Submitted for publication.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Journal #2
At the conclusion of my last post, I was in the midst of preparing for a training session with my language arts colleagues that would cover using the toolbars and basic functions of the Mimio Interactive Whiteboard. I feel that the preparations I made were a perfect fit for my audience and that they walked away with a better understanding of the Mimio. My next task is to demonstrate more advanced features of the Mimio such as importing powerpoints and images from the gallery, and navigating the Internet. I would also like to introduce them to screen and video captures by using Jing.
While surveying the comfort levels of my colleagues with using the Mimio during instructional time, I discovered they were less comfortable than I had originally thought. This made me reevaluate my idea for a semester project. I am now leaning more towards creating tutorials for the Mimio. When I found out that most teachers didn't know how to plug in their Mimio, my immediate thought was that I needed to reconsider my semester project.
I found the IDEO Method Cards, that we used in class on September 6th, to be very helpful when considering viewpoints of the client. Specifically, I found the "Fly on the Wall" card to be a great idea for me to try before designing my prototype. Quick observations would allow me to identify the functions of the Mimio that teachers struggle with the most. I could then tailor my tutorials to fit their needs. A "Personal Inventory" would allow my colleagues to share their interests and how they intend on using the technology daily to enhance their lessons. Another card I would use is "Card Sort" to further determine their priorities with using the Mimio.
In the next few days, I hope to solidify my project idea and begin brainstorming about the components and design. First and foremost, my goal is to design a tool that can be used throughout my school to increase technology usage. As always, I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Holly
Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
While surveying the comfort levels of my colleagues with using the Mimio during instructional time, I discovered they were less comfortable than I had originally thought. This made me reevaluate my idea for a semester project. I am now leaning more towards creating tutorials for the Mimio. When I found out that most teachers didn't know how to plug in their Mimio, my immediate thought was that I needed to reconsider my semester project.
I found the IDEO Method Cards, that we used in class on September 6th, to be very helpful when considering viewpoints of the client. Specifically, I found the "Fly on the Wall" card to be a great idea for me to try before designing my prototype. Quick observations would allow me to identify the functions of the Mimio that teachers struggle with the most. I could then tailor my tutorials to fit their needs. A "Personal Inventory" would allow my colleagues to share their interests and how they intend on using the technology daily to enhance their lessons. Another card I would use is "Card Sort" to further determine their priorities with using the Mimio.
In the next few days, I hope to solidify my project idea and begin brainstorming about the components and design. First and foremost, my goal is to design a tool that can be used throughout my school to increase technology usage. As always, I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Holly
Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
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