ACT Honors’ Classroom Presentation Short Outline

History of the Advanced Classroom Technology Laboratory (ACT)

·  Originally built as a student study room - library style study carrels (spelling)

·  Students weren’t using the room - studied in informal groups in the hallways grouped around a laptop computer.

·  Decided to reconfigure the room to a computer lab- no need for another lab since there were 24 hours labs in the business building, etc.

·  Moved the 4 computers to another area of the honors building

·  Decided room would become a next generation master classroom.

·  Thunder system Bleeding edge not cutting edge – ($100,000) (Room $285,000)

·  Plasma screens were recycled from another project.

Overview of the Capabilities of the ACT

Provide a means for different learning and teaching styles

·  Active learning - They must read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems

·  Collaborative learning – broadly defined as “two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together.”

·  Problem-based learning - (PBL) is focused, experiential learning (minds-on, hands-on) organized around the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems.… PBL curriculum provides authentic experiences that foster active learning, support knowledge construction, and naturally integrate school learning and real life; this curriculum approach also addresses state and national standards and integrates disciplines.…

Room Layout

The room layout is easily reconfigurable.

  1. Short lecture - chairs facing the front of the room – teachable moment – student bring up resource on plasma – display for class.
  2. Small groups around the plasma displays. One student hooks up tablet PC to the plasma display for group display.
  3. Plasmas projected to front screen at end of group activity
  4. Large group discussion – chairs in one big circle.

Lighting / Window Shade Controls

Back of room and Centron

Walk and Talk Teacher Station

Uses the Central projector.

·  PowerPoint - Annotations

·  Pen / Remote control – change slides, mouse functions, pen functions is good at using pointer. / PC

·  Alt + Tab

·  Save Annotations

·  Personal Laptop – at least 24 hour lead-time.

·  DVD – annotate

·  Visual Presenter / Doc Camera

·  Plasma Monitors – ask volunteers to bring up websites – write on tablet, etc.

Tablet PC’s

Set up what each tablet PC is displaying
Example:

  1. Tablet 1 – Excel spreadsheet – Groups can use spreadsheets to show results of scenarios. Develop calculators that will display the results.
  2. Tablet 2 – Word document (sample computers and technology)
  3. Tablet 3 – Open the Windows Journal and write something with the pen.
  4. Tablet 4 – Open a web page – Ask someone to bring up a web site that they use often in their classes.
  5. Have students each do a PowerPoint presentation from the side plasma displays – bring the plasma displays up front during the presentation.
  6. Talk about the Tablet PCs and what you can do with them that cannot easily be done with normal desktop or laptop computers.

Podcasting

Audio / Video Recording

iPods

Thunder / Electronic Flip Chart

·  electronic pen or finger

·  Multiple pages are “posted” – projected or not projected – onto the wall /

·  Portrait (6 pages) or Landscape (3 pages)

·  Pages are saved in PDF format

·  Scanning / annotate

·  real-time video (no audio) / annotate

Combine Walk and Talk with Thunder

Remove pages 2, 3, and 4 from Thunder – toggle pick mute central projector

Process for Scheduling a Class/Course

Stress that training will be required prior to use of the room

Spring email should describe how the room’s equipment will be used (pedagogically)

As of summer - guidelines will be posted on the web; go over basics

·  Spring 2007

o  Pilot group of faculty

o  Per class basis

o  Send email to

·  Summer 2007 and continuing

o  Proposal basis

o  Call for proposals will go out mid-preceding semester

o  Evaluation done by the ITDC

Wrap-up / Conclusions / Questions and Answers

·  Go back over objective

·  Sum up the discussion

·  Q&A