DIY document Cam

I have recently come across this little gem from Kevin Honeycutt.

 I was intrigued by the idea and thought I'd give it all a go.
I use ShowMe and Educreations as part of my maths programme anyway but I liked the potential for manipulation of materials using this technique. I was also able to have multiple children interacting with the same piece of work at the same time. Here is the first lesson my children and I created.

This is my group that really benefits from repetition and materials. Having videos to refer to has been a tool that I have used all year but this is stepping it up a little for me. Video and maths are made for each other. I am able to see where exactly my group stands in terms of using a strategy, if they are ready to move on or if they need more support. I also like the fact that the children can always go back and check to see if they are on the right track. New learning is available to them at all times.

Here is what one of my groups came up with today.

Thank you Kevin for your awesome idea!

Student teacher

Over the past 5 weeks I have had the pleasure of having a student teacher in my class. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as I was able to watch this passionate young woman grow and develop before my eyes. I found her company refreshing and that her presence made me think about my own teaching. She was receptive, intuitive and I found her a great support in my classroom.
What I found interesting though was how unprepared she was for how technology is being is used in the classroom. It wasn't even mentioned so far in her university studies. I introduced her to Google Drive and how I use it in the classroom. She was blown away and was quick to utilise this tool in her own learning. We created a shared folder in which we created all our collaborative files. Our next learning curb was the Interactive White Board. She had seen one used before but had never had a chance to use one herself. We used pixlr.com/editor to edit images, iPods to write, cameras, educreations, wikispaces, GoogleSites, youtube ...
I didn't really think I was doing anything out of the ordinary in my room but apparently I am. I'm surprised that some of these things aren't shared at uni. With the use of social media (facebook/twitter) why not give students access to hat is happening in classrooms on a daily basis. Let them see the kind of teaching that is happening in our schools. I think it's a huge shock for students when they come into a school which heavily bases its practice on the eLearning model. eLearning is SOOO far from the way these young people are being taught, how are they expected to cope in the current education environment? It will change again by the time they're in the work force! It's scary enough as it is when you are left in your classroom for the very first time, in charge of your very own children.
I think I was lucky to start teaching when I did, as classrooms were not too far from what I remember as a child. Technology in classrooms was something that was being developed but it was in the beginning stages. I had time to work out what kind of teacher I wanted to be before I started to venture into this weird and wonderful world of eLearning.
So I guess what I wanted to say in this post is... university needs to prepare these students for the reality of what happens in the classroom (as interesting as history and politics are). I'm not saying that theory is not important but there should be emphasis on eLearning as well.
And if uni isn't prepared to do something, then my fellow educators, it's up to us!