Wow! I was exposed to a great deal of fantastic information today! For most part of the day, I cruised the exhibit area. I talked with a multitude of exhibitors and represenatives. Some of the booths that provided me with extremely useful information included the Department of Education, represenatives from Tom Syder Products, the Qwizdom exhibit, and the Lintor Publishing exhibit.
This fall, my brother, sister, and mother will all be attended colleges and universities. The department of education provided me with information that will be useful in obtaining the necessary finances to fund their educations. I was also able to gather contact information relating to getting funding or assistance in supplying my classroom/school with additional computer. I look forward to informing you all whenever I get the computers at my school in Paulding County, GA!!!!
Tom Syder Products conducted presentations every 20 minutes. I sat through several of the and was truly amazed! Some of the presenations that I experienced wer the The Graph Club 2.0, The Neighborhood Map Machine, and Reading for Meaning. This products address mostly elementary and middle grade needs across all subject areas. They are vividly animated and provide interaction with students in a variety of methods. Students benefit from pre-formated lessons or lessons modifed by the teacher. The software packages include lesson plans, worksheets, and materials used to create finished products such as maps and graphs.
One of the most fasanating exhibit that I visited was the Qwizdom exhibit. The product truly involves, inspires and measures the progress of students. This product allows each student to have a remote that is numbered so that they can participate in class activities. The teacher displays information on a SmartBoard presentation board, a computer monitor, or even a television. For example, if the teacher places a problem on the board, each student will have an opportunity to respond. As they respond, the teacher is able to identify who has answered and who has not. If students have questions or need help, they just press the "?" key. All students are able to participate! This product accomplishes the goals to engage, motivate, and provides instant feedback and grading!
When I visited the Lintor Publishing booth, I was impressed with the products that I saw. They have a product that allows students to publish their own books. I plan on purchasing this product to use in my language arts class this fall. Students are allowed to write and illustrate books that look professionally published. I intend on having my students create poetry books, collections of their favorite people, places, activities, etc.
