It got me thinking about how some use LCD projectors, and I actually can see her point — somewhat. If you are going to use an LCD projector to teach simply because it’s a new thing, then don’t!

An LCD projector should be used to enhance your instruction in a way that you couldn’t without it. I came up with a list of Dos and Don’ts for using the LCD projector:

DON’T use it for simple tasks that can be done without it. Use this tool for opportunities to excite and interest your students. Don’t spend four times the amount of time you would regularly, just to do it on the projector.

DO use it to help English Learners. Most of my students are or once were English Learners. Use the LCD projector to display media to help explain vocabulary or build background.

DON’T think of your teaching as an opportunity for another PowerPoint presentation. We have all suffered through long and tedious PowerPoint presentations. Why force your students to suffer? If you do feel compelled to make some sort of presentation on PowerPoint, please read Presentation Zen for effective presentation techniques.

DO allow your students to use it. If the LCD projector is something “just for the teacher,” then your students won’t show much interest. If you have student projects where they can utilize this tool, students will be dying to use it. Many of those projects could utilize Higher Level Thinking Skills.

DON’T forget who you are. As much as I love technology, I always remember that I am first a teacher. I always ask myself what the best teaching practices are. Sometimes those practices do not involve using digital technology.

I think if more of my colleagues followed these rules, my administrator would have less objection to using a new technology. (Let’s hope.) We are slated to get Promethean Boards and Smart Boards later this year. If we don’t employ their use properly and meaningfully, we just wasted tens of thousands of dollars.

Now as far as the overhead projectors go… If we can’t use those, we may as well go back to using the old-fashioned slates and chalkboards.

Then comes Jott. A service that with one phone call you can record your reminders and have them sent to an email, calendar, blog, or text message. I have never been a fan of voice services. Most of the time they don’t work, but with this service, I have had a great deal of luck. If you are afraid Jott won’t get it right, you can spell it.

Of course, there are many ways a teacher can use this. Here is how I have used it in just a short time.

• A quick text message to a student for an assignment: Yes, I know my students’ cell phone numbers.
• A quick email message: Even though I am always connected with a laptop, desktop, iPhone, Jott can save minutes. My campus communicates mostly from email. This is a great way to make a quick note.
• Calendar: This is the biggest reason for me using the service. Typing on the iPhone takes much longer than a quick Jott to my Google Calendar. Using Spanning Sync, I can sync to my iCal on my MacBook, then to my iPhone. Making one call, I have my appointments in many places.

This is a beta test, so it may not be perfect. I have had just a few slip ups, but it was about 90 percent accurate.

When I purchased the Asus Eee PC, it was on a whim. I hadn’t really thought about how I was going to use it, but I knew that it would have many uses in the classroom. But how?

For those of you who don’t know, the Eee PC is a small, very portable subnotebook computer. It has just a 7-inch screen and weighs just 2 pounds. It uses a version of Linux for it’s operating system and come pre-installed with many useful programs.

I had many ideas on how to use this computer in my classroom. My students, who marvelled at is tiny size and thought it was perfect for 10-year-old, tiny hands, had many ideas too. I found three major uses for this computer so far.

• Math enrichment: Doing a math lesson on data collection, I had a student use the the OpenOffice program Calc (like Microsoft Excel). I could have turned on the computers in the back of the classroom, but the student wouldn’t have been to follow along in the lesson. With the Eee PC, she was able to record data. She checked her answers with the computer’s calculations when she found the median and mean. The computer also comes with a math game. It’s kind of silly, but a great thing to allow that kid who comes in during recess and wants to practice math facts.
• Writing: I have a student who hates writing. I can never read a word she says, but she can tell the best stories. I gave her the laptop to use during writing, and she completed the best writing assignment ever.
• Podcasting: The built in microphone is adequate for recording. We just started doing a Nevada History podcast. There are limitations using the software provided with the computer, so I will be adding Ubuntu to make this process easier.