ACTEM Conference

1. SMARTboards
I love these! I had heard of them but I had never seen one before. They seem great! They allow students to be active in the classroom and the teacher is able to transition seamlessly between lessons. The SMARTboard seemed like a fantastic way to incorporate technology into the classroom and still have the teacher lead the class.
http://smarttech.com/

2. Senteo Student Response System
This was a really new idea to me. The presenter allowed us to use this system so that we could get an idea about what the system actually was. This remote control system eliminates paper and pencils and allows students to get excited about test taking. It also gives students instant feedback on their test results and gives them a great sense of accomplishment.
http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/Senteo/

3. Geogebra
This was a great way to incorporate technology into math. I know that I am not the biggest fan of mathematics and I would have loved something this helpful when I was in elementary school. It seems like a great way to include technology in the learning process. I also like the idea of putting Geometry and Algebra together.
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/

4. Jing
Jing was an interesting way to test students or to at least see that they did their work and how they did it. It allows students to capture what they do for math work online by recording their work and their voice so that they can explain how they did what they did. This seems like a good idea, but I do not think that I would use this in my classroom.
http://www.jingproject.com/

5. Literactive
This was one of the presenters favorite websites that are designed for students. I love this website!! I really like the idea of using technology to help students learn how to read or just read better. I think that reading is the most important thing that students need to learn and technology is something that students love to use. So why not combine them?! Using technology to help students read is a great idea and this website seems like a love of fun!
http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp

6. CREST
This project-based learning was a really interesting idea. This involves having teachers and students be involved in the learning process and deciding, together, which projects they will work on. They also focus on local industries and work on projects that are local so that the students are involved in their communities.
http://crest.islandinstitute.org/

7. Iknowthat.com
This website is great in the fact that it allows students to use the internet (which is something that they use daily, anyway) and still be able to learn. They learn through interactive websites and have a great time while learning.
http://www.iknowthat.com/com

8. Magnetic Poetry
I love magnetic poetry! I had this in my class when I was in elementary school and everyone loved it! I actually had it in my classes all through high school. To have it online is really cool, but I really prefer magnetic poetry in person. it just seems more fun and there are so many things that you can do online that are like magnetic poetry, so this is definitely something that is better not virtual.
http://www.magneticpoetry.com/magnet/

9. Curriki
This is a really great resource. It had lesson plans and student worksheets that I can use and I know that I will be able to use this resource mutliple times throughout my career.
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

10. My Reaction to the Conference
I really enjoyed this conference and I think that going to conferences when I have my own classroom will be very worth while. For my first conference, this went very well. I learned a lot of valuable information and I received a list of websites that are going to be very useful to me when I have my own classroom.