Edited to add: I’m aware this doesn’t look right – I have no idea how to fix it and am waiting for a response from the forums. Frustratingly I know how to write the html code to make it write but it doesn’t seem to work.I’ve changed my theme so that the pictures don’t jumble – I like a 3-column theme and will have to do with out my photo of Kapiti Island until I can find another suitable theme.

I’ve been using the mimio for just over a week now so time for an update.

One thing I’ve discovered is that having the mimio changes how I do some/all? of my teaching. I’ve question marked this because I’m not sure if it’s all – other than the mental question that goes through my head when preparing lessons as to whether I will use the mimio for this or not.

I do not use it for absolutely everything. I don’t have the capture kit so I don’t use it with my small group work. But I am using it for most of the things I used to write up on the whiteboard and then rub off. It’s a very powerful thing to be able to revisit what you did yesterday or last week.

One morning this week I was late setting it up and returned to the classroom from the office to be greeted by a group of children who asked where their roll was!

Daily activities done with the mimio include:

visual roll

SODA (start of day activity – based on Tony Ryan’s Thinkers Keys)

WAD (our new word we look at each day – at the end of the week we revise 4 words and put them into sentences)

Other activities – depending on the day – include:

Activity list for the “others” while I’m reading with a small group

Our brainstorm of “time” or sequential words for recounts – started in Week 5 and continued in Week 6 – one of those things I would have normally done on the board and then rubbed out and later asked the students to “remember” the ideas we came up with.

In maths we are learning to “deconstruct” numbers (the students love the word deconstruct!) using the arrow cards in the NZ mimio gallery

And of course handwriting. It’s actually quite hard to write neatly (especially if you’re not a neat writer to start off with!) on the mimio (and I suspect most types of smartboard) so I use this to my? advantage.

Once the handwriting is up I invite students to critique my writing – they can come up and highlight areas that are not correct (flying or sinking letters; jumbled letters; etc) – by giving them permission to critique my work it seems to be an incentive for them to strive for “perfection” in their own handwriting. Since I’ve always found handwriting to be a bit of a chore this has made it easier for both the students and myself.

Criteria for “perfection” = no errors (rubbed out/crossed out/backwards letters), neat writing (this is judged on the individual not against another child), correct setting out (since we’re taking our daily writing from a book of ABC verse the lines have to be set out correctly – something that is very difficult for some children). Perfection in handwriting = a sticker in the book.

There are, of course, other activities that people have created. And I’ve discovered that, aside from interactive website pages, I can access and use resources created for other types of IWB as long as they have reader software available. That will be next week’s exploration!