Just found out that, after years of begging, I am getting one in a few months! Just wondering what kinds of fun things you do with yours, if you have them. So excited!
Power point Videos (internet has a wealth of them). Last year my kids spent a few minutes looking at a live, under water webcam from an ocean!
I don't know about "fun" things per se...but I do use a projector for just about everything I can, including presenting PowerPoint presentations instead of doing chalk and talk during the direct instruction phase of a lesson, displaying the warm-up problems and quizzes, showing videos that are relevant to what is being taught and even full movies, displaying the current page of the text book or work book using a document reader and working problems in them, displaying web pages that illustrate a particular concept or skill, etc. Keep in mind the question is not "What can I use the projector for?" The question is "How can I enhance what I teaching with it?" Everything starts with the lesson, not the technology.
Before sending the students off on their own to do research in the computer lab, we went through the research process together on the internet and everyone was able to be a part of it as it was up on the screen and they were telling me where my next steps should be. I agree strongly with the fact that the technology is just there to back up your lessons. Having said that, it does open up many new possibilities because it allows you to put anything that is on your computer up on the screen. SWEET!
I use my LCD projector everyday. I don't think all of the teachers at my school use this. I've used overhead projectors, too. I use the LCD projectors for warm-ups (PowerPoint - quickwrites for the day), notes, videos, and web sites (educational). I've also used them for playing games, reviewing tests, and showing students corrections for worksheets. I would also recommend getting a wireless keyboard (Bluetooth) and mouse. To model essays for my students, we work on the essays together. I do this by sitting with the students in the back or a good area of the room and type their suggestions. It works really well. Sometimes, I'll have the students type it in for me. We have an ongoing rule if someone is typing, they cannot tell them to edit until they are completely done with the sentence. I learned this from another teacher. By the way, it's great playing Jeopardy with the kids. Do a search for "Jeopardy" on the web, and you'll find tons of examples online! Make sure you have a back up plan for those times your projector bulb blows up or dies during class. I've had that happen before!
