Tracing on the board

[markrobinson]

My wife and children have been making very extensive use of the ability to trace through a physical sheet/poster or trace a projected image recently

Some examples...

They had a poster of Tutenkhamun and used blu-tac (like sticky gum) to stick it the Activboard - then they traced the outline using the Activpen on to the flipchart below. After removing the poster they grouped and resized the tracing, made copies, etc, coloured them in, than printed them to help make a set of egyptian masks and shabiti dolls for a display.

This is not something you can do on a S****board since the pen malfunctions if the board is touched in other places while annotating.

They then surprised me by projecting an image in a flipchart from a museum media library on the board - and then used a sharp pencil to trace the image outline on a big piece of paper for a practical task...

To make it the right size they had used the zoom tool...

Again - something to avoid on a S****board - which is easily damaged by sharp implements.

Shows that things don't all have to be digital!

[seabass]

Why didnt they just scan it in? Would have been easier to trace that way since they could see the ink over the image, thats what i do.

[Peter Lambert]

Yes Seabass, because that is what you have to do using a Smartboard. The point Mark is making is that the children are doing these tactile and kinaesthetic activities ON the Activboard. They are being creative rather than passive. You guys in Smartland just don't get it sometimes. :rolleyes:

[seabass]

No i mean on my activ board too. We dont just have smartboards. Its way easier to scan and trace than trace through a piece of paper.

[Peter Lambert]

Do we all have access to scanners in the classroom? :confused: Can we do this while the children wait? We are talking about spontenaity (sp?) and pupil engagement here. When a pupil has traced him/herself isn't there a sense of achievement here that needs recognition, praise etc. My view is that creative activity should be encouraged and Mark's original post suggested that that was the aim of the activity.

What a strange language we have - "that that" seems so odd, yet it still makes sense! :o

[seabass]

too true, the drawing round a body type exercise that you mentioned is a great idea. I'm not knocking the idea at all, dont get defensive. I'm just trying to offer another idea as I think it works better. I have my digital camcorder in my room so I use that a lot for things like this. If you think about the tracing skill, when drawing around an object then it works but tracing an image is always done on top of the image, think of tracing paper. Therefore I find it works better when tracing an image to have it on the board and the ink appearing over it, it's easier that way to see where you have drawn etc. Less frustrating.

[LouB]

My class love taking a drawing they have done and tracing over it on the board, then they group it and enlarge it! Then colour it in all over again! [clap]

Lou +wave+

[markrobinson]

Of course there are all alternatives if the teacher is "forced" to consider them.

I am afraid she does not have a scanner connected to that particular laptop - but she did not really need another digital copy of the image so would proabably not have considered scanning anyway...

Also an A1 size scanner for the Tutenkamum poster is not that cheap BTW...

I also have issues with your approach in trying to scan a child!!!!

It all just worked - EXACTLY as she wanted and expected to do the task... and there was no prompting or guidance - it was what she wanted to do and it did it!

That is what good and robust classroom technology should do - not offer barriers or force technology use just because of lack of thoughful design for real classroom environments.

[seabass]

I've got mine to do this with a microscope slide. I have a digital microscope and i'll get them to do the chloroplast practical with the nail varnish then i'll take a screenshot of the real image and then I'll get the students to locate all the chlorplasts and trace round them.

[Peter Lambert]

too true, the drawing round a body type exercise that you mentioned is a great idea. I'm not knocking the idea at all, dont get defensive. I'm just trying to offer another idea as I think it works better. I have my digital camcorder in my room so I use that a lot for things like this. If you think about the tracing skill, when drawing around an object then it works but tracing an image is always done on top of the image, think of tracing paper. Therefore I find it works better when tracing an image to have it on the board and the ink appearing over it, it's easier that way to see where you have drawn etc. Less frustrating.

OK, truce! :cool: I'm cool with that. You are so well endowed with digital technology in your classroom so fine if you have it use it! However, I'm not convinced that the vast majority of our colleagues have access to that kit, or indeed, could deal with that level of digital sophistication. Let's just do the simple thing that Mark suggested at the start of this thread [clap]

[seabass]

Well its not something I am forced to do, it's something I choose to do, even with my Activ board, And the a1 problem is solved in my classroom with my digital camera. wow, forgive me for offering alternative solutions and having a difference of opinion. I'm just saying what works better for me is all.

[seabass]

ha well endowed, I like that, I'm putting that on my CV! ;-)

[markrobinson]

There are other great ideas appearing in this thread that are going to be lost.

Lets add the Use a "digital camera bit" elsewhere and the effective us of a scanner... I added a bit about the ability to browse computer folders for this very reason elsewhere.

But as others had said - the best teachers know when and when "not" to use technology... a few more of the "hands on" stuff would be nice.

The Activboard is a brilliant "hub" for any technology and you can get physical with it too!

[seabass]

Well that told me, do you work fro promethean by any chance mark?

[Nigel Pearce]

Other ideas on this theme which have probably been mentioned before...

Using the epen with a real physical plastic ruler on the board is an interesting alternative to the virtual Studio ruler. You can really get a feel for accurate measurement and precise drawing of virtual lines by pressing and holding the ruler on the surface of the board with one hand and drawing along its edge with the epen in the other.

Another S***T no-go.

You could also experiment with other real items on the Activboard or even Activslate...

- protractor
- set squares
- plastic letter and shape guides
- Spirograph set?

[Marnie]

I really enjoy reading the great ideas on this forum - as do a lot of teachers. I have chosen the ACTIVboard and it would be great to continue to hear and share ideas that this technology does so well and so easily.

I worked recently with a child with downs and she loved the tracing element that is being discussed in this thread. Her smile was lovely to see after she recognised her achievement and heard her voice recording too.

This is about the children - teaching and learning. If Mark works for Promethean it is great he is still able to share practical ideas and first hand experience. Thanks![clap]

[markrobinson]

Well that told me

Sorry that is not what I intended - I was defending my wifes non-technical approach... Although technology alone could have achieved the same or similar - I thought it was a suprisingly engaging technique that she came up with herself and the kids really felt part of the whole experience.

[seabass]

Hey I like the technique, especially when talking about drawing round a physical body. Not something I had thought of or tried, but will now.

[wilcogirl]

I use the tracing all the time especially with the slate. I teach geometry, and sometimes I will place the worksheet on top of the slate and trace it. Yes, I could scan it it, but sometimes when I am working in real time, it is just as easy to trace the shape or object that I am working with so that I am not loosing my students attention while I stop to scan the object in. I love being able to trace the object. [clap]

[Marnie]

Helping Hands - I often got the children to trace around their hands on pieces of paper at the beginning of the year and then stick them up on a 'tree' as a disply however it soon became very tatty. Now it is easy to do this in AP3 - the children can also add in their photo to show and a sound file to say how they can help others!:o

[Westlake]

When I was a Science teacher (a long time ago in a Galaxy far far away..) I used an elephant footprint during a unit on calculating Pressure. The class traced around various shoes, including high-heeled to compare pressure in different situations. This could easily be done on the Activboard.
I have been working on a flipchart - waiting for feedback from some Science teachers, but you are welcome to have a play with the DRAFT version.
Hilary
PS one of my unkinder colleagues said the footprint looked like something else the elephant had left on the ground...

[davidlloyd]

[size=2PS one of my unkinder colleagues said the footprint looked like something else the elephant had left on the ground...[/size]

That was VERY unkind! I do like the idea of using tabs for individual steps of an activity.

[ifbell]

I was reading this thread and was sort of dismayed at the semi vitriolic nature of the conversation. The trace idea is actual a great idea. Imagine the teaching the human body some kids trace the parts while others identify them, and others get place those parts where they belong with the help of their classmates. You could do a variation on this with even the most basic of technology.

Just my thoughts.

Ian