Pen tool - your top teaching tips

[simongreen]

Hello all,

I wanted to take our “top teaching tips” thread right back to basics, with your tips on how to make the most of the Pen tool.

As always, all your teaching tips are appreciated…!

Thanks
Simon

[Vicky-d]

Not being a teacher I don't have any experiences of using the Pen tool effectively in front of a class of students, but one thing I do know is that it is the fastest way of getting you're ideas on to a flipchart page at a whiteboard.

The Pen tool is also an expression of it's user, give it to 2 people and tell them to write or draw the same thing - the results will be far from identical.

[wilcogirl]

As a Geometry teacher, I do not think that my pen tool is ever down. or unsee rather. It is constantly useful to me. I make verthing with it from basic shapes to different point to point shapes. It gives me the freedom to add what ever to my flipcharts. There are some math symbols that are not on the text, and I have made them with the pen tool and then placed them in the lesson collection for that subject and I am on my way. I wouls not know what I would do with out it. clwn

[caryn]

I find the children love to be in control of the pen and they are delighted to see their writing on the board - even those that object to writing with a pencil will give the pen a go - and if the board "recognises" their writing and converts it to type they are VERY proud of themselves. It is a great motivator.

[simongreen]

Thanks for your ideas...!

I particularly like the idea of letting students pick their own colour as they write on the board. Just picking a colour is one small way to make students more involved in their learning.

Simon

[Alison]

One of the best uses of the pen tool is to demo handwriting. I started a huuuuge long flipchart, but it's not yet finished and it's at school and I'm at my parents, desperately fighting jet lag and the urge to fall asleep. Hmm...perhaps I shouldn't have bothered to post now. When I go back to school on Monday I'll attach a page so you can see what I mean. Basically you use a pen to confine a dot to demo handwriting.

I just read that back, doesn't make much sense. I'll attach the page on Monday! :rolleyes:

[rgarden]

The pen tool is definitely a "top tool". I'm working with many secondary teachers in my area and they have a tendency to 'over-prepare' flipcharts. This means that the flipcharts are used for presentation rather than used to develop the understanding of a concept. I am encouraging them to prepare the 'bones' of the concept on a flipchart, then use the pen (and other tools) to develop it.Much more interactive.This can then be saved and returned to at another time.

[Marnie]

My children loved a black background and then having white writing! Back to the black board but that is what they so often chose to do!

Margaret's Magic Writing is also a great way to demonstrate interactivity. Use the same colour pen as the background and ask the children to watch very carefully - write a number on the board and ask 'what number did I write?' reveal the number by changing the background colour. [clap] I have used this such a lot since I saw Margaret demonstrate it!

[Margaret Allen]

Robyn,

I agree soooo much with your comments. The idea of having "white space" (or any other colour space :eek: whatever you fancy really :) ) to encourage a spontaneous response from students is vital and such an easy thing to overlook.

Over preparation is a real issue,
mainly due to the dependence upon Powerpoint as a presentation package.

Your comment "used for presentation rather than used to develop the understanding of a concept" says it all in terms of why powerpoint doesn't work in the classroom.

I also think Marnie's comments about magic writing are spot on - how easy is that to emulate/replicate when using the board for the first time? Yes it is great to be able to do some of the whizzy/powerful things that the software invites, but writing/recording/responding (the new three "R" s :D ) have to be at the top of every iwb lesson.

Modelling, capturing, reviewing, revisiting, editing, modifying, exploring - all spring to mind when the action of writing is being employed.[clap]

Bring on the pen! +wave+

Oh and Marnie, attach the flipchart with your spooky writing embedded in it - it is amazing....

[simongreen]

[QUOTE=Margaret Allen]
Modelling, capturing, reviewing, revisiting, editing, modifying, exploring - QUOTE]

Yes, Robyn's tip hit the nail on the head! The poor Pen tool can get overlooked because of all the other fancier tools, but really it's the starting point for everything, and particularly for ways to get students working at the board..

including all the types of activity mentioned by Margaret

Simon

[Dug]

And let's not forget good old 'rub and reveal'.
I showed it to a trainee teacher in October and in July he came to me and said "I want to thank you personally for rub and reveal. It has changed my life".
Sometimes it's the simple things...[clap]

[liahlquist]

I am new to Promethean and am absolutely loving it along with the students. I am sure that it will make my teaching easier.
Linda

[Alison]

Couldn't figure out how to only attach 1 page, so I've attached the whole (unfinished!) flipchart. Instructions on the first page, lower case letters have all been done. Fabulous use of pen tool!

[kathleen]

First, I like to use the highlighter to highlight key concepts within a lesson. It is particularly useful for children to interact with the text and highlight key words, nouns, verbs, words with -ing, etc. The children benefit by physically interacting with the text and they remember better. Underlining words would have a similar effect and you could underline subject and double underline the predicate, etc.

Right-clicking on the pen tool on in Primary 3 you can use the advanced features of drawing straight lines and shapes. My favorite is the tool that automatically draws the arrows...quickly make a lot of arrows on a page to focus student attention to an area of a map for example...

[CPope]

I encourage teachers to use the pen tool as their first tool to interact with the board. It's very friendly and encourages, rather than confuses!

Since 3.0 groups those annotations, it becomes MUCH more friendly and fun to use.

I think the pen tool also changes a pre-prepared lesson into a "now" lesson, interacting as you go. I think that's my biggest beef with pre-prepared lessons - to simply "play a powerpoint" with no on-screen interaction, kids will still drift off....

My 2 cents! clwn

Char

[sonyahorton]

Alison - your handwriting flipchart is excellent - I hope you will submit it as a resource when its finished so that it doesn't get lost in the forum.[clap]

Using the pen tool is a great way to develop and practice handwriting skills, the handwriting recognition tool is also great as it rewards good handwriting by converting it to type (but also shows up just how bad my own writing is unfortunately:( ).

I don't know if you know, but we do have some software that has been developed specifically for teaching handwriting using the Activboard and pen. It is entirely in flipcharts for Activprimary or studio and it may be of interest to anyone wanting to develop this skill with their classes. You can find out more about it and download a sample flipchart here:

http://www.prometheanworld.com/uk/server/show/ConGenericProduct.7

The really cool thing about it is that it comes with its own handwriting font so you can easily make lots of customised handwriting flipcharts to on - great for getting children to practise writing their names.

You could do a register page where each child writes their name on the board as they arrive to class then drag it next to their name on the list.

Oops this post is getting a bit long!!
Sonya

[Cliff Farrand]

Hi Linda or liahlquist!

Welcome to our family! +wave+

Please feel free to ask away if you have any questions on how to use our products.

[Alison]

Hi Sonya,

Thanks for your comments :) I did look at that software, but it doesn't fit with our handwriting scheme! That always seems to be the problem, nothing ever fits exactly, which is why I decided to just make my own. When I finally finish it, I will submit it...promise! :p

[sonyahorton]

Yes its often hard getting resources to fit exactly what you need. Buy hey that's the beauty of Activprimary and Studio, you can just make your own. And by sharing them with the community in Planet everyone else gets the benefit of your hard work - and hopefully you will get the benfit of someone elses hard work. Good luck in finishing the flipchart, hope to see it soon.

Anyway time for me to clock of and go and enjoy a little of what's left of the sunshine+wave+
Sonya