Monday, January 21, 2008

MIMIO Demo's Part 2

This is the second video I have created showing the different functions of the MIMIO I use in my math classroom. The technology is truly amazing and I think has a very positive impact on the classroom. In this video you will learn to make videos yourself, write on top of other programs (word, powerpoint, internet explorer, sketchpad, etc...) and use the different backgrounds and pictures MIMIO provides. My favorite part so far has been the ease with which I can bring my own picture into the MIMIO. Not only is it easy to do, it is very easy to save the picture and access whenever you want. I use the x-y grids and number lines I created often. If you have any questions or want me to create a video on a specific function in MIMIO let me know.


Wednesday, January 16, 2008

MIMIO Demo's Part 1

As I said below, I was recently fortunate enough to have a MIMIO Interactive placed in my classroom. After less than two months I can't imagine teaching without it. You might ask why I like it so much. Here are just a few reasons.


  • Not having to worry about dry erase markers and the mess they make

  • Having multiple pages of work to go back to if necessary

  • Being able to easily access coordinate grids and number lines

  • Recording my work as I do a problem(or a video on how to use a MIMIO!)

  • The straight line feature(I was never very good at drawing straight lines)

  • Printing out notes for a student who has trouble concentrating during class

  • There are many others reasons including some I probably haven't figured out yet

The following video shows some of the features of the MIMIO notebook. It is designed for someone who has never used a MIMIO before. The MIMIO is capable of much more and I will be adding videos in the coming weeks showing these things.




Wednesday, January 2, 2008

To MIMIO or not to MIMIO

One of the goals of this blog is to talk about some of the teaching practices I am using in my classroom. Currently the new exciting thing I am doing is using a MIMIO for all my direct instruction. The MIMIO is a new technology similar to a SMART board used in many classrooms around the country. The term that is used to describe both is "interactive white board."

Differences Between the Two

I have not used a SMART board so I know very little about them, but I believe they are functionally the same as a MIMIO. Meaning they can accomplish the same thing. The big difference is that the SMART technology is a white board in and of itself. The MIMIO is designed to be installed on an existing white board. Because of this the MIMIO requires much less hardward and thus imys much less expensive. As well the MIMIO is much more portable around a school than a SMART board. Conversely, I would imagine that the MIMIO is more likely to have technical problems. As well the MIMIO requires you to calibrate it before use. I would assume the SMART board would not require this. Whatever the case is, I don't have a preference or reccomendation between the two, but I can say that I have been 100% satisfied with the MIMIO so far.

An Example of a MIMIO

I have yet to create a video about a MIMIO. This was the best I could find on youtube:




I plan on creating some videos showing how I do different things on MIMIO. I plan on posting a series of MIMIO tutorials in the next couple of months.

I will end this post with another video I have created for the tutorials I am creating. They can be accessed in the top right corner of this blog.