I do believe moving around the room while you are teaching is very important. However, I feel like I am chained to my document camera when I have things to show my class. Some teachers have spent their own money for wireless equipment but I can't do that. I have tried to have a student monitor the camera when I need to be moving around but that has been a problem too. Currently, I talk, demonstrate and then let the class have practice time and I circulate but there seems to be some groups (students) that want my attention all the time. I have stated to the needy students that I will keep moving and be back to check on how they are doing--that seems to work for awhile. Also, I have tried arranging my desks in groups--can't have backs to the board, we have been in rows but that takes up too much floor space. Currently we are in a U shape on the sides with students facing forward inside the U. That has worked the best and I can access students better. However, I still haven't figured out how to stop the bickering of some students no matter where they are placed.
This was posted December 14, 2011
Hi Judy! Seems like a lot of the same problems that I have had. I too feel trapped by the document camera sometimes, but it can be a great tool. So one thing, since I went down to fourth grade is having kids sit on the rug in the front of the room facing the board when I am using the document camera. (My rug is inbetween the white board and the document camera at the front of my room.)Sometimes I have them bring their stuff with them and sometimes I just have them sit without anything in their hands. When they are sitting on the rug, they are all close together and right next to me, because I am at the back of the rug with the projector. We are all within a tight little place. Being so close together during projector time helps me keep voices down if needed and helps me walk around a tiny place instead of the whole class. I have tried before to have kids doing things at their desks when I am using the projector but they are so far away from me or from the projected image that problems arise (I can't circulate enough, they talk, they play with things in their desks, they face the wrong way, or can't see past me who is blocking the image.) Using a rug for projector time has helped me a lot.
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