Thomas' Work Space

To virtualize/digitize your classroom scripts/textbooks/etc. – with all the obvious benefits (single familiar, control interface for multimedia, audio and video) and hidden benefits, like being able to link to offline (e.g. MS–Proofing Tools, MS-Text-to-Speech API) and online language learning tool (e.g. dictionaries, image libraries), use the already installed and supported hardware and software tools in computerized classrooms.

Hardware:

1. Teacher Computer
2. LCD Projector
3. LCD Projector Screen
4. Classroom Speakers
5. Wireless keyboard/mouse

Software/Content:

1. Textbook Scans as images – common nuisance: as ingle exercise (or a rule explanation and its practice exercise) gets spread over 2 pages that won’t fit on document camera –> right-click, open with, “Paint”, use rectangle selection, edit/cut, file/new, edit/paste to combine).
2. my template Teacher.Dot (and additional downloaded or saved files, copyright permitting) with lookup menu:
   
   
3. MS-Remote desktop: default enabled on all office PCs; on classroom teacher computer, click “start”-button, type “mstsc”, click “OK”, type the IP address of your office computer once, if logged in a yourself on the teacher computer, it will remember it, (you only need to access the advanced options of MSTSC if you encounter compatibility problems, like with screen resolution
4. MS-ZoomIt:  on file server, allows you to zoom, draw + type on frozen images of your screen (access advanced options if you want to change the font settings and behavior of the mouse  scroll wheel)
5. Blackboard: Content System <—Web folder <—> Email

Time saving benefits:

1. Class time: prep in office; slow writing on blackboard, handling of document camera (switching, drawing), internet access
2. Teacher time: separate steps to & handling email (<—> close file with class and be done)
3. Student: slow note-taking (not all is mnemonic), handling email (still need to access Blackboard)
4. More benefits could be had if students had hardware/software to share the screen. If a fully computerized classroom freaks you out, consider MS multi mouse, especially designed for resource challenged educational environments (India originally)