I’m excited about the fact that I am finally going to learn how to use Flash---a term I never thought I would ever have to use as a teacher. Being that I use my SmartBoard in nearly every lesson of the day, I constantly come across Flash games created by other teachers. I frequently wish that I could manipulate these games or create them myself! It’s always the case that every game/activity that I use ends up either missing information or providing content that I haven't taught. So, being that it is my last full semester as a grad student in TEAM, I am finally getting the chance to open the doors to the great big world of Flash.
First of all, what would I do with my new found knowledge? Here are several ways I might use Flash in my classroom this year: Following the ideas from the George Washington site, I would also create a similar task in the subject of science, specifically for the unit on light. I would have kids look at several paintings that illustrated the concept of light (with shadows, reflections, color..etc). On the paintings itself, kids would be able to click on several parts of the artwork, which would lead to learning more about how light affected the area they pointed to.
Another example of how I can use flash in the classroom is by using the technique found in the Tangram site. As an extension activity of my Geometry unit, I would create an activity where kids could manipulate quadrilaterals that they learned about to construct an image/illustration (only using those quadrilaterals or by using a specific # of shapes- 2 trapezoids, 3 squares…etc).
A third idea of mine of how to use flash in the class (hey, that rhymes--sort of!) was triggered by the Titanic site. In that site, visitors can click on an image to learn more about a specific person/event. Using this idea, I can envision teaching my students basic flash so that they themselves can create a 1 minute movie about a member of the Corps of Discovery (group that led the expedition out west in the early 1800s). Once complete, visitors to the site could click on a member of the expedition to find out more about them.I realize the countless possibilities that can come about with the knowledge of flash. I’m hoping I find the actual task of learning the program painless!