Kentucky Academy of Technology Education

Happy Birthday Anne Frank

Core Connections

Anne Frank, born June 12, 1929 lived to be only 15 years of age but her legacy lives for students everywhere in the world today. Anne's short life has taught many students about World War II and the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1942. Her family turmoil and strife is traced in Anne Frank's diary, which gives a day by day account of their lives and relationships until August 1944.

Anne Frank surely had no idea what impact her words on living would have for years to come. "I want to be useful or give pleasure to the people around me yet who don't really know me, I want to go on living even after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me!" Anne Frank, Saturday, March 25, 1944

It's Electric!!!

Core Connections

Whether it is lightning in a storm filled sky, a solar flare on the sun, the X-ray machine at your local hospital, or the toaster that toasts your bread in the morning, electricity is everywhere. In 1752 Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment to prove that lightning was electricity. He continued work with electricity and invented the lightning rod which is still used today to protect buildings from lightning strikes.

Students are engaged in learning about electricity because it is directly related to their daily lives. They have electrical outlets in their bedroom to plug in a television, batteries in their MP3 player; they shock each other on a winter day with static electricity, and depend on their computers to allow them to do research for their upcoming science project. What better way to get students involved in learning than to teach them how these electrical devices work?

Electricity is very important in everyday life, but it is often taken for granted. Just imagine what your day would be like without electricity. How would you cook, what would you do for entertainment, and how would you communicate across long distances?

SMART Classrooms....Using Interactive Boards

Instructional Illuminations

SMART Technologies introduced the first interactive white boards in 1991. Since that introduction the boards have made the single largest impact on education of this decade. Through the use of a projector and an interactive board, along with innovative software teachers have a new way to engage students. Through the use of interactive board the students can take charge of their own learning with more in class participation. According to Nancy Knowlton, president and CIO of SMART Technologies, the experiences of teachers is the proven reward. "Teachers have shared with us many strategies for using the interactive whiteboard to gain cooperation and attention. Here are two that put the fun into learning while meeting the needs of teachers and students:

• One child or a group of children can be responsible for getting the board up and running, and for shutting it down each day.
• If things are put away properly or everyone pays attention, the day might end with 20 minutes of Jeopardy or Speller, two fun games that can test students' knowledge.

One of my favorite expressions is "A mind is like a parachute. It works best when it is open." Igniting the will to learn in those open minds is the magic that elementary school teachers make every day."