ELMO!

Hi Elmo!

Okay, so that might not be the right Elmo.  Let's try again...

Hi Elmo!

The first Elmo is definitely fuzzier.  Unless of course, your lens is out of focus. 

Elmo came with a projector that looks
something like this!

 

Here's the story...

A few years ago, my school got Elmo document camera and projector for each grade level to share.  The Elmo came on this gigantic cart that was nearly impossible to use without rearranging furniture to get it into the classroom.  It couldn't sit in one classroom permanently because we were supposed to share it.  We weren't quite sold on the technology itself, either.  Aren't manipulatives and actual hands-on materials best for young children anyway?  Why look at a book projected on a screen when you can hold the book itself.  Isn't it better for children to dig into their own pumpkin rather than watch a teacher dig into a pumpkin and pull out the seeds?  In early childhood, those experiences are worth everything!  So, after not using our Elmo because of our uncertainty about how to use it appropriately, kindergarten's Elmo was brought to another grade level.  We had mixed feelings about it.  On one hand, the bulky cart was gone.  On the other hand, maybe we just didn't know enough about the Elmo. 

The following year, every classroom in the school got their own Elmo.  Oh, except for kindergarten... kindergarten got nothing.  I digress... that's another issue entirely. 

Well, that same year, we learned about Safari Montage.  It's a great site that has all kinds of educational videos about oh... you name it.  Everything!  Suddenly we were wishing we had fought a little harder to keep at least that one Elmo.  Not so much for the "overhead projector" qualities, but the fact that the Elmo can be connected to a computer to show things like Safari Montage on a screen.  Who knew about that? 

So this year, our technology committee got kindergarten an Elmo!  It's housed in my room and I've used it a number of times to show digital stories and such.  Every time I pull it out and hook it up, the kids love it!  They ask to see little movies about what they are learning and I try to appease them when I find appropriate things to show for what I'm teaching. 

I'd like to say that the Elmo has been the best thing ever in my classroom... but the jury is still out on that one.  We did transfer it to a smaller cart that's more portable.  However, it's still an enormous pain to connect.  My screen is in the front of the room, so the Elmo has to sit up there, but my student computers are in the back of the room and the Elmo also has to be connected to those.  I have to instruct my students to watch out for all of the wires every time I pull it out.  :-(  If only I had a nice laptop to sit on the cart with my Elmo.  Maybe someday... ;-)

Here are some teaching tips on how to use an Elmo in your classroom.  Here's a site that talks about how to write a grant for an Elmo.  How to set up your Elmo. 

Let me also say that if you do not teach kindergarten and you use lots of transparencies... or if you don't have a colorful rug to bring your students to read a story... or if you only have one copy of a textbook that you want all of your students to be able to see... or if you want to show your students how to dissect a frog... Elmos are wonderful things!  Many teachers are really excited to switch over to this newer technology and get away from overhead projectors (Wilkerson, 2009).  Are you one of them?

What do you think about using an Elmo in kindergarten?  Do you use an Elmo in your classroom?