Week Four: Computer Presentation Programs

This week's topic is concerning computer presentation programs - specifically Microsoft PowerPoint. My first real experience with using PowerPoint came in college. My big project was to create a PowerPoint presentation geared to middle school students. I was so enthusiastic that it degraded to a complete mess. One of the biggest mistakes that users of PowerPoint can make is to overdo animation and sounds. I had animation and sound on every single slide. This was a great distraction from the content and caused many technical problems during the presentation. Yes, I was a PowerPoint freakshow barker - not a presenter. This leads me to my next point.

For this week's assignment, I was asked to create a PowerPoint presentation that I could present to the students that I am currently teaching. Being somewhat of a...ahem...creative enthusiast, it was very difficult for me to downshift to creating a PowerPoint for first-graders. I had to be very careful and controlled with my content, length, and bells and whistles. I was surprised at just how difficult it was for me to create a suitable presentation for six-year-olds.

The presentation itself was about Main Idea, with which a great deal of my students have difficulty. I was afforded an opportunity apart from my scheduled computer lab time and took advantage of an empty room and the equipment. I was very pleased to see that the students seemed to retain the information from the PowerPoint and enjoyed the sound-effects. The aspect of this presentation that I am most satisfied with is its simplicity. It is clean, uncluttered and straight to the point. (It certainly helped that I had to use an old PowerPoint program.) I am also proud that I successfully used sound. After the first presentation faux pas, I had pretty much avoided using any sound in my presentations. The only thing that I would do differently would be to use a newer PowerPoint program which would allow for more clip art choices.

So this week, I leave you with the example of effective simplicity and I continue on in my journey of changing thoughts and ideas.

Week Three: Desktop Publishing and Word Processing

I have certainly taken for granted that I know all I need to know about the basic aspects of technology required for teachers. Even with word processing, I am learning that there are many uses that I had never thought about. Desktop publishing is a concept that I have not adequately utilized in the classroom. While I have learned this week that word processing is progressing to the point of being as creative a tool as desktop publishing, there are still a few bells and whistles that desktop publishing possesses that word processing does not. Both of these programs are fantastic for use with special education students. I have learned valuable uses for these programs with exceptional children.

Word processing is quite a handy tool when working with exceptional children. Its many features such as spell-check and thesaurus allow for a level of accomplishment that may be difficult with handwritten assignments. Children with difficulties concerning fine-motor skills can find working with a word processor particularly rewarding.

Desktop publishing is a wonderful avenue for students to create brochures, journals, posters, books, and articles. Students could work collaboratively on a class newspaper or magazine. The biggest advantage of desktop publishing is that one can produce very professional-looking material, which could certainly create a great degree of excitement about an assignment.

As a teacher, the possibilities with using word processing and desktop publishing are endless. At the most basic, parent-teacher communication can be much more interesting. People are busy, in general, and I have found that it often takes a little creativity to get the attention of some parents. It is a must that forms of written communication between school and home be attention-getting. What I have learned this week will be very helpful with my future publishing endeavors. Here is an example of a parent newsletter from my first year of teaching. It could certainly use some improvements. It is definitely not visually appealing and would most likely not catch anyone's eye. That it lacks color is the most obvious error.
























Here is the after version of my newsletter:

Maybe not as fancy as it could be, but a definite improvement nevertheless. At least most of the yawn factor was eliminated by adding color and shapes. Clip art makes it easy to identify the context. Although the images posted her are a bit blurry, it emphasizes that the more colorful letter tends to "jump out". Unfortunately, the program I used is a bit outdated. Just imagine what one could do with a more sophisticated program! The possibilities are endless!

Week Two: Spreadsheets and Databases

Spreadsheets and databases in the classroom can be very helpful tools for both teacher productivity and student learning. As I have learned in this week's lesson, there are many ways to use these valuable technological tools.

For example, spreadsheets are a wonderful venue for mathematics lessons. Graphing and probability are just two mathematics concepts that can be featured using spreadsheets. Science presents many opportunities to use spreadsheets as well. One can chart lab time, experiment results and statistics using spreadsheet software. Spreadsheets are also useful for tracking student achievement and for setting goals.

Databases can also be very valuable in the classroom. For student use, one can record events in history, works of art, names and kinds of books which students have read in a database format. For teacher productivity, databases may serve as storage for attendance, grades, and student information.

The most surprising aspect of using databases and spreadsheets for me was to what extent that they can be used. Before, I had only thought of spreadsheet programs for accounting purposes or for office purposes. I only thought of databases in the context of the medical field. The most surprising use of either of the two was with Excel and mathematics. I had not realized to what extent that Excel could be used to teach mathematics.

In the past, I have not used a database at all. I had only used Excel for goals calculating concerning state testing. What a narrow view I had.

For more information, search for spreadsheet and database use in the classroom. Here is a URL which I feel could be helpful with using a database in the science classroom: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/examples_data.htm

Good luck with your quest for using spreadsheets and databases in your classroom!

Week One: Reflections on Educational Technology

This week's module has certainly been an eye-opener for me. I have to admit - I was comfortable with what I knew about technology. Having read articles and textbooks and having the privilege of reading discussions by other teachers has lead me to the conclusion that I really do not know squat. I didn't even really know what technology or technological literacy is.

What have I learned this week? I'm afraid to say much because there is still much to know. I do know that technology is pervasive. I am more aware of the vast expanse of technology in my life - right down to that quilted toilet paper, which I would have never dreamed could fit under the category of such a sophisticated concept as technology. Take away the technology of today and you would have...nothing.

http://www.nae.edu/nae/techlithome.nsf/weblinks/KGRG-55SPVK?OpenDocument

What will I bring into the classroom with me? Once I move to the classroom again, I am sure that I will bring a new awareness of what technology and technological literacy is and I will stress its importance and pervasiveness. I will communicate that to my students. I will most certainly be looking for new ways to implement technology into my classroom as it is obviously fundamental to the education of our children in the 21st century.

I believe it would be very important as an introduction to any new technology to bring awareness to my students as I have been made aware. It is quite an astounding and scary thought - the role that technology plays in our lives. While I think about a very narrow portion of it while standing in line at a store and computer goes down, I have hardly given it much thought at all in the context of what I have learned this week. Certainly involving my students in the use of more technology would be great. The current challenge lies within budget and funding. Having access to few computers and on a limited basis will certainly curtail any large-scale plan for technology education (with computer use being the first thought). As I think about this, though... with a projector and one computer it may be possible to pull-off some class research or an electronic field trip. Technology can take my students to places they may never be able to see in their lifetime. Later, monkey.

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