I believe that students now have access to technology almost everywhere they go. If a student does not have access to a computer or the internet at home, then they can find internet access at a library or community center. Not having a computer at home is no excuse for never learning how to use technology.
Teachers should still be able to implement the use of technology in the classroom and teach their students how to use technology even if those students do not have internet access at home. A teacher would definitely be doing students a disservice if they did not use technology because of access issues for a few students. There are so many ways to enhance learning through technology that it would be to everyone’s disadvantage to fail to implement it during instruction.
Students should learn how to use power point to enhance their presentations. There are many different uses for power point presentations and students will most likely find themselves faced with using it at some point in their careers. There are also many different applications for Excel. Students will need to display data and quickly make formulas to generate new data. It would be excellent if the classes they took in high school built on each other so that students could use the skills they learn in computer classes while they are taking a science or history class.
One of the articles talked about the importance of using technology to promote higher learning. I agree that computers can and should be used to teach higher learning. Students should be able to analyze data and come to their own unique syntheses of information while using technology. I think that the teacher should carefully monitor students’ time on computers so that students are actually using the computers to learn the material.
Students who are disadvantaged in regards to access to technology, should be allowed time to use computers while at school. As the teacher, I would make sure that students know where their local library is and inform them that they can ask a reference librarian for help. I would also make sure that I took some class time to show students how to conduct research on computers and make presentations.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Power Point Presentations
The videos were some of the best items I saw during the presentations. Videos are a great way to capture a viewer’s attention. The videos I saw during the presentations were engaging and relevant to the topic being discussed. Kerri’s video was particularly entertaining. Her entire presentation on classification was eye catching and relatable. Brandon’s music lesson was engaging because he asked the class questions which made it very interactive. Matt’s video matched his presentation well. He did a good job of condensing a large amount of information. James’s video was great! Showing kids how to do basic algebra through the illustration of boyfriend/girlfriend relationships was a great idea. He made me want to take his algebra class. I am sure the kids will enjoy learning math because he makes it fun and relatable. Steven’s jeopardy idea was very engaging and a great way to use power point. This got the entire class directly involved with the material.
Although the presentations were very colorful and interesting, some of the pictures and backgrounds were distracting. James’s presentation was excellent, but the background made the words hard to read. Some presentations had so many pictures that it was difficult to focus on the speaker’s main points. Smart art can be a good way to illustrate concepts, but it works better with certain subjects. Overall, I didn’t feel that smart art was used as effectively as it could have been. For example, Zach’s presentation on lasers could have implemented more smart art to make those abstract concepts familiar to us. Sounds clips also work better for some presentations than for others. If you are not careful, sound clips can distract others while you are presenting. The sound clips would have been most relevant for Brandon’s presentation but they did not work.
Trying to find a sound clip that I could embed in a presentation was the hardest thing for me. I am still not entirely clear on how to embed a sound clip in a presentation. In the future, I will try to find a sound clip that relates more directly to my subject. I would make sure that the information I present next time is more concise and straightforward. I tried to cram too much information into a short amount of time and I don’t think students would retain very much of it. I would also make sure that the presentation was more interactive so I would pose questions to the class to make sure they understood the material.
I like using power point as a lesson presenter. It works well for transitioning smoothly from lecture to videos and it allows you to illustrate concepts using smart art and pictures. I also like the ability to clearly display the most important information for students on the screen. It works well for more visually inclined learners. One of the problems with power point is that students can tune the instructor out while staring at the screen. It is also designed for a lecture format, which can cause students to disengage from what is being taught.
Although the presentations were very colorful and interesting, some of the pictures and backgrounds were distracting. James’s presentation was excellent, but the background made the words hard to read. Some presentations had so many pictures that it was difficult to focus on the speaker’s main points. Smart art can be a good way to illustrate concepts, but it works better with certain subjects. Overall, I didn’t feel that smart art was used as effectively as it could have been. For example, Zach’s presentation on lasers could have implemented more smart art to make those abstract concepts familiar to us. Sounds clips also work better for some presentations than for others. If you are not careful, sound clips can distract others while you are presenting. The sound clips would have been most relevant for Brandon’s presentation but they did not work.
Trying to find a sound clip that I could embed in a presentation was the hardest thing for me. I am still not entirely clear on how to embed a sound clip in a presentation. In the future, I will try to find a sound clip that relates more directly to my subject. I would make sure that the information I present next time is more concise and straightforward. I tried to cram too much information into a short amount of time and I don’t think students would retain very much of it. I would also make sure that the presentation was more interactive so I would pose questions to the class to make sure they understood the material.
I like using power point as a lesson presenter. It works well for transitioning smoothly from lecture to videos and it allows you to illustrate concepts using smart art and pictures. I also like the ability to clearly display the most important information for students on the screen. It works well for more visually inclined learners. One of the problems with power point is that students can tune the instructor out while staring at the screen. It is also designed for a lecture format, which can cause students to disengage from what is being taught.
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