Reflection #11

I read an article about powerpoint today. It was about how it is overused in military meetings. People are able to make presentations to make them seem like they are informed and in control. It is possible to give an entire presentation without actually knowing what you are talking about. It is easy to make a powerpoint with pictures, charts, and information without really understanding them. One general said that powerpoint "makes us stupid." Powerpoint makes it possible to present information without having to really polish your thoughts. I think that using powerpoints excessively in the classroom can be dangerous. Teachers need to make sure that they fully understand the content that they teach so that presentations can be interesting and informative. Also, teachers shouldn't rely on using powerpoint as their main teaching source. Teaching should use an array of presentation strategies and convey content in an effective way.

Blogs I have commented on

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Reflection #10

I was in a grocery store a few days ago with my brother. While he was checking out, I was looking at a rack of different magazines. I noticed that there were 8 or 9 magazines that were devoted just to technology. There were magazines about computers and other forms of technology. It is interesting how technology has just continued to get more important over the years. People now can buy magazines that detail different forms of technology. There are so many ways now that people can learn about new forms of technology. Highlighting technology like these magazines do only helps technology to become more utilized in society. There are so many ways in which people can be exposed to technology. This is beneficial for teachers because it allows more people to learn about different types of technology that could be helpful in the classroom. Technology will just continue to get bigger and bigger because there is so much exposure to it.

Assignment #4

I created a smart board presentation that was about balanced and unbalanced forces. It also is about friction. I would use this presentation to teach physics principles to an 8th grade class.

I learned how to do the following:
-make a video using photo story
-make a video using a flip camera
-insert an attahment in a smart board presentation
-insert a web link in a smart board presentation
-insert interactive "pull tabs"
-insert interactive elements such as popping balloons
-insert a formal title page
-insert smart response questions

I encountered a few problems while creating my presentation. I did not know how to include interactive elements in order to make my presentation more professional looking. To solve this, I included a title page and used interactive games and pull tabs to make it seem "cool." I also had trouble loading my videos to the presentation. I was able to include them as attachments, but those will only work on my computer. Therefore, the videos will not work on any other computer. I had a ton of trouble uploading my presentation. It was too large to be uploaded to the free version of box.net. So, I tried emailing it, but my email wouldn't allow it to be sent either. I will need to bring it in to show it to Professor Sorenson.

This project was helpful to me because it helped me become more familiar with elements of the smart board. I figure that I will be spending a lot of time with either the smart board or activboard when I am a teacher. It is important to become very familiar with how to create a professional-looking presentation. I chose to do a smart board presentation for this project because I wanted to become more comfortable with it. I am not a very tech savvy person. So, I wanted to become more capable of using the smart board. As of right now, I do feel a lot more comfortable than I did before I created this presenation. I think that I could use my physics presentation and teach that lesson in a classroom. I will be able to use the skills I learned about attachments, links, and using the smart response system to create additional presentations. These skills will definitely be used when I am teaching lessons in a classroom. I now feel more comfortable and capable of using the smart board in a way that looks "cooler" and more professional. I had planned on only using one type of video. However, I did not feel like I knew much about using videos so I wanted to include two different types. I think that flip videos will become more and more common, so I wanted to become more familiar and comfortable with how they work. I also learned how to create my own photo story videos. I think that both types of videos could be used in my classroom in the future.

NETS for students: The students will use the NETS standards #2 and #6. For the 2nd standard, students will be able to "use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others." Students will come up to the smart board and identify different things that are either balanced or unbalanced forces. Students will also use elements of the smart board to reveal different definitions and videos. The 6th standard is that students will "demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations." Students will be able to know how different interactive elements of the smart board. They will understand how links and interactive elements work. They will participate in a smart response quiz.

NETS for teachers: The teacher will use the NETS standards #1 and #5. The first standard states: "Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments." I will use both videos and actual demonstrations to show students how friction and forces work. The two types of demonstrations will balance each other. There will be both a technological element and a human interaction element. The 5th standard states: "Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources." I have accomplished this by becoming more familiar with different types of videos and smart board presentation elements. I have learned so much about how to create smart board presentations and videos.

Reflection #9

In just a short year, I have been exposed to so many different ways to present information in a classroom. All throughout high school and my first two years of college, I have only used powerpoint to do presentations in class. However, this year, I have used the smartboard, document camera, and videos. I think that by using new sources of technoology, I have been able to make my presentations more engaging and interesting. Instead of just giving a "lecture" type of presentation, I can have classmates watch a video or get involved in a smartboard activity. These developments of technology will be very useful for teachers to use, as well. They will allow students to be more involved in the presentation instead of just listening to a presentation. They also provide a way for students to get out of their seats during a lesson. It is often hard to sit through an entire lesson and still pay attention. Different technologies provide opportunities for students to be actively involved in a lesson.

The future of technology in education

I read the article entitled, Education and Technology: The Future of Handheld Learning. This article was posted on Tech News World.

This article is all about how handhelds will be useful in a classroom setting. While most people seem to think that every student will have their own laptop in the classroom, it is more likely for each student to have a handheld computer. Technology-related educational research at the University of Michigan has shown how handhelds would be more practical in education. Firstly, handhelds are less expensive. While laptops usually have 3-digit price tags, handhelds can be bought in bulk for under $100 dollars each. Handheld computers are more cost effective, and they are easier to transport. It is much easier for a student to put a handheld computer in a backpack than carry around a laptop.

Some people might think that handhelds are too small. However, children do not have a problem with them being small. It is usually only adults who have trouble using small buttons and seeing small screens. Handhelds can be used to help students conduct research, write sentences, check the stock market, etc. Special education classes would also benefit from handhelds because some have difficulty writing. Someday, every student in a classroom might have a handheld computer on which to work.

Features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Word
Font size/style
Tables
Copy and Paste
Borders
Bullets
Page numbers/Headers/Footers
Spell Check
Margins
Columns
Line Spacing

Excel
speadsheets
tables
lists
graphs

PowerPoint
New slides
Inserting pictures
Bullets/Numbered lists
font settings
copy and paste

3 Project ideas:
1) Make a table in excel in order to store information that was found when conducting an experiment
2) Make a flier on word in order to advertise a country that the students studied
3) Make a powerpoint presentation which can be presented to the class that highlights a topic that the students researched.

Online session

The online learning experience that I listened to was The iPod Touch in the Classroom by Kern Kelley. I was curious as to how an iPod could be used in a classroom. One way they can be used is to download educational podcasts for students to watch. The tutorial goes through, step by step, how to use iTunes in order to put podcasts on the ipods. Also, there is not a tab on itunes that has only educational resources. iPods can be plugged into a tv so that the entire class can see what is on it. You can also download applications to your ipod that are educational. The website iear.org lists different reviews and lists of ipod applications that can be used for educational purposes.

Kelley details a few applications that he has found useful in a classroom. One application is called stanze. This application allows you to read newspapers, ebooks, and blogs online. You can also load information to the application. There is also an application for creating a story book. Students can use a microphone, draw, and write a story. These stories can be uploaded to the internet. The ipod can also be a quick way to add grades, participation, and attendance. The ipods can be plugged into car radios, projectors, computers, or tvs.

I think that there were several good ideas for using ipods in the classroom. However, I think that I would only use an ipod myself, if I even used one. I do not think that I would allow students to use their own ipods because it would be difficult to monitor what they are looking at. I think that ipods could be handy for inputting grades and attendance, though.

Reflection #8

Today, the pastor at my church used skype in order to talk to a missionary from Haiti during the church service. Its pretty cool that we have the technology to talk to and see other people who are half way across the world. It made me think that skype could be useful in a classroom as well. If students have pen pals, it is possible to bothe write to them, talk to them, and see them. I have seen advertisements where different classes can interact with each other using skype. I also have a friend who goes to school at Georgia Tech. She is in a lot of engineering classes, and her class regularly interacts with people from all across the world using skype. Sometimes, her class will be part of a a class that is happening in other countries. I think that is pretty amazing that we have the technology to do this now. I think that I could use this technology in my own classroom to help students see what other cultures are like and interact with people from other cultures.