PowerPoints and Lecturing

"Picture a half-full classroom with nearly-comatose students descending into the slow death that takes place while listening to a lecture that is as interesting as the buzzing of a mosquito that one cannot find in order to squash"

I think we have all had that one teacher where you can barely make it through class without falling asleep or watching the clock, felling like it will never end.


When in college, I have gotten used to using PowerPoint for assignments that I need to present to a class. I often worry how these presentations go. I ask myself, "Is anyone going to pay attention to my project/lesson?"  TechLearning has been a very useful resource to help me come up with ideas and learn things about using technology in the classroom. The article I am focusing on in this blog is 10 Do's and Don'ts to using PowerPoints to deliver lectures that don't suck.The article suggests ways to make a lesson using PowerPoint more engaging for the students. Some of the ideas include using a powerful image, "that evoke an emotional response". Another is to carefully remember the audience, this can be done though engaging the audience in conversation and making eye contact. Ask questions that provoke thinking, like we are learning in CURR 314, to create questions that require critical thinking. Being prepared is also a good idea, it easy for an audience to notice how well you have practiced or ready to pass on information. The article suggests videoing yourself to see how you have done and what you need to work on. Do your presentation as if you were telling a story; this makes the lesson flow.
          

 The article also conveys interesting tips to watch out for when making a PowerPoint for class. It is important to make sure your slides are not too wordy. The article notes that if you make this mistake, “this is boring and causes listeners to tune out”. Another tip is to avoid speaking in a monotone voice or only deliver facts, this can also lead to disinterest in the lesson. Do not read directly off the slide. The article also states, “Your job is not just to impart information, but to directly inspire”. Most importantly, know your material!

Assistive Technology

 A few people in my group have been posting about assistive technology for students with special needs. I am thinking about going back to school to become certified for Special Education, so I thought this would be a good topic to research. Using a website that Domine provides in her book, I found an article on this subject. The article I found is Assistive Technology 2.0: Special Tech . which documents a conversation by professionals on the subject.  The article defines assistive technology, "includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitation devices for people with disabilities". 

These gadgets can help increase student learning and communication for everyone in the classroom, not just for students who have a disability. Another benefit to assistive technology is that it can also help increase independence for special needs children. With time, the use of assistive technology has been increasing. There are some drawbacks for the use of this technology, like being costly (not all districts can afford these gadgets). However, there are less expensive options like using GoogleDocs or a less expensive tablet. According to Special Education professional, “It is important that those students who will benefit from the technology have it available to them and those students who will be distracted are taught using more traditional means”. Assistive technology may not be ideal for all students with a disability. However, it can help some students with not only educational goals, but life skills as well.
 

Increasing Student Involvement Through Technology

Today in READ 411 we had our group presentation. Looking back on it now, maybe we could have changed a few things but overall we had an interactive activity to conclude the presentation. Our lesson goal was to teach our classmates the first three articles of the Constitution (which is the three branches of government).To begin, we created a PowerPoint to present our information. Although we were very thorough with breaking down the descriptions for each branch, maybe we could have made the presentation increase participation. I believe that PowerPoint can be helpful with teaching a particular topic, however a main theme from this semester has taught me that technology must SUPPORT the lesson plan and not replace it. Students could also utilize PowerPoint as a way to communicate information or create graphic organizers. For our group presentation we received a few recommendations from our fellow classmates  that can help us do better in the future.

At the end of the PowerPoint we had a game of jeopardy, asking questions we had brought up in our presentation. We used an Internet website to create the jeopardy table; you could find almost anything online! We used Jeopardylabs to create our presentation template. However, I am sure there are other types of activities that promote interaction on the Internet. This activity completely changed the atmosphere of our lesson, as people were actively participating. This was a great way to utilize technology in order to foster student involvement. On our survey, numerous students cited how much fun they had during the activity. I will definitely use this website, or any other, to create fun ways to teach my students.

Kessler and Technology

            Sarah Kessler’s article, 8 Ways Technology is Improving Education, was very insightful. According to Kessler, “technology is helping teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways”. Technology has become extremely important in the classroom. I feel like some of the most important technologies found in the article I felt were: global learning, storytelling and multimedia, and E-books. These technologies have revolutionized education and learning, especially in a Social Studies classroom.

            I felt like global learning can be an interesting way for students to be exposed to different cultures and increase social interaction, as the article has concluded. Also, this technology is reasonable because in most cases it is free or affordable. Skype, not only in the classroom, is an amazing way for people to communicate across long distances and continents. Storytelling and multimedia is also fascinating,  it seems like a fun way to utilize technologies for learning and expression. I think this type of technology can also be helpful for READ 411-Language and Literacy, because it helps students with the comprehension of concepts. Finally, I believe E-books are a groundbreaking technology. According to Kessler, “E-books hold an unimaginable potential for innovating education”. There are many advantages for utilizing them, such as being easily transportable. The interesting thing about technology is that it is always evolving. Teachers can find new ways to implement technologies to support the learning experience.

Plagiarism and Technology

The accessibility of information on the Internet has changed the way that students collect data and information. It is very easy to just copy something off a website and post it as your own statements. According to Professor Domine in her textbook, “accessing information, has generated a wake-up call for educators in the area of student cheating and plagiarism” (Domine, 58). Teachers must be vigilant in looking out for plagiarism from their students. Not only can students copy and paste information, they can also find essays on the Internet about any given topic. However, some students who may seem like they are plagiarizing may have just made a mistake. They might just mistake of unawareness.

            What can teachers do? I think that defining plagiarism with the students is a good way to start. Teachers can teach their students how to properly cite a source. Teachers can suggest websites such as KnightCite to help their students learn how to cite with different types of styles. Another thing teachers can do is having the students email copies of their work instead of asking for a hardcopy. The Internet provides websites that can check what the student wrote against information on the Internet. An example of a website is Plagiarism Checking Website, but there are many sites like this on the Internet. There are also sites that suggest ways to help end plagiarism in the classroom. A helpful website I found is Discourage Plagiarism , it suggests techniques such as letting “students know that YOU are aware of online plagiarism sites and that you actively use anti-plagiarism software”. I believe students should be aware that there should be a zero percent tolerance for using someone else’s words as your own.

Fair Use: Copyright in the Classroom

While reading Professor Domine's textbook, I found that the Fair Use laws play an

 interesting role in the classroom. For those that are unfamiliar with this law, Domine defines it as, "part of the U.S. copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without obtaining written permission, purchasing the work, or paying the author a royalty” (Domine, 75). Through my public school experience, I remember teachers would show images and do things like display videos in order to, as Domine puts it, “enliven the lesson”. I never thought that doing so could be a legal issue. There are also strange restrictions and guidelines teachers must follow in order to avoid infringing Fair Use Guide lines. An example provided, teachers can “utilize copyright-protected image in a PowerPoint presentation to instruct her class, BUT cannot upload that presentation to the World Wide Web without permission” (Domine, 75). I thought this was kind of weird, all because you change how the image is presented should not determine the legality issues Teachers are also not allowed to compile different videos on one DVD or VHS.

There are also websites teachers can use to check the guidelines of different types of media like print, photographs, and video. The website Domine provides is TechLearning, to understand copyright laws and education (The website also provides other resources for educators).I feel like intellectual property laws are a thought-provoking subject. Resources from different types of technologies and resources can help support lessons in the classroom. I do not think there should be strict copyright laws because I believe intellectual property should be considered public-domain. There should be no limit to what teachers can do in their classroom, in order to support the education of the students. However, Domine suggests teachers should lead by example so that students abide and understand copyright laws. I do not see the harm in utilizing information, especially with the accessibility of knowledge through the Internet.

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Portable Devices and Education: IPad

                                                                                        

In Domine’s chapter “Pedagogical Stages” she introduces the use of portable devices as a classroom tool. This technology is presented in her first stage of pedagogy under content management. However this technology can be applied to other stages as well. Portable devices, according to Domine are known for their, "mobility and portability of information" (Domine, 73). "Documents and information can be easily transmitted through the Internet and found on portable devices. According to Domine, with any type of portable device, “students can easily access, download, and transport primary source documents, photographs, film records, newspaper archives, and even advice from experts” (Domine,61). Through my experience with schooling I have always felt going to the more “traditional” way with a notebook, textbook, pen and paper. However, I see more people using portable devices in the classroom than ever before. Interestingly, Domine writes, “student exposure to and interaction with the new mobile technologies can increase students’ information management skills” (Domine, 61). One of the most recent things I have seen students in my classes doing is using an IPad. 

When IPads first came out I thought to myself, “Why is this necessary? I already have a laptop!” Now that I see students using them I have a different oppinion. I think one of the great things the IPad can do is accessing internet documents, like PDFs, for class. It is no longer necessary to print over thirty pages for one class, when it can be easily accessed on a portable device. Unlike laptops, the IPad is a lot lighter and easier to transport. They can access internet in an instant, and can be utilized in a number of ways. There are also many educational applications offered on the IPad. The IPad can also serve as an organizer as it offers applications like Calendar. IPads can also be less money than a laptop, but they do have their limitations. Many people see IPads for entertainment, but can be a strong educational tool when utilized inside and outside of the classroom. I think I would like to see students utilize them more and I am not sure how much it would cost if a school was to provide them. I guess one thing to worry about would be the technology being replaced by something better, like a new IPad or other portable device.