Is Anybody Listening? and Death by Powerpoint

I enjoyed watching everyone’s presentation this week in class; it was very educational for me. I think everyone had great ideas, I can see myself incorporating many of them inside my own classroom. Shelly’s presentation about FreeRice.com was very interesting. I think students would really enjoy the idea that they could feed the hungry, play and learn all at the same time. I would defiantly use this web site in my classroom as a teaching tool. Andrea presentation on Twiducate, was also very intriguing I had never heard of this site before. I like the concept behind this site, however I would have to do some research and refining on this site. Because some of the features appear to be advance for younger students. Doreen’s presentation on the Engrade software is something that I would use in my classroom. I like the idea that teacher can organize all their classroom information into one program. I can really see this website being beneficial and a time saver for teachers. Although some students presented electronic devices and others choice computer software, the common theme I saw among everyone’s presentation was that everyone’s technology ideas had multiple purposes. Besides that everyone’s presented something that would allow students to be actively involved in the lesson. Whether it was a program or a electronic device, they all had many different options that would help to enhance both the teaching and learning experience. Overall, I think everyone’s idea would help to improve and enhance students learning if utilized in the right way.

Is Anybody Listening? Was a very emotional video to watch, it was heart wrenching. To watch the young students share how the economy crisis has affected their lives and the lives of individuals around them. It was sad because people do not realize the effect that the distress economy is having on our youth. It was difficult to listen to students talk about dropping out of school our how their living situation has affected their ability to learn. I think this video could influence other students to speak out. I think it was nice of President Obama to acknowledge the students cry for help. However, I have yet to see a big change in the economic recover plan. If I had students like those featured in the video, first off I would express the importance of education and encourage them to stay in school. I would have the students do a project base learning assignments to research America’s economic crisis and come up with possibly solutions.

Death by Power point video was useful it made me reflect on some of my own slide show presentation. Learning about what should and should not be done when creating a power point was beneficial. Powerpoint slide is a good way to convey a message, however, I learned that it is important not to overwhelm the eyes a lot of wording or distracting images. Power points visual presentation can have a big impact if it is utilized right. I think power point presentation can make a huge impact if done right.

My final thoughts on the class… This course was not only educational it was also fun. I learned about many cool websites and technology features that I was clueless too before this class. The technology possibilities that is available for educators and students are incredible. I like how all the technology sites you introduced to the class was FREE and could be access from any computer with internet. I will continue to use many of the sites we learned about inside the classroom and outside. Learning how to create a blog and my own web site was a big accomplishment. Now that I have the basic tools, I will continue to explore the other possibilities. Learning about the numerous application available in Google docs was very rewarding. Before taking this course, I had only used my g mail account to check my e-mail. Therefore, learning about the many features and possibilities in Google docs was great. I now use Google docs for other purposes besides checking my e-mail.