PowerPoint in the classroom

I am a huge fan of PowerPoint presentations, I find that they are such a versatile presentation tool, not only are they often visually pleasing but they are a great scaffolding tool. I can have a notes page where the students are given the information they require, I can then embed pictures, animations, photos, videos, audio.... the list goes on, to give real life examples to lead into discussions with the students and the developing of higher order thinking and linkages.

I am careful when I use power point not to turn it into a kind of glorified "chalk and talk", while some students do benefit from this kind of teaching, often it does not develop higher order thinking or engagement of students in the learning experience. I can also include sections where I ask what is this or how does this relate to what we have been learning and discussing in previous classes? PowerPoint allows the teacher to regulate the pace of students work and gives a good opportunity to walk around the class and interact with students while they are learning, to determine individuals strenghts and weaknesses and be further able to cater for individual learning requirements.

When I am using PowerPoint I also like to incorporate, questions, class/ group discussions, main points and diagrams on the white board and demonstrations. This way I am catering for a wider variety of learning types: audio, visual and to some extent kinesetic. Gardner's, Multiple intelligences, gives some insight into different 'intelligences' that we need to be aware of in the classroom and to incorporate learning experiences that don't simply focus on verbal or visual intelligence, therefore disadvantaging other students. Also allowing for more active learning, then simple verbal or visual presentation would entail.

The power points below that I have developed were created for a Year 11 Multi-strand class that I have been teaching and have been used in the classroom. They were used in conjunction with activities, discussions, questioning, examples, and diagrams on the whiteboard. I linked the three lessons together as much as possible to integrate the knowledge the students are learning, and get them to start thinking that the ecosystem is complex and of all the interactions and links that occur. I find that you can never have too many examples for students and the more weird and wonderful the better!!!


Nutrient Cycles PP


Interactions Between Organisms


Biological Succession

In order to embed these PowerPoint presentations into my blog I used a site called Scribd, it was simple and very painless.

References

Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books.

Active Learning Online
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Voki Avatars

I have had a little play with the voki avatars and created the guy below, I had in mind a year 11 Multi-strand class that I have been teaching who will be beginning an Environmental Unit shortly. While I think perhaps they might be a little old and vokis may be a little more suited to the younger grades, the introduction of one of these guys every now and then would definitely be an attention grabber. Vokis could be utilised in the classroom as a fun, interesting and unique way of presenting important points, or telling students their next task. Bringing interesting and authentic components into the classroom has positive outcomes on students learning outcomes by encouraging positive student additudes(Marzano & Pickering, 1997). Vokis could be integrated into learning outcomes to help students establish positive attitudes and perceptions about the subject and that learning can be a fun and enjoyable process (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

Here is my little fella telling us about the three R's, hope you like


Get a Voki now!




References

Marzano, R. & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of learning: teacher's manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria: ASCD

iPod's in the classroom the debate.

Could iPod's be used in the classroom as a viable teaching resource? Or would they be too much of a distraction to students?

Why couldn't iPods offer a unique way for students to learn, and what a great resource for children who are strongly audio learners.

The sites below have some good examples of how iPods could be used in the classroom.

Educational world

iPods in Education


The below video also offers some unique ways to introduce iPods into the classroom to engage students.




A problem would be having the resources to purchase or use a class set of iPods. Lynch's 8 LMQ - Question 4 - What resources do I have? (Smith, Lynch & Mienczakkowski, 2003)

What about students bringing their own iPods into class could this be a resource to utilise??

Most schools have a ban on the use of iPods in the class room but couldn't teachers use iPods in the classroom for positive learning outcomes?

Watching my younger sister study she always has her iPod in listening to music to help her concentrate and 'zone' out everything else. Now while I do not benefit from listening to music, I believe I am too easily distracted, by not allowing students the opportunity to work in the way that best suits them are we disadvantaging these students? I asked her if she thought in a classroom it would help her work and she said yes, it helps her zone everyone else out so she can concentrate on her work, she said it would be especially useful in revision lessons.

The use of iPods in the classroom would need to be monitored carefully and with students having a clear understanding of the expectations. While I don't believe they would be useful in all lessons, the learning outcomes for students if implemented effectively could be very valuable.

When considering the use of students iPods in the classroom, again the have and have nots debate needs to be considered, so students are not disadvantaged in any way.

References

Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Mienczakowski, J. (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) and education capability", Change: Transformations in Education, (6)(2): 23--37. Accessed from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465

Social diversity

Something that did get me thinking on ICT's is that we will need to be very careful not to disadvantage students who don't have home access to different technologies and further widen the gap of social- economic diversity. In the classroom using school property this would not be such an issue but if we expect students to access blogs or wiki's on the Internet at home, we would need to be careful that all students first have access to Internet facilities. Just a bit of food for thought of some possible issues with ICT implementation outside the classroom.

EEI's and blogging a perfect match?

I was introduced to Extended Experimental Investigation's (EEI) when I observed my first senior biology class. Basically the students are required to design an experiment completely of their choosing but it needed to somehow relate to Biology and have relevance to the 'real world'. Student's were allowed to work in small groups or work on their own to carry out the experiment and write up of results. WOW, was my first reaction what a great concept, students get to choose their own experiment to carry out, which needs to relate to real life and are in complete control of how, when and where. The teacher is there to help when asked but the students have complete control of their learning. Isn't this the type of work that all the literature wants students to undertake??? Engagement theory for one Relate, create and donate, its all there (Kearsley & Shneiderman. 1999).

I started thinking about EEI's and how you could incorporate ICT's into them, the majority of the students used Internet research to find information about their projects but I was sure there had to be more. I then discovered that as part of this assessment the students were required to keep a running record or journal of the investigation. Didn't bells go off then..... what type of Internet based technology would be great for that, where students could document their learning pathways and teachers could monitor this and leave comments or perhaps give a few ideas..... The humble blog. I was so excited by the whole prospect that I mentioned it to the Head of Department (HOD), Tony Muller, why couldn't students use a blog to make a journal of the process that the teacher could monitor and make comments when required? He advised that he also thought that it was a great idea and had in fact implemented a similar idea not long ago.... however, and there is always a however..... what about students who don't have access to the Internet at home, is it fair that these students should be disadvantaged? Needless to say a rather lengthy conversation ensured about have and have not's, Socioeconomic diversity and what could be done. I can't say we came up with a definitive answer but why couldn't this also be a students choice, a choice to write a blog for those who would learn better this way, a journal on the computer or handwritten in a diary or similar for those who would benefit from less technology based learning? Students are then allowed the choice of what would better suit their learning capabilities to get the best outcome and further develop their skills.

References

Kearsley, G & Shneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A Framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved on 10 April 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

EPL reflection 1

Two weeks into my EPL and I am starting to see new and interesting ways that I could incorporate ICT's into lessons to increase their value and students engagement in lessons. I have to admit as a learner, I myself need to see things put into context, I guess I am a very visual or hands on (active) learner. Simply reading about different ICT's and trying them out for myself, while I could begin to see their worth, I needed to be in the classroom, I needed to immerse myself in the education system to truly see the links where these technologies could really be incorporated for the best possible student outcomes.

I spent the first two weeks basically like a sponge, for lack of a better analogy, I soaked up every bit of information I could, observed every lesson I was able to, from a variety of different subjects, grades and teaching styles. I observed the teachers different teaching methods, while watching the students to determine the effectiveness. I observed different methods of gaining the students interest and tools used to keep students engaged in a lesson.

In the classroom I quite often found that a tool regularly used to engage students was the usage of ICT's. From my observatory role the evidence of the effectiveness of these tools in the classroom was often quite obvious. In later blogs I will discuss the usage of ICT's that I have observed in the classroom, as well as some technologies that I have not observed, but where I think they could be implemented with positive outcomes for students.

A little bit about me....

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my very first blog.

I'm a student studying at the Central Queensland University undertaking a Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (GDLT). I am studying to be a secondary school teacher in the subject areas of Biology and Multi-strand. Previously I have completed a Bachelor of Science through the University of Queensland.

I begin my very first prac week in a school next week and while extremely excited about finally being in a classroom I am also a little apprehensive. Will I be good enough, do I know enough, what will I do if this happens, will I be able to engage all students in the lessons.... these are questions I'm sure plenty of student teachers ask themselves before they go into a classroom and questions that I'm asking myself right now. But I'm excited about this challenge and look forward to growing as a teacher and as a learner.