Creating a PowerPoint

My senior year of high school I remember distinctly creating a PowerPoint presentation for my IB Twentieth-century Topics course on the Ottoman Turk genocide of one million Armenians during World war I. I was very proud of the PowerPoint; primarily because it was such a unique topic that had never been discussed in class before, but also because I believed myself to have mastered a new technology. The pictures, the transitions, the timing, it was all new and exciting. Thus creating this PowerPoint was not a problem and I remembered almost everything necessary within the program to complete the assignment. Much to our professor's behest I used many images from the google search, though thank God there was no "animal farm incident." I also had some humorous ideas for incorporating some funny videos I had downloaded, which I hope will work well into the presentation, despite their length. I would say in conclusion that creating the PowerPoint presentation for this assignment was a good time, given that I had the freedom to deliver whatever information I desired, and because it is one of those rare college assignments I can do while listening to music.....
I would certainly consider using PowerPoint in a social studies classroom. I think the most beneficial times to use it would be when I am forced to unload a large amount of information to the students so they can pass my tests,standardized tests, etc. Students can see the most imporant points they will need to remember, can see other types of media to help them learn and remember the content, and with the timing allow me to extrapolate and answer questions as needed. I actually remember teachers using such a method of teaching several times in government and history class throughout high school. Also, time permitting, an assignment allowing the students to learn PowerPoint would be VERY good for them (given strict guidelines so they know exactly what is expected of them), especially in districts where kids don't have computers at home to play around with such programs.

Reflection on Lesson Plan

Writing a lesson plan was a daunting task. I have received absolutely no formal training in writing lesson plans (I'm assuming it is much the same for most of the students in the class), and neither do I remember many details of the lesson plans which my teachers gave in secondary school. Much of those high school years are a vague blur in my mind, since it was the teacher's job to do the lesson plan, I just participated and did my part to earn the grade. For this assignment, Sara Kajder did provide an intricate list of demands or suggestions, but rather a simple and straightforward lesson plan rubric. In one sense, this is very freeing, as it gives the students opportunity to explore a large host of possibilities. On the other hand, it is hard to even know where exactly to start on such a project.
I chose my topic, decided upon important themes I wished to highlight, tried to find good sources and media to enrich the lesson experience, and brainstormed teaching activities I remembered high school or had envisioned in my own thoughts. I was apprehensive of what I would actually be doing while on camera, but resolved to take a simple activity and run with it for as long as necessary. The recording process was apparently tedious and difficult for my group-mates, but as I didn't show up until they had already begun recording, I was full of energy and ready to go. The 10 minutes I gave seemed to go buy much faster than I expected, and I covered only a small amount of the information I had planned to videotape. I was very excited as I explained concepts and interacted with my "students," and could envision myself teaching for long periods of time with much exuberance. Thus my overrall experience is very positive, I was very surprised by my confidence and ability to stay calm, cool, and collected. This assignment has been a great encouragement for me as a prospective teacher.

Response to “Net-wise Teens: Safety, Ethics, and Innovation”

This article provides a substantial amount of information which pertinent and important to understanding the role of technology in the twenty-first century and the responsibility of teachers to master that role. I was first surprised with the digital sophistication of many students at such a young age, who know terms I am unfamiliar with. It is certainly clear that the majority of students are now wired, but it is very important to remember that the poor sector of this nation is separated from much of the technology, as the gap between tech-savvy and tech-ignorant threatens to grow wider. The fact that many students think all or most of the information on the internet is trustworthy is reason for concern, as students need to be more vigilantly taught which types of website need to be avoided. Taking severe steps to restrict illegal or wrong use of technology is also incredibly important in preparing students for interaction with the latest technological advancements. Making children “web literate” will be a very important objective for the twenty-first century, and seminars in schools may be a necessary step in the future. I am in favor of some of the methods the author proposes for utilizing the way students already use technology to improve education. However, I view internet “chat” as a growing threat to human communication and language. I do not support any technological education methods related to “chat,” but rather hope that the prevalence of this internet communication can be curtailed and ultimately pushed aside.

Technology Autobiography

Technology has played an integral role in my education since I was in lower elementary school. I remember playing games such as “Math blaster,” “Where in the World, USA, or Time is Carmen San Diego” and “Oregon Trail.” The first did actually improve my math skills in elementary school, encouraged by my mom’s promises for rewards if I completed successive levels of the game. The other two inspired my continuing love for geography and history, which I know gave me considerable advantage in my social studies classes all through grade school. By the time I was in high school, the internet was being used far and wide in many different subjects, often with great success. Teachers and students took considerable advantage of the internet, online databases, and power point, which I remember being an effective medium for education. From a personal perspective then, I strongly value the role of technology in the classroom.
I attended Fairfax County Public Schools, one of the best school systems in the nation, which ensured that technology would be up-to-date and used effectively. My positive experiences with technology may differ considerably from the use of technology in poorer districts. For this reason, I have some reservation in the wide-scale use of technology, because the technological level and teacher competency with such a medium may differ by wide margins across the nation. Of course, since I have been out of high school for two-and-a-half years, I am not familiar with the ways technology may be used in Fairfax or any other district. Despite my reservations, I am thus willing to experiment with technology, given new improvements and its dispersion across the country.
From my personal experiences, there are many avenues which make technology a valuable asset in the classroom. For individual students, it allows them to experiment with computers they may not have access to at home. They can use email, word processors, PowerPoint, various websites that have instructional programs or can be used in conjunction with teacher lesson plans. However, oftentimes technology can be abused, as when students simply play games, change settings on computers, play fantasy sports, or any other host of things (all of which I have done at school). Therefore it seems necessary to have quite a bit of teacher supervision when students use technology. Also, many students who are not as familiar with technology may be at a disadvantage; it may be necessary to require a keyboarding class as a prerequisite for upper-level classes. Furthermore, when teachers try to substitute technology for their own inabilities or incompetence, it is to the students’ detriment. Teachers should access technology to aid in the education of students whenever possible, but ultimately technology can never replace the importance of student-teacher interaction, being able to hand-write timed essays or other traditional methods of communicating ideas.

Initial Impressions

Today's first class of EDLF 345 was very encouraging for me, as the professor is very friendly and down-to-earth. I think the course will be a very learning-conducive environment. Creating a lesson plan seems like a bit of a daunting task, as I have absolutely no idea where to start or what to create. I am now in the process of thinking up an idea. That's it!