Teaching with Technology

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

This is a group video project that I helped to make. It shows ten tips for teaching with Prezi.

Keep everything legible, using appropriate fonts and contrasting colors.
Don't put too much on the page and avoid overcrowding.
Don't share personal information on the blog (use it only for the class).
Provide a place for students to download assignments they may have missed.
Limit the blog's availability so that only students, parents, and coworkers can access the information.
Keep the language and style professional and avoid silliness.
Provide a way for students and parents to offer feedback.
Don't share any student's work without his/her permission.
Keep an archive of past posts so that the information is not lost.
Don't post anything of vital importance on the blog without either also sharing that information in class or reminding students to check the blog.

This is my individual video project to demonstrate video editing skills. It is some sort of weird soap opera.

Choose an interesting topic so that students will not get bored.
Pick websites that are appropriate for the age of the students.
Ask questions that have answers that can be found on the websites with which they correspond.
Avoid too many easy fill-in-the-blank questions, which can get monotonous and cause students to lose interest.
Make the complexity of the questions appropriate for the age of the students.
Include an answer key at the end.
Put the questions and websites in a logical order or flow.
Include transitions between sites so they seem connected.
Make sure everything is legible, including making font sizes larger if necessary.
Leave plenty of space for students to fully answer each question.

Import all videos you will use.
Put clips in the storyboard before switching to the timeline.
Make transitions clean, without being too distracting or cutting off the ends of clips.
Only use effects when necessary, instead of being gratuitous.
When taking the video, make sure there is sufficient light to see everything
Be sure that everything is audible.
Include a title and credits
Fit the title and credits to the aesthetic of the piece.
Don't use a video as an excuse to not teach.
Make sure to save the video in a format that is easily viewable.

This is a webquest I created for a fifth grade lesson on the American Revolution.

Use the zoom.
Don't include too much motion. People might get motion sickness!
Arrange the pieces artfully, not just in a straight line.
Group related ideas together in the space.
Start and end with an overview of the entire presentation.
Incorporate other forms of media.
Make sure all words are legible, including the use of contrasting colors.
Use size to indicate importance or form groups (larger title and smaller ideas).
Leave enough space between ideas so the presentation isn't crowded.
Put the title or main idea in the center.