Team Video Project

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

Tips for Teaching with Blogs

1. Keep everything legible, using appropriate fonts and contrasting colors.
2. Don't put too much on the page and avoid overcrowding.
3. Don't share personal information on the blog (use it only for the class).
4. Provide a place for students to download assignments they may have missed.
5. Limit the blog's availability so that only students, parents, and coworkers can access the information.
6. Keep the language and style professional and avoid silliness.
7. Provide a way for students and parents to offer feedback.
8. Don't share any student's work without his/her permission.
9. Keep an archive of past posts so that the information is not lost.
10. 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.

Individual Video Project

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

Tips for Teaching with Webquests

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

Tips for Teaching with Video

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

American Revolution Webquest

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

Tips for Teaching with Prezi

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

Prezi: Insects

Here's a Prezi-ified version of my insects PowerPoint:

Insects on Prezi

Tips for Teaching with PowerPoint

1. Don't put too much on a slide (be it text, animation, whatever).
2. Use bullets as prompts for the presenter, not everything  you're going to say.
3. Build more of a lesson off of it, with activities, discussions, etc.
4. Make the presentation age appropriate for your students.
5. Remember that PowerPoint can be used for more than just a standard presentation.
6. Be flexible when presenting, rather than being tied down to the planned order and pace of the presentation.
7. Avoid presentation elements that can be distracting from the subject.
8. Make sure the presentation is visually interesting to keep your audience's attention.
9. Keep the presentation moving at an engaging pace (but don't be afraid to stop to elaborate or answer questions).
10. Make sure everything  can be clearly seen (contrasting colors help text and images to stand out).

Insect PowerPoint

This is a PowerPoint I made that would be used for teaching a second grade lesson on insects.  This is the simplified version, without effects or transitions.

Tips for Inspiration Lessons

Here are a few tips for using Inspiration in a lesson:

1. Keep all words legible (no crazy fonts or overly small text).
2. Avoid clutter.  Too many pictures and lines are distracting.
3. Keep pictures clear to avoid confusion.
4. Make sure that aesthetic elements such as color and line style are visually interesting, but not distracting.
5. Be clear about the direction of all connections.
6. Choose a topic that would be effective displayed as a web (otherwise, using Inspiration wouldn't make much sense).
7. Choose an appropriate structure for the diagram.
8. Connect the elements of the diagram to the students' interests.
9. Try to make the diagram interactive, incorporating student input.
10. Keep the use of Inspiration open-ended to allow for discussion and a larger lesson.

Weather Inspiration

Here's a concept map that I made using Inspiration.  This could be used for a second grade lesson on different kinds of weather.

School Technology Survey

I visited Hawthorne Elementary School yesterday to observe how they used technology in the classroom. Here is what I observed:

School Technology Survey

1. School name:

            Hawthorne Elementary School

2. Name of Principal:

            Ms. Broadhead

3.Names of teachers talked with whose classrooms you visited and grade level:

            Ms. Harris, third and fourth grade in the Curriculum and Assessment Lab program

4. Ask the teachers/principal their perspective on current and future use of technology in the classroom:

            Ms. Harris worries that technology can be a distraction, especially for children who love video games.  She does, however, also believe that technology skills are important in modern society and should be a part of education.

5. Does the school have its own website?

            The school has its own website (hawthorne.slcschools.org).

6. Do teachers at the school have class blogs? If so who has access to them?

            There are no class blogs, but Ms. Harris does have her own website, open to anyone (http://my.uen.org/myuen/26380/Home).

7. Is there a school technology supervisor?   Name?

            Hawthorne has a full computer lab, maintained by Ms. Empey-Baxter.

8. Do all the classrooms have computers in them?         Explain what you find:

            Not all classrooms in the school have computers, but there is a shared computer lab.  All classrooms in the Curriculum and Assessment Lab program (a total of three classrooms in the school) have computers.

9. Is there a computer lab/s?               If so how is it used and by whom?

            There is a computer lab that is used by students of all grade levels, with older students often using it more than younger students.  It is often used for research projects.

10. What kinds of computers are in the school – PC’s, Laptops, Mac’s etc.? Overhead projection equipment etc.:

            Every two students share a PC.  There is a projector and screen (but no smart board) and a camera that connects to the projector.

11. What software programs are regularly used by teachers?

            The students learn how to use Internet Explorer and PowerPoint.  They also use a program called “FASTT Math” to learn and practice basic math facts and a program called “Mavis Beacon” to learn typing skills.

12. Can/do teachers use the Internet in their instruction?          Detail findings.

            The students are taught Internet research skills, such as searching.  The third and fourth graders were using these skills to do research projects.

13. How does a teacher get further training to use technology?

            Teachers in the Curriculum and Assessment Lab program receive several years of training on both how to use the technology and how to incorporate it into their teaching.  Additional training is available in the use of specific programs.

14. See if you can get a sense of the % of students who might have a computer in their home:

            Ms. Harris estimates that about 75% of her students have computers at home.

15. Did you observe students using computer-based technology?        If so detail what you observed:

            I observed students working on Internet research about Madagascar hissing cockroaches both in the classroom and in the computer lab.  The students were given a set of information that they had to find (such as a physical description of the cockroaches, their habitat, their diet, et cetera) and used online search engines to seek out this information, which they then wrote down by hand as notes.  If one student found a particularly helpful website, he/she would share it with the class.  I noticed that there was a filter on the school’s Internet to prevent unsavory material from reaching the children.

            I also observed the students using the FASTT Math and Mavis Beacon programs.  The two programs were similar in that both involved first learning the basic skills or facts and then applying them in some sort of fun game.  The students seemed to really enjoy the games, which worked as an incentive for them to complete the lessons and learn the facts or skills.  I also noticed that different children worked at different steps within each of these programs, allowing each student to learn at his/her own level and rate.

Giraffes are so awkward when they drink!

First Question

Do the benefits of using technology in education outweigh the detriments or risks?