This week's blog centers around presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint. I will be creating an example of this software to use in my classroom and will then analyze its effectiveness to strengthen it for the future.
First, let's introduce what I've created. On the first day of school, I always like to make a PowerPoint presentation to show my new students introducing my teaching philosophy, highlighting basic information of my classroom, and to allow my kids to learn more about me outside of the school. I feel this is a good "ice breaker" and helps my students and I become more familiar with each other.
At the beginning of the school year, I showed a presentation to my current students. I created a presentation to show for next school year (2010-2011) and will ask my kids to provide feedback on it so that I can improve it before it's shown on opening day in August.
After I gather my students' thoughts on the PowerPoint, I will reflect what I've learned below the dotted line and answer the questions from this week's blog assignment.
----------------------------------------------------------
Question: What was the presentation about and to whom did you present it?
The presentation was entitled, "All About Your Teacher," and was presented to my homeroom class. The goal of the presentation was to offer a glimpse into my life in and out of education and to explain my personal teaching philosophy. The purpose for showing this presentation to my students at the end of the school year was to strengthen it for next year and to brainstorm ideas for the future.
Question: Of which item in your presentation are you the most proud?
I was proudest about the cohesiveness of my presentation. I felt like all the slides were focused, organized, and effectively communicated the main ideas I planned to address. By limiting the amount of information per slide (and adhering to the "rule of thumb" mentioned in our chapter reading), I was able to keep my students engaged and motivated to participate in the lesson. Lastly, I was proud of the design of the presentation. I made sure to use colors that worked well with each other so that my message was easily construed to the students.
Question: What might you do differently if you could create the presentation again?
After allowing my students to provide feedback on the presentation and after spending some time in self-reflection, I would add more animation and multimedia to my PowerPoint. I used few sounds and moving pictures and those were some of the most interesting parts according to my students. Plus, I've always been the "multimedia guy" at our school. I wrote and recorded a theme song to be played over the morning announcements and have written various songs for other school-related activities. Furthermore, I write goofy songs in class and record them for my students. With all of this in mind, why wouldn't I add more sound and "life" to my presentation? By doing so, I feel that my presentation will be even more engaging, entertaining, and will inspire my students to want to create a PowerPoint of their own.
Question: How did your students respond to the presentation?
As I previously mentioned, I felt my students were very engaged and motivated to participate in the lesson. They enjoyed seeing new pictures of me and my family, and were extremely interested in helping me strengthen the PowerPoint for my next bunch of students. Also, several of them expressed interest in creating PowerPoint presentations of their own to show the class.
Question: Do you have any new ideas or thoughts on how to use PowerPoint with your students in the future?
After seeing how interested the students were in creating their own presentations, I plan to utilize Microsoft PowerPoint as a way for future students to get acquainted with their classmates at the beginning of the year. I will instruct each student to create a presentation with pictures and information about his/her life that he/she would like to share with the rest of the class. This will be a great way to make the students feel like our class is a "family atmosphere" and get more comfortable with their peers. More importantly, incorporating technology in the classroom will make my curriculum more diversified and address more learning styles. It will also help the students sharpen their technological skills to hopefully become technologically literate.
No comments:
Post a Comment