Presentation Design

Many of us thought we knew how to design really awesome presentations, but look back at some of them.  Did they really keep you engaged, or would you have fallen asleep if it were showed to you?  If the point can be made with fewer words and pictures, take out all of the unnecessary information, it will only be distracting.  When reviewing key points using pictures is best to get your audience to remember the key concepts.  Although using big, bold photos is a good way to get your point across, blank space can be very powerful as well, drawing your attention to the words and pictures that are on the screen.  Use pictures to subtly draw the audience's eyes to the main point, chart, etc. Slides need to vary in design in terms of being symmetrical or asymmetrical so you are not looking at the same layout for the entire presentation.  Keeping the rule of thirds in mind is also helpful to make sure you can keep the attention of people during your presentation.  To help make sure the rule of thirds is being used, use a grid when designing the slide so you don't waste your time moving things aimlessly.  Having clear contrast on a slide really makes a statement and will quickly get the point across. Using repetition within your presentation is good but too much can be a bad thing.  Some of the same or similar elements throughout the presentation helps tie everything together.  Good, clean alignment makes slides look more professional, being too random or spontaneous can distract your audience or even completely lose their focus. Give your audience simple.  Group similar things together, making distinctions when needed.  Proximity can enhance or distract from the presentation depending on how you set things up.  If things can be grouped together but aren't, your audience will then be thinking about what is going on more than listening to what you have to say.  All of these elements are parts of a good presentation that I have heard of before, along with, short and sweet text.  Reading the article gave me clarification and good examples to really understand what a good presentation looks like.  All of this is good information so when presenting to students, you can keep them engaged and learning.  Again, modelling what a good presentation is like will help the students understand how to create their own.  Using slides to introduce a lesson, during a lesson, or to summarize would all be great times to use a presentation like this.  A good presentation can enhance any teaching instruction.  If your presentations are boring, you will lose your audience and ultimately just be talking to yourself, using these tips above students will stay engaged and involved in the lesson.  Compared to PowerPoints I have made in the past, my presentations would not quite make the cut, but they wouldn't be too far off either.  Being creative and simplifying big ideas can really help connect the information with your students.  I will definitely make my next presentation to go along with these tips.

Copyright and Fair Use Policies

One thing all schools have in common is frowning upon plagiarism, copyrighting, and using someone else's work without giving them credit for it.  Depending on what grade you're in, students are told to, at a minimum, put the link of where they found the information or picture, etc., at.  If students do not give credit where it is due, there is big consequences for them.  Of course, this is a good practice to realize that just because it's on the internet, or anywhere else, doesn't just mean you can take credit for someone else's hard work.  Why do so many students think that taking things from the internet without permission is okay to do?  Well, because many teachers leave out sources and will give examples without giving any credit to the creator.  By not modelling this behavior, many students will recognize that the teacher did it and didn't get in trouble, so why should they?  This is why it is so important to show students the right way of giving credit where do by thoroughly citing the source or asking for permission.  Another helpful tip for teachers and their students is to use sites where permission is not required.  I will give a few links here: Makeuseof, Wikipedia Commons, and more.  Using these sites will be easier for students and teachers; guilt-free pictures and information, and less hassle with citing issues.  Use as many resources as you can with free public pictures and share that with your students, but if you can't find what you looking for on a public site, remember to CITE YOUR SOURCES PROPERLY!!!! A URL link usually isn't enough, but if that is all the information you have, do your best with modelling the rules.  Be a good example for your students, don't just tell them the Do's and Don'ts.  Happy public site surfing! :)

Prezi Presentation

This is my first time making a Prezi and it was pretty easy to understand and navigate.  I had a few slight issues with some images and being rotated the wrong way, but in the end, I got it all figured out.  Prezi is definitely a good way to present information and keep the audience engaged because of the movement and overall flow of it.  I will for sure use Prezi again.  To see my video, click here.

Classroom Website

This week, I made a website for my classroom.  After trying several other websites and finding they were too complicated for my liking, I settled on Webs.  It was easy and even fun to use.  All you have to do is drag and drop sections wherever you would like them.  After having a blog, I can see how helpful it would be to have one in the classroom, but a website would also be a very helpful way to keep your classroom organized, and keep every one, parents, students, and fellow teachers can view to see what is going on in the classroom, what is coming up, and what resources you use.  On my website, there is space for a calendar, news, assignments and handouts, resources, and discussion.  A website for your class could be  very beneficial to your class and everyone involved.  One problem I had with the Webs site that I made, was that when on the assignments and handouts page, there is no way (that I could figure out) to upload documents.  I feel this is a big downfall, but other than that, I loved working on my website!  I think I will definitely make a classroom website when I become a teacher!  To take a peak at what my website is like, click here.

Online Classroom Tools

From the list of "100 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools", there are many great sites to choose from.  I'm going to browse through a few and when I find one I like, I will post a link here, in this post.  One I have found, another video maker, is Animoto.  It is free and simple for elementary students to use.  This website creates short, 30 second videos, where you can insert pictures, videos, music, text, and customize it to make it your own.  Another fun site I found was Kidblog.  Yes, just as it sounds, it's a blog for kids.  Default setting for safety is the blogs are private except to classmates and the teacher.  These can be modified if the teacher chooses to do so.  This site does not ask for any personal information and offers parent and guest accounts.  To see more of the top online classroom tools, visit the link.  For more ideas, visit this link. 

PowToon

Exploring new websites like PowToon is fun and a bit frustrating.  If you have time to play around it, it is definitely worth it.  I even made my own video... It's not the best, but I tried.  If you are interested in watching my video, click here.  Based on functionality, it's a great website once you get the hang of it.  It is an easy way to create a short video to keep your audience engaged.  This would be a great teaching tool; making your own video to show to your class to get them excited about a subject or assignment.  If your students are able to play around on PowToon, it would also make a great assignment.  Going over a few key features and basics of the site may be necessary depending on your class’s technology skills.  The final project is really cool, but the whole process is a bit confusing if you're new to the site.  Again, once you have time to play and get to know the site better, it becomes easier.  As a newcomer to the site, I was a bit confused, but managed to make a short (not-so-great) video. The intended audience was working adults, but also hinted at students.  I would recommend this site for older grades, maybe middle school and beyond.  If I get a chance to play on the site more, I will.  It was fun designing a video and watching the final product, even if it wasn't the best.  Using this in the classroom would be a fun way to get you lesson started and grab your students' attention.

Smore

Exploring on a new website I found, Smore, this could be a great tool in the classroom!  On Smore, you can design and publish flyers.  This would be fun for students to make flyers and share them with their classmates through their blogs or emails.  It serves it's purpose and is good at it.  Easy to share on Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook, and is easy to use.  Making flyers to invite or inform people of events or even for a school project to share with the class, this site makes your task extremely easy.  Incorporating this site into the classroom would be easy, there are so many possibilities.  The students can make flyers for an event, or use it to inform the class of a topic for a project.  Blending their computer skills, creativity, and knowledge of the topic can create an amazing flyer on this website.  I really like how user-friendly the site was, there was a tutorial and very straightforward icons to guide you through the process.  One downfall is that you need to make an account, but it's free, so, I can deal with that.  Based on the layout and design of the website I would say the intended user is an adult but children could easily use the website to create a flyer.  I will definitely return to this site if I need to make a flyer or would like my students to create them in the future.

Kideos

While visiting the Kideo website, I found many great videos for children.  These videos can be separated by age group or be viewed all together.  This would be a great way to keep children entertained during free time.  There are many videos that will entertain your children while also being educational for your students or children.  I was not sure what kind of videos would be on the website but I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety it shows on the website.  While in the classroom, you can use this video site for free time or for giving a good, relate able example that is kid-friendly.  A great way to grab students' attention is by showing a video to get them engaged in the lesson.  Kideo is divided up into many different categories that make it easy to find what you are looking for and have many options.  A downfall of this website is that, at the top, there are links to several different age groups, but they do not take you to a different page.  This is a bit of an inconvenience when you are looking for a certain age group and it pops up with all of the videos still.  Primary students are the target for this websites, but can also be useful for teachers and parents.  Ranging from ages 0-10 on the website, you will have to sift through the videos to find one that fits your needs.  I think if I had more time to explore this site I would use this at home (if I had kids) and in the classroom.

In Class...

Hello! Figuring out how to add followers was frustrating, but today I learned quite a few things to enhance my blog.  If you would like to find more great ideas for various projects, Pinterest is a great place to go!  I am excited to continue exploring on Blogger.

Google Apps for Education

   Finding a lesson plan and integrating technology can be tricky, but using Google Apps, there are quite a few lesson plans to choose from that may be able to meet your needs.  An important part of primary education is introducing and mastering reading and writing.  With all of the new technology, it is hard to keep children engaged with only a pen and paper.  I found a great language arts lesson plan for primary grades.  Given a prompt, the students will write a story and draw digital pictures, connecting them to their story.  At the end, their story will be available online to view or print using Google Presentation.  Students' digital sketches help them practice technology skills while developing literacy skills.  This lesson supports the national and state standards by incorporating creativity and innovation of an original story.  Another standard that is included in this lesson plan is technology operations while using Google Presentation.  This project may also include critical thinking depending on the prompt given for the students' story.

   I think this is a creative way to incorporate technology in your lesson.  Doing the lesson this way, the student is not only gaining and/or practicing their literacy skills, but also their technology skills.  Both are very important in the education and their future careers.  Having a basic knowledge in these areas is essential and continues to grow over time.  Using Google Presentation makes the books easy to share with your class, parents, and colleagues, as well as giving you the option for a hard copy.  This is a great way to use technology within a lesson and avoid various separate projects that do not tie into the curriculum.

Technology Standards

   Technology in the classroom can be a great tool if you, as a teacher, find a way to use them effectively.  Looking at the national and state technology standards are great ways to see what kind of concepts need to be shown and taught in the classroom to really benefit your students.  On the national level broad topics to be met using technology are communication and collaboration, creativity and innovation, technology operations, digital citizenship, critical thinking, and research and information.  Looking at the state standards for Oregon, you find all of the same topics along with decision making.  These are critical skills for our students to learn so they can be successful throughout their education and their future careers.

   Building classroom blogs, one for each student, could greatly benefit them if you keep the standards in mind.  Posting questions that provoke discussion and having your class respond to them is a great way to get critical thinking started in your classroom.  Students can debate and share ideas through their comment and blog posts.  Allowing students to use blogs gives them a chance to show some creativity by personalizing their blog; by exploring all of the different possibilities of the blog, students also gain a great deal of technological knowledge.  Putting assignments on the classroom blog, as well as the students' blogs can open many doors for assignments and projects.  If the students are already on the computer and using the internet, it is a great opportunity to teach them about internet safety, along with gaining research knowledge and how to find trustworthy information and cite your sources.  Using blogs you are able to post easily accessible links and have activities where students can look at different sites and find which one(s) are not trustworthy.  Using a classroom blog and giving that opportunity to the students has many advantages that will help your students be successful.

Blogging in the Classroom

   Blogging with students can be a great way to get them excited and engaged in what they are learning.  This is something that can be helpful and effective in many areas.  The students can post about assignments and make it into their own space, as well as see what their classmates are posting.  I feel that giving students a blog will get their creativity flowing and will naturally start good classroom discussions.

   To prepare students for their own blog it is good to ease into giving them their own space by first showing them many different examples of other blogs you wish them to go off of.  Another good starting point is to show them your blog and have them comment on posts periodically to help your class get a feel for what blogging is like.  Show many good examples so they can see different styles of blogs and a variety of work.  Once you have talked to the administration, parents, and students about creating an educational blog for the students, it is time for them to make their own.  By allowing the students to personalize the blog they will enjoy using it and look forward to posting and sharing with classmates.

   Regarding internet safety: Every teacher should be very cautious when introducing the students to blogging, teaching them about internet safety along with what is acceptable to post on the internet through their blogs.  Each student may have their first name on their blog but should not include a last name, school name, photographs of themselves, age, or any contact information.  Posting photographs of their interests and personality, using friends and families' first names or using a alternate name is acceptable.  I feel before posting on the blog, having a teacher or parent/guardian approve the post is a good way to keep an eye on what goes on the student pages.  While using these blogs they will be treated with the language and respect just as the actual classroom environment.  By keeping personal information out and using their blogs as a helpful learning tool, the children will get a fun and creative outlet while also benefiting at school.

   If I had a classroom and was able to use blogs with my students I would use mine as a resource for assignments, helpful sites, and classroom discussions.  It is a friendly way for the students and parents to get to know me while keeping up with what is going on in the classroom.  Student blogs would be for writing assignments and class discussions.  This can also be a way for the teacher to get to know the student better.  While the primary reason for the blogs would be in the classroom and a way for the students to get feedback from each other and myself, it would also be a place for (school appropriate) expression.  This gives the students a chance to gain computer skills, writing skills, and reflection of others and themselves in a positive way.  By keeping a classroom or teacher blog, students can keep up with the daily activities in class and have a place to ask questions if needed.