Lesson 4 - The Alphabet of Nations Presentation

The presentation I created was about countries around the world.  It began with an engaging song by the music group, They Might Be Giants.  The name of the song is the Alphabet of Nations.  In the song, country names are sung in order of the alphabet based on their names such as, Algeria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Dominica, and so on.  The names of a few of the countries appear on the slide in coordination with the music.  Next, the presentation displays a map of the continents.  Then, I created a slide for most of the continents and identified where the countries in the song were located on the continent.  These slides included a map of the continent and a bold red square that faded onto the screen locating the corresponding country. 

The next slide clarifies the assignment details which is a group assignment.  The last few slides provide an example for the assignment so the expectations are clear.  For extra credit, the student groups can memorize and sing the song to their classmates.

I am not teaching so I presented my work to my children.  My daughter is 10 years old and my son is 7 years old.  They both said they learned something new about the United States, which was in the assignment example.  I am encouraged the presentation may be an effective tool for learning.  My daughter explained she enjoyed how I mixed the presentation information with the music.  My son’s favorite aspect was that I separated the continent maps onto individual slides.

I am most proud of integrating the music into the presentation.  I have seen a few presentations that include audio.  However, from my experience, this is the least common feature presentations include.  It is a ‘productivity tool’ that I did not know how to use previously but I’ve been wanting to learn.  The addition of audio to the presentation effectively communicates the information to students with various learning styles.  Also, I’m proud of adding music to the presentation because it attracted the attention of the students, a.k.a. my kids.  Then, this helped to keep them engaged with the presentation.  It made them curious about the content. 

Also, I liked the idea of the extra credit assignment.  For extra credit, the student groups can memorize the song and sing it to the class.  Although this is not specific to the presentation itself, I think it is an assignment component that expands addressing the individual learning needs of the students.  The idea focuses on building social skills.  It also engages students with learning difficulties focused in other aspects of the assignment. 

The most difficult aspect of the presentation was, since I’m not teaching, visualizing how it may fit into a lesson plan.  I think the presentation lacked focus of purpose.  It was not exactly a learning tool specifically, for instance a lesson plan on the continents.  I suppose it was a creative way to present a lesson plan assignment.  Therefore, it presumes the students have learned about the continents.  The assignment is an opportunity for them to strengthen that knowledge and drill deeper. 

Another aspect I would alter is technical.  The song is very fast.  I would slow the song or edit it into parts to coordinate with different slides in the presentation.  These are more technology skills I need to learn. 

It was a good experience creating this presentation.  I read in the literature the benefits of presentations in education for students and teachers such as, creating group projects, presenting science reports, add variety to classroom presentations, and present information in an organized way.  However, the challenge and concern of losing the content with the bells and whistles was clear to me.  I wish I had a more objective audience for feedback to improve my presentation though.  My children did not have any suggestions for alterations.  I admit, I am suspicious their desire to please their mom is a more likely explanation than the quality of my presentation.

Lesson 3 – Word Processing & Desktop Publishing

Although I am not teaching, I will focus on a weekly newsletter.  I think this is an important communication tool from teachers to parents and students.  I will examine those I have received from elementary teachers.  However, I'll discuss them in general terms.

I think the materials are visually appealing because they include various font styles and images.  Each section includes a different font style for the topic.  Also, relevant images have been added to the document that relate to the topic.  For instance, the newsletter has a dragon to symbolize an upcoming play where the main character is a dragon.  The information is organized through the use of borders to separate each topic. 

However, I find lengthy text distracting.  Although, it may be challenging to communicate all the information necessary on a one-page newsletter even for one week's worth of information.  A lot of information may need to be included, but it has to be organized in a visually appealing manner, not to overwhelm the reader. 

Personally, in my efforts to be creative, I have overdone it in the past when developing one page communication documents.  I may have too many fonts or too many images causing confusion and distraction.  It's important for me to remember to leave room for the information that needs to be communicated with words instead of pictures.

Lastly, a newsletter includes topics that repeat weekly, such as the syllabus.  It also includes information that will be new and change each week.  I think it will be helpful to distinguish between the two.  One way to accomplish this may be to ensure the repeated topics remain in the same place on the document week after week.  This allows the reader to form a habit of knowing where to look for this information routinely. 

I think developing a newsletter is more challenging than what I first anticipated.  It is difficult to create a communication piece that is visually appealing and concise, yet includes all the necessary information.  This task certainly requires some technology know-how and creative talent.

The overall goal of my newsletter was to provide top line information.  Therefore, I steered away from long sentences or a lot of text.  I believe parents want an overview of what their children are learning.  Also, the newsletter is a good tool for communicating important upcoming event dates.  Lastly, it's a priority for me to communicate to the parents every week how and when I may be contacted.   

Lesson 2: Teaching with Productivity Software: Spreadsheets and Databases

Educators are using spreadsheets and databases in many different ways.  In general, these tools are referred to as productivity software.  They are helpful because of the large amounts of data that can be stored, sorted, edited, calculated, and displayed in visual representations such as, charts and graphs.  These tools can be used for instructional purposes, enhancing students’ learning experiences and as an administration tool for teachers.

Reviewing different ways educators are using both of these tools, I discovered this website I would recommend,
 http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/freefall/resources.html.       


This site includes various avenues to explain spreadsheets including, a diagram, word search, fill in the blank identification of terms game, etc. 

Once the viewer has a grasp on what a spreadsheet is, the site provides examples of applying data to spreadsheets.  For example, “A Shopping Spree” is an exercise where the user has won $1,000.00 to spend at a toy store.  The total cost of the toys can’t exceed the winnings.  The site offers an imaginary check and an order form, which is the spreadsheet. 

Other resources and links are presented for creating spreadsheets.  Then, after the data is collected, the site offers resources and basic information about representing the data through graphs.

One of the resource links is Technology Integration Made Easy (TIME), http://www.ncsu.edu/project/middletech/lambert/TIME/.  This site includes teacher scripts, lesson plans, computer files, student sheets, activities, answer sheets, teacher resources, and student samples.

 

I wish I could say that something surprised me about the use of spreadsheets and databases in the classroom.  However, I generally know their applications are far reaching.  What did surprise me, perhaps overwhelmed me, were the amount of resources available on the web from dedicated, education professionals.  The creative application of these tools as teaching techniques is inspiring.  I wish all the resources were more centralized and the quality of the information assessed.  I suppose I’ll discover my ‘favorites’ as I begin to apply my knowledge to a real career in teaching in the near future!

I would use spreadsheets and databases for both administrative purposes and as instructional tools.  I have used Excel for my entire professional career outside of the education field.  It has become second nature to me to input any data I have into a spreadsheet so that it is electronic, easily manipulated, and organized.  I’m sure I will use it to track everything imaginable in the classroom, student assessments, administrators requirements, lesson plans, IEP goals, etc. 

While I’m resourceful and creative in discovering information, I’m not a developer.  Therefore, I will welcome the resources available to aid me with integrating these technological tools into educational enhancement opportunities for students, such as presented in the aforementioned website.  


Many subjects allow for the integration of spreadsheets into the lesson plan, math and science are the most obvious.  However, social science, history, and other areas have opportunities for the integration of these tools.  For instance, a student can chart the population sizes of various countries or the amount of rainfall.  Sometimes the application isn’t as obvious for subject areas outside of math and science, but using spreadsheets and databases when those opportunities arise may have the most impact!

Lesson 1 – Overview, The Field of Educational Technology

Sometimes I begin a course and cannot imagine what the following weeks will bring with regard to content.  Did I just learn the entire course? 

What I learned in the first week is that I did not know standards for educational technology existed.  In retrospect, standardizing various aspects of education is commonplace.  It is practical that educational technology would be included in this standardization trend.  This week, I learned what those educational standards are for teachers, students, and administrators.  I learned the importance of integrating educational technology into the classroom, as well as some tools available to ensure the integration is effective.

In my opinion, the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*T) are a bit academic.  I spent time highlighting key words to discern the critical goal of each standard.  Sometimes, as a ‘litmus test’ I read the statement as if it were a direction for teachers in general, opposed to guides for planning activities that use technology specifically.  For example, “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, Teachers: promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness” (The ISTE NETS and Performance Indicators for Teachers, 2008).  I think standards are important, but I found the NETS*T to be too general.

Regardless, I do think standardization is critical and I can appreciate the necessity for broad guidelines to allow flexibility that fosters creativity.  With that, I found the Technological Literacy Worksheet a helpful interpretation of the standards into guidelines and tools that are applicable in the classroom.  I found the exercise both encouraging and enlightening.  I realized that some of my current professional skills will be an asset when I become an educator.  I also discovered areas for personal growth to enhance my technological knowledge and skills, such as learning how to develop a web page.

Although I am not currently teaching, when I do, I will immediately develop a web page in my classroom.  I think a teacher’s website is a critical, technological tool in todays classroom.  The content of the site is a practical, modern day communication tool between teachers and students, as well as, teachers and parents. 

The steps I would take to implement a web page in the classroom include incorporating its development into my lesson plan.  The development and maintenance of the site allows the students to build their technological knowledge.  Their collaboration will encourage future use of the site as well as ensure its effectiveness.  We will have to give the web page a title, develop the format, and determine the content.

I think the biggest challenge of using the web page in the classroom is two-fold, integration and maintenance.  My goal is for the site to be integrated similar to how UC uses Elluminate by providing course content, discussions, and assessment data for the students and parents to access.  I have a vision of a paperless public school that is likely impossible in the near future.  If the federal government would implement free and total internet access, the vision of fully integrating the website is more probable. 

Until then, maintaining the web page will be a challenge as well.  Utilizing the web page for posting assignments for example, will cause duplication with handing out paper assignments.  Including assessment data may not be possible if the site does not include security features to ensure confidentiality as well.

It has been a great first week of learning about Educational Technology.  I think it is a critical component for effective teaching that produces successful learners.