Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Multimedia Use In The Classroom
Last week, we made a promo video for Western Oregon University. It was very fun, and surprisingly easy. It would be a great thing to do with students in the classroom setting. Students would be able to take videos and assemble them with little difficulty, and with teacher assistance, it would definitely be something that they could do. Also, we uploaded our video to Youtube. Many students would love the idea of having their video on Youtube. Especially for younger students, it would make them feel sort of "famous" because people can go online and watch them. The only real issue that I can think of would be the issues that parents might have with having their children in pictures/videos online, so as long as you ask permission prior to filming and uploading, it would be a neat classroom activity!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Flickr
Flickr is a really neat program! I think that it would be great to use in a classroom setting for multiple reasons. One, it is super simple. The commands are pretty basic and I think that most students could figure out how to add some sort of effect to their photo. Two, it allows the students to express themselves creatively. It is true that some students will be more creative than others, but this would allow those who have a lot of creative ability to put it to good use, and for those who struggle, it would give them an opportunity to develop some creativity using a fairly easy program. I hope to someday use this in my classroom.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Prezi!
Hey everyone! Check out my new Prezi about something that I love to do, and I think all of you should too! Here is the link, http://prezi.com/yqt2tlbfbzh6/present/?auth_key=devbhie&follow=gzz-qaw8izbk&kw=present-yqt2tlbfbzh6&rc=ref-39822113.
Presentation Design Response
I found the chapter on presentation design, in the book Presentation Zen, very interesting. I think that the author made many good points in talking about how to use design effectively to hold the audience's attention without overwhelming them.
The first idea, about noise and signal ratio, was a new concept to me. Making sure that the elements that you use point to your main message and don't emphasize things that are unnecessary. This seems rather obvious, but I think that we do it more often than we realize. We should be more aware of all of the elements in our presentations and avoid using elements that distract from the main point. Also, the idea about using bullet points sparingly was a good point. By using long lists of bulleted items, viewers can get pretty bored. I think that the author is on the right track when he says to try not to use them too often.
The author talks a lot about images. The choice that someone makes on which images to use in their presentation is very important. It should help to get the idea across that you are trying to make, without being too distracting or overwhelming. If you effectively use images, then your presentation will be much more effective overall.
As a future teacher, I want my students to be great at making presentations that are interesting and effective. I hope that I can help to get rid of the boring presentations full of text and lacking any creativity. If I use great and effective presentations with my students, then maybe they will eventually be about to do that as well.
The first idea, about noise and signal ratio, was a new concept to me. Making sure that the elements that you use point to your main message and don't emphasize things that are unnecessary. This seems rather obvious, but I think that we do it more often than we realize. We should be more aware of all of the elements in our presentations and avoid using elements that distract from the main point. Also, the idea about using bullet points sparingly was a good point. By using long lists of bulleted items, viewers can get pretty bored. I think that the author is on the right track when he says to try not to use them too often.
The author talks a lot about images. The choice that someone makes on which images to use in their presentation is very important. It should help to get the idea across that you are trying to make, without being too distracting or overwhelming. If you effectively use images, then your presentation will be much more effective overall.
As a future teacher, I want my students to be great at making presentations that are interesting and effective. I hope that I can help to get rid of the boring presentations full of text and lacking any creativity. If I use great and effective presentations with my students, then maybe they will eventually be about to do that as well.
Citation and Copyright Protection
As a future teacher, the use of appropriate citation is extremely important to me. Students know the difference between right and wrong from a very young age, and it should be evident that saying that someone else's work it their own is dishonest and wrong. Teachers shouldn't have to be constantly checking up on their student's work to make sure that they are appropriately using citations and not copying another's work. It is time consuming and would be unnecessary if only student's wouldn't take advantage of the system. By setting an example in my work, I hope to help the students that I teach in the future to do what is right and take the time and effort to give credit where it is due.
I want to strive to be an example in this area. It isn't really that hard to ask permission before using someone else's work, or to cite something properly. If someone just puts a little effort into it, they can avoid many major problems that would come about with copyright violations. I want to do my best to give credit where it is due and not to claim someone else's work as my own.
I want to strive to be an example in this area. It isn't really that hard to ask permission before using someone else's work, or to cite something properly. If someone just puts a little effort into it, they can avoid many major problems that would come about with copyright violations. I want to do my best to give credit where it is due and not to claim someone else's work as my own.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Charlene's new WEBSITE!!!
Hey there! Check out my new classroom website at http://charleneswebsite.weebly.com/. I plan to put my classroom plans and ideas onto this page, so keep checking back for updates and additions. Thanks!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Online Tools for the Classroom
Our assignment was to look at 3 websites that can be used potentially in the classroom with students. I found 3 that I think would be very effective for teaching, and also very entertaining to students.
The first website that I looked at was chesskid.com. This site has a virtual chess game that kids can play with other online users. I think that this app was great for many reasons. First, it gives children a chance to interact with others in a safe environment doing something that will help them develop new skills. Second, the site seems very safe. You need to include a parent e-mail and a pre-chosen avatar so that nothing inappropriate ends up on there. I think that it could be a great teaching tool for teachers who may want to teach their students how to play the game of chess. Third, there is an option to learn how to play the game, so that students can learn on their own. I think that this is great because many students are visual learners, and just receiving instructions from a teacher can be very hard. This gives them an option to learn using the computer program and also solve puzzles on their own.
The second website that I found is called twistynoodle.com. On this site, there are tons of coloring pages and activities that are fit for children. There are also handwriting sheets that students can work on to improve their handwriting skills. Teachers can print off these sheets for free and use them in the classroom to entertain the students who finish their other work, or simply to use for their education. A teacher could use the pictures with letters to help teach the alphabet, or maybe an animal picture when focusing on a particular animal that the class is studying. There are even mini books that can be printed out with simple words that young students can learn to read. I think that this website could be very helpful for a early childhood or elementary teacher.
The third website is sweetsearch.com. This one may be my favorite, simply because it is so practical and can be used for virtually anything. Sweet Search is a search engine specifically designed for students to use. The websites that are given when a particular word is searched have been approved by research experts so that the students are not going on inappropriate sites and are able to find valuable information. I think that this website can be extremely helpful for both teachers and students. If a teacher has the confidence that the things that his or her student is looking at is appropriate, a lot of stress can be relieved when doing computer assignments.
The first website that I looked at was chesskid.com. This site has a virtual chess game that kids can play with other online users. I think that this app was great for many reasons. First, it gives children a chance to interact with others in a safe environment doing something that will help them develop new skills. Second, the site seems very safe. You need to include a parent e-mail and a pre-chosen avatar so that nothing inappropriate ends up on there. I think that it could be a great teaching tool for teachers who may want to teach their students how to play the game of chess. Third, there is an option to learn how to play the game, so that students can learn on their own. I think that this is great because many students are visual learners, and just receiving instructions from a teacher can be very hard. This gives them an option to learn using the computer program and also solve puzzles on their own.
The second website that I found is called twistynoodle.com. On this site, there are tons of coloring pages and activities that are fit for children. There are also handwriting sheets that students can work on to improve their handwriting skills. Teachers can print off these sheets for free and use them in the classroom to entertain the students who finish their other work, or simply to use for their education. A teacher could use the pictures with letters to help teach the alphabet, or maybe an animal picture when focusing on a particular animal that the class is studying. There are even mini books that can be printed out with simple words that young students can learn to read. I think that this website could be very helpful for a early childhood or elementary teacher.
The third website is sweetsearch.com. This one may be my favorite, simply because it is so practical and can be used for virtually anything. Sweet Search is a search engine specifically designed for students to use. The websites that are given when a particular word is searched have been approved by research experts so that the students are not going on inappropriate sites and are able to find valuable information. I think that this website can be extremely helpful for both teachers and students. If a teacher has the confidence that the things that his or her student is looking at is appropriate, a lot of stress can be relieved when doing computer assignments.
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