Journal Post #9

Focus Question: How can teachers create PowerPoint presentations for maximum teaching potential and learning impact?

PowerPoint is a multimedia presentation software that is very popular and used by teachers and students of every grade level. The best way that teachers can use PowerPoint to its fullest potential and make it a great learning tool is to incorporate other tools. Some great ones that are mentioned in Transforming Learning with New Technology, are digital projectors and a document camera. These are great because it is a way to multitask and be able to show the students multiple visuals at once. 

Tech Tool Link :

YouTube for Schools is a channel for school appropriate videos which are very educational. 

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

I would definitely use YouTube for schools in my classroom because kids love videos. I remember when I was in school and no matter what grade it was when the teacher said, "Today we're watching a video." everyone would be so excited. It is super important thought to find captivating videos to keep the kids interested, but that is not a problem because there are so many videos available.

I would incorporate YouTube into my PowerPoint presentations. That is a way to use PowerPoint and these learning tools to their maximum potential. I would also have my students depending on the age and grade to use PowerPoint as projects. It can be used for individual and group work and it is amazing because PowerPoint can be used for any subject or content that is being taught.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2011). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Journal Post #8

Focus Question: How can teachers use email or text messaging to foster information exchanges with and among students?

Email and text messaging is a great way and quick way for information exchanging with friends, family, coworkers, even  students and teachers. Using text messaging and emails to as a learning tool in my opinion can be good, but of course has its negative points. Email is a great way for students and teachers to communicate. It is a safe environment where students can feel comfortable asking questions instead of asking in front of their peers.It is an less formal way to communicate with a teacher. It is also good because teachers can keep records of the conversations. Text messaging is wonderful with students. It can help the students build relationships and always keep in touch and according to Transforming Learning with New Technologies it is a good way to teach and practice spelling.


Photo Credit: Wikipedia

In my classroom I would definitely use email to communicate with my students, but I don't think I would use text messaging at all. Text messaging could be a great tool, however it is too difficult to make sure that students are actually using it for the right things in the classroom. If there was a way to monitor the way the students are using it I would consider it. I do believe students exchanging phone numbers is great to communicate with each other in order to build relationships with classmates and for them to ask for missed materials, etc.

Tech Tool Link: Skype

Skype is a great tool for communications, but I don't believe it is the best for younger students to use alone. I think it would be a cool way to use as a classroom together to teach about other cultures and use it to communicate with students and teachers from other cities, states, or countries. That is how I would use it in my classroom.

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2011). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.