Unit IV Reflection B - Using PowerPoint Presentations in the Classroom

Before putting this presentation together, I had never designed a PowerPoint with a young audience in mind. I found that I had much more fun creating a presentation to show to elementary students than I ever have when creating a presentation for my college peers. In this presentation, I used several slides to create an interactive multiple choice assessment. After reviewing the item, the students select one of two answers. The answers are hyperlinked and redirect to a slide that shows whether or not the answer was correct or incorrect. If incorrect, the next slide is a second presentation of the question. I love the idea of using PowerPoint as a way to informally assess students in class!

Multimedia can play an vital role in any classroom. I plan to use multimedia such as PowerPoint presentations frequently in my lesson plans as a way to make the lesson more interactive. As one of my classmates suggested in her discussion posting, PowerPoint is better suited for some subjects than others. Science, for example, is generally best learned with hands-on experiments and activities while history might be best learned using interactive presentations such as the multiple choice PowerPoint assessment I mentioned. I do feel that it is important that PowerPoint, or any technology actually, not be overused in the classroom. Although technology is great and more important now than ever, basic instructional methods should not be forgotten.

Unit IV Reflection A - Integrating Technology into Lesson Planning

Before completing this class, I had not thought very much about using technology as a part of my lesson plans. I knew that I would use technology in my classroom, but I was thinking solely of technology as a convenience for me as the teacher. I'm glad to be thinking outside of that box I placed myself in.

In this assignment, I was able to modify an existing lesson plan to include a spreadsheet component. The students will use weather statistics from the previous year in this unit about weather and climate. They will plug this data into an excel spreadsheet. Depending on the experience level of the students, we could use this data to generate a chart or graph using excel. The possibilities for expansion on this idea are nearly endless.

I plan to use a KWL chart for all my unit plans. In case anyone was unaware, a KWL chart is a graphic organizer that organizes what students already know, what they want to learn, and then what they have learned at the end of the unit. KWL seems to be used more often in Early Childhood Education classrooms, but it is a valuable tool at any level. By using this, I can see what the students hope to learn and then use that to direct my lesson. 

For example, if the students want to learn about trends in the weather, we can find appropriate data and create a table showing weather trends. If anyone is interested, here is a link to a printable KWL chart online. In ECE we usually complete one KWL chart as a class, but with older students, each student could complete one. You could even have a set of binders, one for each student, containing KWL charts for every unit.

I usually ramble when I start to reflect on my assignments because I just have so many ideas for things in my classroom!

Unit III Reflection - Productivity Tools

Before this class, I had little experience with Excel. I have used Excel in several simple applications, but generally use Microsoft Word when creating a simple table. I was aware of how to use Excel to create tables, but I had no idea how to use formulas and calculations in an Excel spreadsheet. 

I think it is very important to introduce students to productivity software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint early. Students are expected to be proficient with these programs now with no formal training, so it is important for us as their regular classroom teachers to expose students to these programs in various applications.

I found a site online from the Sabine Parish School System in Louisiana that lists several resources for teachers using Microsoft Excel at different grade levels. Among the many useful websites listed was this website from the Franklin Institute detailing some different ways to integrate Excel into the classroom. According to the Franklin Institute, "the instant creation of graphs and charts from spreadsheets in various styles reduces the tedium of drawing and coloring and lets us get right to the exercise of selecting, interpreting and querying data". Although I think it's necessary for students to learn to graph by hand, it is helpful for them to learn how to apply these mathematical concepts on paper as well as using software.

Another of the ideas I found on the Sabine Parish School System website was a lesson plan using a virtual lemonade stand. The children collect all the data needed to sell their lemonade and then plug it into excel. This idea would be cool to use for a class fundraiser. The students could organize a bake sale and use excel to track all their expenses and profits.

The use of software in the classroom results in basically endless possibilities and is now not only a way to add fun and variety to the classroom but is necessary to prepare students for the real world.

Unit II Reflection - Blogs as an Educational Asset

I am very excited to have learned in this unit about blogging and some of the things I can do with blogging in the classroom. As I mentioned in my discussion post this week, I have tons of ideas for technology in my classroom.

I plan to use blogs to communicate with parents and other educators. I hope to use e-mail for important things such as newsletters, calendars, and updates. This will reserve my blog for fun things we are doing in the classroom. I hope to include lots and lots of pictures, and update at least weekly.

Depending on the technology available in my school and the age/grade level of my students, I want to use blogging as a weekly supplement to daily journal entries. This will introduce students to some of the technology available to them on the internet, and will make their musings available 24/7 to parents. If given the opportunity to post to the blog once weekly, each student would have approximately 50 blog posts by the end of the year.

As I learn more and more about education and accumulate good ideas, I hope to start a blog to share ideas with other teachers. This is not necessarily directly related to my classroom, but if there is any chance it could have a positive effect on other teachers' classrooms, I feel it's worthwhile. I love to read teachers' blogs and actually have a board on Pinterest dedicated to great teaching/classroom blogs!

The more I learn about new and different things I will be able to incorporate into my classroom, the more excited I get about teaching. I can't wait to start using my new knowledge of technology to improve my classroom.

Unit I Reflection - Technology in the Classroom

Technology is more important now than ever before. It's a huge part of the everyday lives of not only adults, but also children. It is my goal to provide an environment where technology can be used as a learning tool rather than a distraction. Technology can be used in so many awesome ways in the classroom and I want to learn more about that in this course.

Although I consider myself technologically savvy, but I do need guidance in the are of classroom technology. I can't wait to help students use technology to demonstrate ideas, graph data, or research topics. I hope to come away from this class with a better understanding of classroom technology and what I can do with it.