chapter 10 reading

In chapter 10 of my reading, the authors spoke a lot about how using programs such as powerpoint not only ensures that students understand the material they are taking off the Internet, but it also allows students who are not as comfortable with public speaking a way to participate in class presentations. The reading said that with a powerpoint to back up the speaker, the audience's attention is placed on the visual aid, not necessarily on the speaker himself. I agree that this will help students who tend to be on the more shy side, but I do have my reservations about powerpoint. The author did speak about how too much writing on a single slide can be harmful to the effectiveness of the presentation, and I fully agree that this is a common issue when a student powerpoint presentation is assigned. But overall, if done right, I do agree that a powerpoint presentation or similar assignment can be beneficial to ensure student understanding.

Math reading and Imovie project

For the math reading, I found it very helpful that technology helps to not only understand the problem itself, but also the concept behind the math that can be applied elsewhere in life. In that same context, the Imovie project is a really interesting way to connect mathematics to everyday life or even math found in nature. I'm really looking forward to the final result of the Imovie and I think projects like Imovies in math classes would make things more interesting for students and give a more central view to math outside the classroom.

Elementary Reading: Drawing

I thought the reading in this chapter was really intriguing. In many classes it's hard for teachers to get students to pay attention while using a computer. Many of them are used to having one at home that they use to play games and surf the web. As teachers we can now show the students that they can have fun with computers while learning by using the drawing programs. I think this is a great transition for students to have.

One thing I loved that this chapter included was the idea of portraits. Self-portraits can be utilized at any grade level and the drawing tool can help with that. The book also talks about growth processes and how drawing programs can be used for that. I remember in science we learned so many processes that can now be easily taught with drawing on the computer. Students can use these programs to interact and learn hands on.

As for the photo story, I'm finding it really cool how you can teach students in different ways. I think this is something I would definitely use and would be so helpful for students who are absent.

Elementary Reading: Drawing

I thought this chapter was interesting. I do not often think about using computers to draw pictures. Thinking back to when I was younger, I remember how much I enjoyed using drawing and painting programs on the computer. Kid Pix used to be my favorite drawing program and I would often use it when I finished my homework at night. Drawing programs are the perfect tool to use for non-linguistic representations as the reading started. These programs would be especially useful for hands-on and visual learners.

The ideas for using drawing projects were insightful. I will be able to use many of the drawing examples when I begin teaching. The four squares project seemed very useful. I could see myself using this project when I taught students about various processes. The drawing programs also are prefect for tessellations. I remember creating tessellations by hand when I was in elementary school, but the computer would make the process much fast.

My photo story project is going well. I could seem myself using this tool when I begin teaching. It provides students with another medium to learn from, which would help keep students engaged in the lessons.

Photostory Project and Readings

I think that the photostory project is very interesting. It's an easy tool to implement in the classroom to enhance a lesson, or provide a refresher on different concepts. You can control the level amount of information you give, and it provides visual connections for the students to make. It was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be. This technology is definitely something I would incorporate into my classroom. I also believe that this would be a great program for older students to use as a tool in preparing for presentations and projects. I think students would really enjoy making their own little movie lessons. It adds a new level of excitement and creativity to whatever concept your teaching.

The reading for elementary this week discussed the use of drawing programs. I had never realized how beneficial those programs like Paint and KidPix were. I remember loving the time we got to play with KidPix when I was elementary school. These programs can help with motor skills and coordination--students have to learn to have control over the mouse and know where they want color and lines. There were a lot of really great suggested activies. You can incorporate vocabulary and have students draw the object and label parts. You can also compare periods of history and have them draw what life looks like today compared to 100 years ago. I really liked the idea of gallery showings, where you have all the students leave their drawings up on the computer and then walk around and look at all the different versions. The kids can see all the different variations of color. Drawing programs are definitely a good idea to include in elementary schools.