This Manage E-Learning student has just released a newspaper article with insights to all of the topics that have been discussed in the Week 5 lecture, check it out!
Hello everyone and welcome to my Week 5 blog post! This week in Manage E-Leaning we have been discussing the group 3 & 4 technology tools that can be used within the classroom to assist in engaging the students and improving presentation techniques. The three main tools from group 3 that we discussed in class that could be used to present/mash up/collate learning and/or information, were PowerPoint, Prezi and Glogster. Each one of these tools are capable of interactivity among students and teachers, as well as including multimodal techniques(for eg. text, audio, images and video). In addition to the tools of group 3, we also discussed various programs that could make learning more enjoyable for the students.
Digital Technologies 3:
The term "PowerPoint presentation" was coined when Microsoft introduced its software program PowerPoint. PowerPoint is commonly used by presenters as a digital aid when presenting their topic to an audience. PowerPoint uses a graphical approach to presentations in the form of slide shows that accompany the oral delivery of the topic. The PowerPoint has been a well-known, world-wide resource since the 1990's and is still being used within the classrooms of today; however as this weeks discussion addressed, students are not appealing to PowerPoint's in the same way as they have in the past. The program has been used numerous times on several occasions; therefore is gradually becoming less and less interesting to listen to. PowerPoint makes a good use of media features; however it does not require the students to play an active role in its use as a learning media. Education needs students who are active, responsible and engaged. Various class discussions need to be free flowing and allow for interactivity; however a PowerPoint does not do that. Given these facts, personally I would not use this tool a large amount when teaching students of a higher age group.
HOWEVER..........
In saying that, the PowerPoint tool is considered to be an appropriate, attention-grabbing resource that could be used for students of a younger age (approximately primary school - year 10). The layout of the program is simple and easy to use; therefore it could be used by students who maintain a learning disability, in addition to attending to the three individual learning styles (audio, visual and kinaesthetic) .
There are a variety of different ways that a PowerPoint could be used within the classroom such as:
- A presentation tool
- Students can create narrated presentations (record, listen, etc.)
- It allows for the embedding of text, audio, videos, images and hyperlinks.
- Could be used as a game and/or a quiz that students could play to improve theirknowledge.
- Be used for compare & contrast
- Lesson plan for class
- Core content exposure using a multimedia perspective
Kawasaki rule of thumb for PowerPoint:
Kawasaki's rule of thumb for PowerPoint is a simple three dot statement:- Maximum of 10 slides ~ This ensures that the person speaking is not reading straight off of the slides. Remember; a PowerPoint can symbolise palm cards, not an entire speech.
- No longer than 20 minutes ~ If the presentation goes for too long the audience is going to get bored and end up falling asleep.
- Writing has to be in size 30 font ~ This note comes in handy for those who are vision impaired and or, the children who are sitting up the back of the classroom.
The PowerPoint may take a slight time to load as it is an 11.2MB file...
Also I apologize that the PowerPoint presentation has been uploaded as a video file; however I was unable to upload the PowerPoint to the blog in it's original file with all of the animations included.
Prezi is a web-based presentation and storytelling tool that uses a single canvas instead of traditional slides that have been used in PowerPoint. Text, images, videos, podcasts and other presentation sources are placed on the infinite canvas and grouped together in separate frames. The canvas allows an individual to create a non-linear presentation that allows you to zoom in and out of a visual map and address one important topic at a time.
Is Prezi the new PowerPoint?
Prezi is considered to be the new, technologically advanced version of the PowerPoint as both tools present certain amounts of information that is crucial in the learning process; however Prezi has the ability to keep the students attention through new presentation techniques, and provides the students and educators with a better interactive ability. PowerPoint is a series of slides that can incorporate animations, which can also connect one slide to another. With Prezi, users start with a large blank canvas to which they can add text, images, photos, videos and special effects. The key feature of Prezi is that it allows users to zoom out to see the big picture or inter-connections and zoom in to view details. 
Below is a Prezi presentation discussing why Prezi is considered to be an advancement on PowerPoint presentations...
Why use Prezi in the classroom?
There are various reasons for this program to be used within the classroom, such as:- It is online; therefore there is no compatibility issues
- Allows for a more creative presentation
- Thoughts are not linear
- Allows for a visual stimulation which draws attention to details
- Its a constantly moving interface
- Prezi brings an element of surprise to the presentation
- It could be used for a live or online presentation
"Prezi truly embodies what creativity is about: changing your perspective, connecting and combining ideas, thinking in non-linear ways, and creating in collaboration with others" — Leticia B Cavagnaro, Stanford University
Important thing to remember about students:
Personally as a future Learning Manager, I would happily use the online program 'Prezi', for any schooling age groups, for any given topic, as it provides multiple benefits to the classroom as well as assists the students in becoming engaged as it accounts for all three learning styles. I consider it to be a clever and effective way to present information to a class, and speaking from a personal experience; I myself have a short attention span, and I would have loved to use a program such as this one when learning new information in class.
Below is a Prezi I created myself based on the engagement activities of the week.... I hope you enjoy it :)
Glogster is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to create virtual posters combining text, audio, video, images, and hyperlinks and to share them with others electronically. The Glog, short for graphical blog, is defined as an interactive multimedia image which looks like a poster, yet readers can interact with the content. Glogster has been gradually gaining popularity in recent times and is rapidly developing as a major tool for students to demonstrate their learning in a creative manner, and/or for teachers to address certain aspects of knowledge. Glogster gives the students the opportunity to increase digital literacy and enhance their learning experiences by:
- Enjoy a fun Learning experience
- Expressing new ways to be creative
- Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding
- Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings
- Tapping into learners’ interests, offering appropriate challenges, and increasing motivation
- Providing learners options for demonstrating what they know
- Drives new interest levels
Ways to use Glogster in a Classroom:
Book Reports
Research Reports
Class Projects
Homework
Distance Learning
Presentations on any topic
Digital posters save paper
Create Digital knowledge library
These are only some of the ways that a Learning Manager could incorporate Glogster into the classroom.
What is one thing that stands out about this program ?
One aspect of using this program that appeals to me as a future learning manager is that Glogster is a private and safe platform monitored directly by teachers who control the activities of their students in their classroom. This program is private, secure and safe which are all important factors to consider when allowing students access to the internet.As a future Learning Manager would I use this program for my students?
Honestly, after creating my own Glogster which I will present below, I can't see it being a program that I would use often. Yes the end product looks very appealing, and yes it has a lot of forms of creativity involved in it; however the program itself is hard to use. The collaboration of the page made it very difficult to achieve anything, and it is very time consuming. I may use it once or twice to grab my students attention but that would be all, and that would only be after working on it for a certain period of time. I would not recommend students of the younger grades to participate in this program as it can get quite frustrating and requires a lot of patience. As for the older students, I would advise it to be used under assessment circumstances that way students are actually given the time they require to learn how to use the program and deal with the difficulties. Below is the Glogster that took me forever to create, so enjoy! :)
Digital Technologies 4:
Digital Technologies Group 4 tools focusses on the animation and simulations that could be used within technology in the classroom. Animations and Simulations offer substantial advantages over print based material when it comes to complex interactions and abstract concepts. Providing the students with knowledge that there are multiple resources that focus in this area, could potentially open up opportunities for later work with ICT if it is required.
A list of tools that were discussed in the lecture were:
- Scribble Maps
- Zooburst
- Museumbox
- Infographics
- Mind Maps (Bubbl.us)
- Fakebook
- Explain Everything
Here are two examples that I have researched to give you an idea of what certain tools could look like, for eg:
Mind Map about Time Management:
This tool could be used when planning for an assignment, etc.
Here is an example of the scribble map that I created. Note: the points are not to scale I was just trying to provide an example of how the tool is used.
This could be used when children are studying certain subjects; for example geography, or perhaps even biology if they are retracing their steps and what they found on the way.
One last note:
Once again I shall address a quick note on Safe, Legal and Ethical. It is so crucial to ensure that students are not copyrighting any of the information that they are receiving. Certain terms such as smart copying, which refers to referencing and creative commons could be used to ensure that everything the students are doing is appropriate. Also, if the students are using any of these tools, whether it be from Group three or four, advise them to consider whether it is the best presentation technique for the presentation? Is it accompanied by an oral? Does it require being accessed online? etc.
Here is a video I just thought I'd share.... My mouth just dropped in shock when I saw it :o
P.S Apologies that it is not in good quality, I was unable to find a version that was not blury
Thankyou for reading,
Breanna
No comments:
Post a Comment