Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Enhance Learning in the Classroom.

I read an amazing article titled “Teaching Word Recognition to Young Children Who are at Risk Using Microsoft PowerPoint coupled with Direct Instruction” which discussed the substantial of pairing the two in order to increase student outcomes.

The article talked about the importance of developing word recognition skills in early childhood, as we all know plays a crucial role in reading fluency. The article also discussed the prevalence of technology in the school and home environments and how children become engaged through the use of technology. 

According to the article Microsoft PowerPoint allows the teacher to “manipulate a variety of pictures, colors, sounds, animations…to promote interest and motivation…[and to] deliver information in a clear, structured format, while keeping children engaged in the lesson” (Parette, et al, 2009)

When creating a PowerPoint word recognition lesson, the teacher needs to identify the words that will be taught (no more than 3 to 4), choose graphics that “provide a visual cue regarding the meaning of the words” and are clear and recognizable by the students, and finally design the script and template for the lesson.

I found this article to be fascinating and full of tips and strategies to use in the classroom. I definitely recommend taking the time to read this article!

Reference:

Parette, H.P., Blum, C., Boeckmann, N.M, & Watts, E.H. (2009). Teaching Word Recognition to Young Children Who are at Risk Using Microsoft PowerPoint coupled with Direct Instruction. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(5), 393-401
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Benefits of Using MS Word in the Classroom

I read an interesting article by Duncan Symons entitled “Using Microsoft Word to Teach Area”. In the article Mr. Symons discusses the way he used MS Word to help his students understand the concept of finding the Area of a rectangle. Mr. Symons discusses the principles behind research conducted by Way and Webb, co-authors of “Mathematics, Numeracy and E-Learning” (2006) Theses principles include “mov[ing] from teacher-centered to student-centered learning activities”, focusing on more global resources rather than local resources, and “increased complexity of tasks and [the] use of multi-modal information.” (Way & Webb 2006)

            The lesson Mr. Symons conducted involved the students creating a MS Word document. The students began by inserting a piece of clip art (their choice) and enlarging the clip art to cover the entire page. Next students were instructed to “insert” a table consisting of 18 rows and 18 columns. The students then specified the height as 1cm therefore creating a grid of 1cm squares. Next the students had to move the grid so that it covered the clip art choosing the “send behind text” option. When the students were finished they printed their documents and were now able to find the area of their irregular shapes by using the overlaid grid.

            Mr. Symons felt that the lesson allowed the students “to construct their own knowledge of the content” which led to students being able to “develop a more conceptual understanding of what area actually is.” (Symons 2011) Mr. Symons concluded the article referring back to principles set forth by Way & Webb and how each related to the particular lesson.

            In my opinion I felt this article presented a great example of how the integration of technology into the classroom improved student learning outcomes as well as increase student engagement. I loved the idea of the lesson and will be trying it with my students this year. Mr. Symons also pointed out other lessons he has done incorporating technology into his math class such as using Excel to create spreadsheets which allowed students to “quickly divide and multiply whole and decimal powers of ten…allowing [students] to gain a better understanding of place value and the process involved.

Reference:

 Symons, D. (2011). Using Microsoft Word to Teach Area. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 16(3), 20-24.

Web Site Design Unit

As a teacher, I believe that an effective way to extend learning time, create student interest, as well as open up the lines of communication with parents and families is through the use of classroom websites. Currently I use a wiki page with various links to each academic subject, Internet resources, notes to parents, etc. as my classroom website.

At first I had no idea how to develop my wiki space or how to navigate around the site once it was created. What I personally like about the wiki spaces is that they are free for educations and super easy to create, maintain, and explore. My students LOVED doing their homework on the wiki space as well as study for tests, review classroom notes, look up their assignments and locate educational resources that pertained to what we were learning in the classroom. Parents loved the fact that they were able to check-in and see what their children were studying and what they had for homework each night. Parents also loved that I set up a separate discussion area just for parents.

This is a link to the site I used to create my wiki page http://www.wikispaces.com/content/teacher/ 

Post: Using websites in the classroom

This week I had to research an article discussing the effects of using technology (ex. websites, blogs, etc.) in the classroom. I read an article titled "Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students". The article identified 7 benefits resulting in increased use of technology within the classroom. Those 7 benefits include

• a change in student and teacher roles
• increased motivation and self-esteem
• increased level of technical skills
• accomplishing more complex tasks
• increased collaboration with peers
• an increase use of outside resources
• improved design skills

The article points out that through the use of technology the students take on a more active role in their learning. Students are "actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information" and the teacher is seen more as the "facilitator...providing guidelines...and providing suggestions and support for the students." (Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students)

Further the article referenced the increased motivation of the students. "[T]echnology provid[es] a venue in which a wider range of students can excel...[and]... different ways in which students can show what they understand." (Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students)

In my opinion this article was worth reading. It enlightened many areas of concerns some educators may have about incorporating technology into their classrooms.

link: http://2.ed.gov/pubs/EdreformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html