Week 5

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I think we all know that chalk and talk in the classroom no longer works. Students today are the most technologically advanced than any before them.  Children today pick up on new technology's and learn how to use them much faster then I ever did as a child.  Due to this it is increasingly important to engage yourself in lessons about new technologies and ways to engage students in everyday classroom activities.  I don't believe that teachers need to be one step ahead of their students when it comes to technology, however I do believe teacher and student can learn together. This weeks blog is all about PowerPoint, Prezi's and iPads in the classroom. 

PowerPoint

Some of us may hear the word PowerPoint and shudder at the thought of using it in the classroom.  PowerPoint is now quite an old technology, however updates are taken place regularly to keep the software up to date.  PowerPoint is traditionally a medium to support oral presentations; so much more can be done with the program in the classroom! It is now a platform the supports the embedding of text, audio, video, images, linking and interactivity; making it ideal for multimodal presentations. 
Winch et. al. (2012) state the importance of students becoming multi-literate in classrooms. It is increasingly important for children to be able to, not only read and understand words, but images, videos and auditory statements.  
The following website is an excellent resource for teachers who are wanting to engage their class in PowerPoint. It has links to other pages such as pages with free template downloads, a do's and don't list etc. http://www.investintech.com/content/powerpoint/

There are many activities that can be enhanced with the use of powerpoint.  

• A boring oral presentation is made much more exciting and engaging when a powerpoint is added. 
• Students can use powerpoint for a backdrop and use them for scene changes in Drama. 
• As well as students using power Point for various exercises teachers can also use it to enhance their own lessons.  

This PMI chart is a handy go to, when thinking about PowerPoints use in the classroom. 

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·      It’s fun to use ·      It’s easy to use ·      It has a spell check function ·      Able to be saved as an image ·      Able to be printed ·      It’s easy to learn the basics of the program ·      Increases students possibility in retaining what they are taught when used in a lesson	·      Computers do crash – have a back up plan ·      Overuse of program can bore students ·      Students can waste time on the “pretty” aspect rather then the information ·      Need a large screen (Projector or IWB) to successfully watch a presentation ·      Not using PowerPoint effectively can render the lesson worthless, as students attention wont be kept.	·      Templates can be downloaded from webpages ·      Can be converted to a webpage

Prezi

Now that we have learnt all about Power Point we have the next stage, a Prezi. Prezi are quite different from powerpoint as they allow you to view the big picture, then zoom in on the detail that you want to see.  It allows students to see the 'global perspective' then smaller detial.  This short youtube clip is an introduction to the use of a Prezi. 

There are many ways that a Prezi can be used in the classroom including but not limited to"

• Biographies
• Glossary
• Timelines
• Unit/Lesson Overview

I have created a table of both Plus' and minus' for power Point and Prezi's use in the classroom:

PowerPoint		Prezi
Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus
·      It’s fun to use ·      It’s easy to use ·      It has a spell check function ·      Able to be saved as an image ·      Able to be printed ·      It’s easy to learn the basics of the program ·      Increases students possibility in retaining what they are taught when used in a lesson ·      More features and options	·      Computers do crash – have a back up plan ·      Overuse of program can bore students ·      Students can waste time on the “pretty” aspect rather then the information ·      Need a large screen (Projector or IWB) to successfully watch a presentation ·      Not using PowerPoint effectively can render the lesson worthless, as students attention wont be kept.  ·      Most people don’t know how to use it to its full potential therefore can seem boring	·      Presentation appears more fluid and more visual ·      Web based therefore can be accessed from any computer ·      Easy to edit presentation with other users in real time ·      Easy to Learn	·      Can make people dizzy ·      Limited printing options ·      Web based (problems if no internet connection) ·      Animation Novelty can wear off

iPads

A lot of schools are now equipped with iPads or tablets either for each classrooms or a school set.  iPads are a resource that offers never ending roles to be used.  When accessing the App Store on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod it is easy to see the myriad of applications that are accessible, literacy at your finger tips.  These applications on offer help a range of subject areas, and a range of year levels.  A few apps that I have come across during my time would be beneficial in any classroom setting. 
The first application is the Lego Movie Maker.  This App allows students to take photos and create their very own movie.  Frames can be edited, by reducing the frame speed or creating an effect on the frame, adding sound effects etc.  During a tutorial session we were given the opportunity to have a play with the iPads. One app that I explored with a group was the Lego Movie Maker. We found the app to be very user friendly, and quick to design our very own movie.  One issue we did come across was saving of the clip.  The clip was able to be saved to the iPads camera roll, however an issue may arise if the movie was needed to be transferred to a computer or another device.  During the session we ended up using air drop to transfer the movie to my iPhone, then the iPhone was synced with my computer and the movie was able to be uploaded to this site. I believe this app is a great app for use in lower grades and for many different subject areas. The following video is the movie we made with the App Lego Movie Maker.

There are a number of Applications that are able to be downloaded for a number of reasons.  A simple Google Search will present with hundreds of ideas of Apps to use, and ways to incorporate this into classroom activities.  To help teachers to come to a conclusion about an Apps use in the classroom Kathy Schrock's critical evaluation tool may be of use. 
The following shows a range of Apps, aligned with SAMR, Blooms Taxonomy, and related activities.  

Image sourced from http://elearningrnps.global2.vic.edu.au/2014/05/01/samr-model-using-technology-in-the-classroom/

References

Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2012). Literacy, Reading, Writing & Children’s (4^th ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

Technology. (n.d.). PowerPoint in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/powerpoint/

Invest in Tech. (n.d.). Using PowerPoint in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.investintech.com/content/powerpoint/

The Vivid Method. (n.d.) Prezi versus PowerPoint for presentation visuals. Retrieved from http://vividmethod.com/prezi-versus-powerpoint-for-presentation-visuals/