Week #9

First of all, does this guy think he is Dane Cook?
He made some really valid points in the video and everything that he mentioned does drive me crazy about powerpoints. I remember in my public speaking class that people would make powerpoint presentations and then read right off the slide. It seemed pointless. First of all it is really hard to hear the person when they are talking at the presentation, you need to face the people in the class and address them--the powerpoint already knows what you are going to say.

I love powerpoint but I do think it is important that you do use other resources just to mix things up. In my future classroom, I want to have a routine, but I don't want my students to know exactly what we are going to do everyday. In one of my current classes I know exactly what we are going to do every Tuesday and every Thursday. We sit and watch a powerpoint on every Tuesday and on Thursday we talk about a reading that we did during the week. It is such a bore. One day though, he mixed things up and I really enjoyed it. I understand the importance of having a routine though, because many students need structure.
I also love the option of putting pictures and videos in the powerpoint show. This makes it interesting and allows you to show the students pictures of what you are talking about that can help further explain the subject.

Week #8

I believe that it is important to know how to do powerpoint because it helps the students gather the information that you are trying to get across to them. In my personal experience, I'd rather have a teacher lecture with a powerpoint because you have the opportunity to write down what is on the slide and not just what the teacher is saying. Sometimes it is hard to catch everything that someone says, but with powerpoint it is all written.

The only downside with powerpoint is that students tend to just write what is on the slide and tune out to what you are saying. One way to fix this problem is to give them the powerpoint slides printed out and then they can write down extra notes onto the paper. This way they are listening to you instead of trying to hurry and write down what is presented on the slide.

Powerpoint is also great because you can put everything that you need into the presentation. This includes links, videos, music, pictures. This way you don't have to go searching the web for what you need to show the students.

I find powerpoint to be relatively easy and a good way to give information so I think that as a teacher I will be using powerpoint a lot in my lectures. Another reason why I like powerpoint is because it is so much better than using an overhead projector. I have found that it is so hard to see the information when it is presented on an overhead. It always seems blurry and the kids in the back of the classroom can't really see what it says. With powerpoint you can make the font big and everyone will be able to see it.

Week #7

Our webquest is coming along quite well still. During the week I have come up with more ideas of what I could use a webquest for and I have also researched other people's webquests. In all honesty I am not sure if I will use webquests a lot in my classroom because I am not sure what resources I will have available.

This assignment has made me realize all of the sources that are available through the internet. I know I have mentioned it before, but I believe that it is really important that you use different ways to teach because everyone has a different learning style. With different resources you can appeal to different students and they will be able to learn in many different ways. I have always found it easier to memorize certain things when it goes along to a tune.

In our webquest we have two youtube videos that are school house rock. Even though these resources might me considered elementary, they really do help students learn in secondary levels.

So first of all, this kid is an incredible public speaker. I wish that I had his skills. I have always believed that it is very important for teachers to believe in their students. If teachers don't believe in their students it really does show and students cant sense this. Sometimes it makes students not work as hard because they truly don't believe that their life will amount to anything. You should never give up on a student no matter how behind they are, how much they don't care, or how terrible they may be doing in school. The part about how teachers may be the only ones a child has/teachers may be the only ones that care/love them it brought tears to my eyes. It is so important that you recognize that every child is different and may not come from the same background that you did. I was lucky enough to have a lot of support from my parents, but I know that a lot of kids at my school were not in the same situation as I was.

It is also important that you believe in your staff. It is a good support system and you can really learn a lot from the people that surround you at a school. I believe that teaching is one of the hardest, but most rewarding jobs in the world. With a good support system you will be able to do things you never thought you'd be able to do.

I really enjoyed this video and I am glad that I had the opportunity to watch it.

Week #6

I think that webquests have the potential to be really cool. I believe it is important that it actually involves the world wide web or else it will be completely pointless. You don't want your webquest to be something that you could have just put on a piece of paper. In the classroom this will be a great tool because you will not have to print out sheets for everyone and all of the information will be up on a screen for everyone to see. It is also great because all you have to do is click and it will show exactly what you want it to show. This is great because you can just put the video clip you would like your class to see and then you won't have to go searching youtube for it.

I am really excited to complete the webquest assignment. My group game up with a really good idea and I believe that if all goes well it will turn out really great. I think that I have learned the value of having other people to work with so that you can share you ideas and come up with the best possible idea.

The link to the video did not work, so I did a little research and tried to find a video that I could possibly use in my future class. This is what i found:

I like this video because it explains the electoral college in simple english. It is also nice because it gives drawings to try and explain it in a clear way.