This week marks the beginning of a new class: Using Productivity Tools Effectively. I am excited about this class in the sense that I feel like I'm heading into better-known territory, but I know from this first week that I still have a lot to learn. We have started working with online graphics programs, slide presentation programs, and getting into our text: Supporting Learning with Technology.
I found the graphics programs to be a lot of fun and the fact that they are all available online makes them even better. I especially enjoy the graphics programs that deal with photos. I often put together documents and presentations that use photos, so that just comes naturally to me. I tried out every program that was on the recommended list and ended up creating and posting projects created in Magmypic.com. This program allowed me to upload pictures of my loved ones and make them magazine and comic book cover models! It was something I could see being used by students and teachers in a classroom setting, as well as something I might use just for fun on my own.
The presentation programs were equally as interesting to me as the graphics. I am a big powerpoint user (sorry, Louis!), and actually taught PowerPoint in a former life, so as you can imagine I got a real kick out of the "Death by PowerPoint" presentation shared in our last class. I think presentation tools are excellent in the right environment. There are so many options out there that are more interactive for teaching purposes, but when the intention is to "present" there are options out there above and beyond PowerPoint. I chose to create a slideroll presentation and found it to be quite user-friendly and the result was a "video" quality presentation, without having to plot out transitions like the traditional presentation software.
I am looking forward to getting further into the class text. Where I work we have an organization-wide effort to intentionally integrate 21st century skills into every lesson plan. We strongly believe that students need to know more than the basics as they move into high school and beyond, especially the population of students in our program. I look forward to developing new ideas that I can share with my co-workers so we can continue to learn and grow in our efforts to help students develop these critical skills.
Once again, this course will be challenging like the others have been up to this point; but I know what I am learning is going to help me in my quest for professional as well as personal growth. It is extremely relevant to the work I do and rewarding to be able to apply it as I go!
I have found the textbook to be a challenge for me as a non-teacher. A lot of the material is really uncharted territory for me. That said, I am very interested in the 21st Century Skills concepts. If your school is focused on this topic, you might consider checking out Tony Wagner's book, "The Global Achievement Gap - Why even our best schools don't teach the new survival skills our children need - and what we can do about it."
ReplyDeleteI also use power points. I was excited to see other options. I don't always remember my flashdrives when I go home. Having that online option would be perfect for me.
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