Week of February 26

As we have started creating a podcast this week, I came to the realization that I need to change my tone more frequently when I am teaching. When I was recording my voice, I noticed the "flat line" on the screen. There is basically no change in my tone of voice. I was also disappointed to hear how monotoned my recordings were. Although I feel like I am more animated when in front of a classroom, I will certainly be more conscious of my tone of voice.

I am a long way from feeling comfortable using Audacity, but I am excited about its usefulness. I need to become more proficient with the program so I am comfortable using it and can create podcasts quickly. My goal is to have a class web page, and podcasts would be an excellent addition to the page. They can be used to present information to both parents and students. Podcasts seem like an excellent application of technology in the classroom.

Week of February 19

The PowerPoint exercises seemed very time consuming to me. By the time that I had completed them, however, I felt like I had gotten enough practice using PowerPoint that I could use it proficiently. This is my first time to use PowerPoint, so I am pleased that I am learning how to use it.

I am very excited about using PowerPoint in my classroom. Not only is it an effective presentation tool, but it will be a wonderful way to collect teaching resources. I love the idea of saving material in this format in order to be able to access it easily, as well as, to be able to modify the material to meet changing needs. I also like that it can be used as a source of remediation or review for individual students. The hyperlinks that can be inserted are a great tool!

Week of February 12

PowerPointless Presentations

1. What makes a PowerPoint Presentation, PowerPointless?

• When it is overused
• When it is just a fancy copy of notes
• When instructors read directly from PowerPoint
• When the format distracts from the content
  

2. What makes a presentation effective?

• When the content is substantial
• When the text is limited
• When it provides a visual outline of material presented

3. What's the role of PowerPoint in a presentation?

• To serve as a visual outline
• To provide graphics, audio, & hyperlinks that support the content
  
• To help enhance understanding by the audience

I have seen teachers that use PowerPoint to present vocabulary words to their class. Although this doesn't seem to be any more effective than writing the words on the board, it does give the teacher an easy way to provide students who are absent with vocabulary words that they miss.

Week of February 5

Although I have used Microsoft Word for years, I have a very limited knowledge of some of the tools available in the program. After completing the word processing assignment, though, I learned much easier ways to use some of the tools such as tables and numbering. While at work, I had to type a simple list of books and their authors. I typed it in a very short time with the use of a table and the automatic numbering tool.

In completing the word processing assignment, I reorganized a resume that I had written previously. Since one of the requirements was to use bullets, I bulleted my experience. Although it made my resume longer than I would like, the resume is now much easier to read. I will continue to work on it in order to shorten it, but I like the use of the bullets.