Task #9 Presentation tools

Is there ever such a thing as too much information? As I explored slide share and 280 slides I kept asking myself when is enough enough? Do I need to share my products and presentations with the world? Do I want to? I don't need to share them. I guess it's s nice thing to do but do I have to? My answer was a resounding no!

On the same front does there ever reach a point when you have access to too much information? Once again when is enough enough? Let's keep the focus on the child and their interactions with the teacher. The bells and whistles of a clever presentation are nice but come on lets say uncle and just keep the focus on teaching.

Yes, students will/can do better when they have access to teacher presentation materials and yes, power point does have a few drawbacks...what software doesn't.... but have we reached the point of overkill?

Maybe it is simply the intensive nature of the course and deluge of information that we have tried to cover but I am to the point of saying enough is enough. A great teacher can teach regardless of his/her surroundings and resources.They don't need these tools.Perhaps we need to focus more on what makes a teacher effective and not get tangled up in the morass---yes a strong word---that technology can become.

Glogster-task 8

OK, I am over this one, big time. It looks cute, might have some applications in the classroom but as far as a tool that you can learn to use on your own...Way too complicated. I am quite sure that if I had extra time and someone to sit with me and work me thru this step by step I could figure it out. That being said I have neither. I also would guess that it is a tool, like many other software programs, that if you don't use frequently you might forget the ins and outs necessary to use it.

I will also say that once again, as with may of the tools, setting them up to be used in a classroom appears to be labor intensive from a data input standpoint. Is this the best use of teacher time? How often would a teacher use glogster accounts with 20 kids? Is the tool worth the time and effort. Based on my explorations this morning, I'm not convinced it is...Sorry :-(

Task 7 Collaboration

Hard to believe but I don't have a whole lot of comments on these tools or this task. None of them really did a lot for me and I am not real sure that I would go out of my way to use them in the classroom.

I do like Skype and being able to interact directly and personally with the person on the other end of the computer is certainly worth exploring. Wall Wisher and Wiggio looked interesting but the applications escape me. I have seen other applications for flashcards and this one didn't seem all that different. Maybe it's the weather ---dreary today--- but none of the sites associated with this task really got me motivated or enthused.

Kerpoof

Well, that was interesting and perhaps...I hate to admit it... a little bit of fun. Once again a tool that could be used in the classroom. I thought it might be fun to have one student create the scene and let another tell a story and/or caption the scene. A little cooperative leaning fun.

I followed the lesson format provided for students and thought that was very helpful. If I were teaching Kerpoof I don't think I would give students a whole lot of instruction. Half the fun of the site was discovering things on your own. Give them an overview and get out of the way!

KERPOOF

When I was in the classroom a few years back, one of my favorite units, and a unit my students looked forward to with excitement and a bit of trepidation, was the unit I taught on storytelling. We would talk about the history of storytelling, discuss the elements of a great story and as a culminating activity the students would chose a story to tell to their classmates. The basic parameters were the story had to be 3-5 minutes in length, told orally and students could not use props of any kind. Stories were told with words, sounds, motions and expressions.

The stories they chose to tell could be old favorites. I remember some classic versions of Goldilocks, or they could tell stories they created on their own.

I also remember a few classics performed by yours truly. The kids really liked them. ;-)

We would video the storytelling and then we would all watch them again for feedback. I can vividly remember kids cringing as they got the opportunity often for the first time to see and hear themselves on tape, yet as they watched they gained a great appreciation for themselves and their classmates as they were forced way out of their comfort zones.

As I read and explored the information on digital storytelling, I kept seeing many of the elements that I taught but I felt like the digital tools could take away some valuable learning experiences. Students need to learn how to speak and present in front of audience. Digital storytelling could give them an opportunity to tell a story but to hide themselves at the same time. I have mentioned frequently in this blog how important I believe communication skills are for success in the 21st century and I have also stated that communication can take on many shapes and sizes. Digital storytelling is certainly another shape and size but I would hate for it to become a way for students to avoid having to speak and present in front of an audience.

Perhaps it is my old school nature, but I worry and want everyone to remember to keep technolgy in it's place. Technology can make teachers better but it still can not replace great teaching. Let's make sure that technology doesn't become the driving force in the classroom. It is a tool for teaching not the teacher.

Now on to Kerpoof!

Task 5 On Line Writing

I spent some serious time looking at the links provided. The "We tell Stories Fairy Tales" link was a great place to begin. Simple and easy to use, I see this as a powerful tool to introduce story writing and the use of language to all students. Teachers can use it in variety of ways from descriptive language to comparisons to fairy tales elements. I could see many class applications.

The Historic Tale looked good on the surface and my mind immediately jumped to 5th grade applications and their units on medieval history. However, the more I looked at and played with the site the more frustrated I became. In short, I did not find it to be user friendly and after about 30 minutes of playing with it I got frustrated and gave up. Creating a story seemed time consuming and I wasn't able to come up with a final product.

Myths and Legends, Read Write and Think (where I was able to quickly and easily create cartoons) and Comic Creator II all were intriguing and offered many classroom possibilities. So the sites for on-line writing are there but now lets talk philosophy.

Being able to communicate clearly is a crucial 21st century skill. In my mind, perhaps the most important skill students need to develop. Too often programed writing, with formulas and predetermined schemes graded by rubrics, dominate the curriculum and inhibit the actual writing process. We all know of the dreaded 5 paragraph essay. These requirements can actually keep students from exploring and sharing unique, novel ideas and methods of writing. Students who can and are allowed to create in their minds and then find the medium to share what they create, either on-line or the old fashion way, are well on their way to mastering--although mastery probably isn't achievable---a critical and crucial skill. Any tool that encourages and helps motivate students to imagine, create and then record will be valuable in the classroom PROVIDED that the tool itself doesn't distract from the process.

The one concern I did have as I looked at the tools was that if not monitored and used properly, students could get tied into all the bells and whistles the sites offer and lose sight of their goal which should be to communicate what they have created in their mind.

Doing handsprings!!!