Blog Journal #8
In Diigo, I learned how to bookmark and annotate various educational articles on the web. I found that it is particularly useful because I can access the information on any given computer. Diigo is an excellent tool in the classroom and in groups because it provides a way for classmates to collaborate and share different resources. Once a student makes an annotation, any other student in the group can comment what they liked about the resource, and the comments can be seen by every member of the group. This is a tool that can be implemented in group projects too, because in provides a way to not only share resources, but it also allows for feedback
I can see how this tool would be useful in my professional efforts as well. My boss could share an interesting article with the rest of the office, and the office staff could share their opinion on the article and how they can incorporate those ideas in the workplace. Additionally, it is a great resource for everyday life. I often find myself perusing the web looking at different articles for not only my job, but also for my personal life and my personal interests.
As for powerpoint, it is useful at every stage of Bloom's Taxonomy. At stage one, it addresses the needs of "creating" because the material is put together in a powerpoint in an innovative way. This meaning that the author has creative liberty. A student creating a PowerPoint on a book that they is a great example.
The creative process here is far different than a dull and boring book report. The student could incorporate their own book review video, they can use pictures, a voice recording, or even music in order to share their point of view. This increases the engagement level in the class, and it could potentially motivate the student in the way that a essay would not. It is important to note that PowerPoint is not to only be used by instructors. PowerPoint provides a great way for students to show their understanding of the classroom concepts in a more meaningful way. I would use it as an instructor, but I would also require my students to use PowerPoint for book reports, group projects, and several other assignments.
At the next stage of evaluation, it allows for students to evaluate and to debate the concepts that are discussed in the presentation. There is no better way to facilitate conversation and discourse than PowerPoint. As I teacher, I would present the information by providing open ended questions in the PowerPoint in order to urge my students to provide their point of view with information to back it up. In this, they can pick their side and justify it. For example, I could ask them to explain the importance of alliteration, and why they would use it. Their response would indicate whether or not they know how to interpret the differences between different literary devices.
Stage three, which covers analysis, also applies to PowerPoint. Students can compare different concepts that are brought to their attention in the lesson plan that is shared through PowerPoint. The students can draw parallels between those concepts. For example, I could create a PowerPoint on close reading, and this could allow for them to differentiate the styles of the different authors. I could call for them to discuss the different styles of poetry, and literature. For example, I could make a presentation discussing both Alfred Owen and T.S. Elliot's elegies.
Stage four calls for the application of the concepts that the students learn. In class we were to include a question and then reveal the answer on our powerpoint. Quizzes are a great way of testing knowledge. Through PowerPoint, I would quiz students based on what they learn through the PowerPoint and interactive games. With the use of animations and transitions, this is made possible. I could use a dissolving image or links to create a jeopardy game in class. I have actually seen this first hand in my high school.
Stage five of the pyramid in Bloom's Taxonomy calls for understanding. After a quiz, or interactive game, I would be able to clearly see what concepts that the students missed. This allows for a classroom discussion where I can give examples of the concepts and how they are used in order to better prepare the students. I could go over the PowerPoint in further detail in this stage in order to give a better description of the key points that I expect the students to grasp. For example, a student may not know the difference between prose and free-verse when they show this during a quiz, I will know to cover that concept in further detail.
As for the final stage, it calls for the students to remember and memorize the concepts. I firmly believe that there is no better way to remember information than to review PowerPoints from lectures. In my experience, every professor that I have had at FSU has posted their PowerPoint slides online to better serve their students in their exam preparation. I can picture myself now, talking to a teacher and hearing, "did you not review my PowerPoint slides?" I would share my PowerPoint slides with my class. PowerPoint is plays a huge role in memorization of information. This is especially the case when you can take the information home with you.
With weeks worth of lectures, it is the easy way to keep up with material in the class. When the teacher creates a PowerPoint, knowing that it will be posted later, it allows for them to be more engaged in the lesson plan. Sometimes lectures are tough to keep up with. Brief bullet points that cover the main ideas of each lecture are a great way of reiterating the things that need to be understood by the audience.
Perhaps one of my students has attention deficit disorder, I will know that he or she will have trouble keeping along in class. The student will be at ease, knowing that all of the information from class will be available to them at home. I have experienced this first hand, as someone who has suffered greatly with this issue in college. I know that PowerPoint provides a great platform for reassuring a students who often find themselves lost in lecture notes. Proper note taking is essential in college, yet many people struggle in this area. With the use of PowerPoint, this issue is essentially eliminated.
On the topic of professional development and technology, it is crucial that teachers continue to adapt and create new ways for their students to learn through technology. One way that we can do this as teachers is through social media. That is exactly how I learned about the influence of several different forms of technology in this class. A great social media source is Education Week.
I use Education Week's twitter to keep up to date with educational technology on a daily basis. I will display a screenshot of one of their articles at the bottom of this post. However, it is important to note many other resources as well. Conferences, webinars, seminars, magazine subscriptions and web-based subscriptions prove to be plenty of ways to keep up with educational technology. Education Week provides a way for teachers to keep up with technology with blog posts, articles, Q&A's and research.
Below is a screenshot of a Q&A with an expert from Education Week. The article discusses the proper ways to implement and use technology in the classroom. For example, the school system shouldn't just hand out devices like 3-D printers and then not use them in a meaningful way. There are more articles on their website.
However, I thought that this Q&A would help the reader in understanding the importance of investing in classroom technology in the right way. This is a crucial part of professional development so that teachers and administrators do not waste funding on tools that do not have any use to the children in our school system. I also provided links to the article and the main website. I hope that this is a helpful resource. https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2018/10/03/qa-with-an-ed-tech-expert-dont-focus.html
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