Monday, April 8, 2013

Information communication and presentation

         These chapters discuss information communication and information presentation.  Communication technologies in the classroom can be used to communicate with teachers, students and families.  They consist of email, instant messaging, online discussions, class websites, class blogs, and class wikis.  Teachers and students can work together to create some of these communication technologies for their classroom.  When deciding which of these technologies to use in their classroom, teachers must determine what type of communication will be taking place and what skills will be needed?  These communication technologies can be used to teach interactively, share information, build learning communities, publish students work and energize students writing.  The teachers can continue learning outside of the classroom through these technologies. 

                I believe that email is one of the best communicating tools for the families.  Email is a quick and easy way to access parents, as long as they all have access to a computer.  In regards to students, email is also great because it can be recorded and referred back to.  I also believe that online discussions and blogs are very beneficial for students.  They are able to share ideas and respond to others.  A class website would also be a great tool!  So much information can be put up on a website. 

                Information communication through technology also ties in with information presentation.  Information presentation is using multimedia technologies to help convey information in an engaging way for both the students and the teachers.  Types of information presentation include PowerPoint, videos, movies, digital pictures, and digital videos.  I believe that if a class website is created, all of these presentation forms can also be included in it.  Digital pictures can be taken during classroom activities and trips, digital videos can be taken of science experiments, lectures, school plays and talent shows.  This is a great way for the students to view their accomplishments as well as learn from watching themselves.  Students can usually catch any mistakes that they made during a project or activity when watching a video of themself.  This also makes it a learning experience. The students would love to see their work posted online and I believe that their families and friends would enjoy it also.  This will help motivate the students to do great work because it will be published. 

                In regards to PowerPoint presentations, I think that they are a great tool to use in the classroom.  I love making PowerPoint’s; therefore this would make teaching more engaging for me.  It will also make learning more engaging for the student’s because it includes transitions, animations, pictures, and possibly videos and links. Teachers and students have to make sure that they focus on the content of the presentation first and the creativity second.  According to the text, 230,000 students in K-12 stated that creating presentations and movies on the computer was a favorite school work activity.  As a child, I would have agreed to that as well.  I find that this tool is engaging and it presents information to the students, while it is being discussed.  Along with movies and videos, I believe that the students like creating them and it makes learning fun.  I find that reading a story in class and then watching the movie to be very beneficial.  The students will be able to compare the two by finding similarities and differences. 

                Overall, I believe that information communications and presentations should definitely be used in the classroom when necessary and relevant.  They help engage the students a little more and make learning fun. 

Questions:

1.       Would you allow your students to communicate through instant messaging?  Do you think allowing them to textspeak will be damaging to their writing skills in the classroom?

2.       Do you think a class website would be beneficial in your classroom?  If so, what would you include in it?

3.       In the text, Tufte stated, “audience boredom is usually a content failure, not a decoration failure” when discussing the disadvantages of PowerPoint presentations.  Do you agree or disagree?

3 comments:

  1. Hi Kelly,

    In response to your second question, I think that a class website would be highly beneficial, ad when I have my own classroom I will most likely create one. I would include a section where homework assignments are posted, a section where extra assignments are, links to educational games, and key points of each lesson.

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  2. To answer your first question, I think I will not let students to text message in class. Text messages are often short and brief information without grammar rules,so I don't think it helps students with their writing. Also students talks to each other with text message, and they usually ignore what the teacher said, and just text and talk for fun.

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  3. Great Blog! Yes I think that a classroom website will be beneficial to use inside of my classroom. I think there are many things you can include inside of your class website. For example I think you could put what the students will be learning that week in school. You can add information that the students and parents might use to study or review from. I would also add websites about the content that we would be learning. The students will be able to use this to play games and learn more about the content. I would also add the homework for the week and any upcoming projects so that the students know what is due and if they do forget they can go on the classroom website. I would ass pictures from the day or from a class trip to keep the parents involved in what is going on with their children.

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