Day 12: Going on the Road

I thought today's readings were very interesting and gave great tips to use when presenting. In the article "Engage, Yourself, Engage your audience", it mentions four elements that enable you to be at your best for speaking I found these elements very helpful. Here are the four elements: the passionate speaker, the analytical speaker, the confiding speaker and the extemporaneous speaker. The passionate speaker has energy and a contagious enthusiasm. The analytical speaker relays information in a clear and concise manner. The content level is high with facts and data. The confiding speaker talks slowly, quietly and has good eye contact with audience. Finally, the extemporaneous speaker keeps the presentation fresh. Your voice has a lot of variety. Your body emphasizes points with gestures and facial expression. Your mood is light and readily responds to audience reactions. These four elements are considered the PACE model and when you interweave them all you will be able to engage your audience intellectually and emotionally. I think this is a great model to use when speaking. It is simple but it includes everything that is needed to be a great speaker.

Day 11 Readings: Portfolios and Assessment

In the article " Incorporating Portfolio Assessment", it talks about the advantages and disadvantages to student assessment portfolios. Here are some of the advantages that were the most important to me :

• Provides structure for involving students in developing standards for quality performance
• Allows assessment of process and progress
• Documents time, effort, and improvement in student understanding
• Shifts instructors' focus from comparative ranking to improving understanding via feedback
• Promotes creativity, individuality, and uniqueness in the assessment of learning

The advantage that struck me the most was that portfolios allow assessment of process and progress. Students would be able to reflect on their accomplishments each year and see their progress and also have the opportunity to see what area they need to improve on.

Here are some of the disadvantages:

• Require additional time for planning instructional activities
• Demands considerable time for assessment
• Students may need traditional scores or evidence of learning for admission criteria, job placement, or similar events
• Often does not meet requirements for state or national standards

One of the biggest disadvantage that I saw was that it would take a lot more time on the teachers part and time is something teachers don't have. With the way our school system is set up teachers have very little time for planning much less creating portfolios and maintaining them. However, even though there are many disadvantages for student assessment portfolios I still think that they are a much better form of assessment than the traditional testing and scores. It would obviously take some change in the way people currently see student assessment and it would have to be at all levels ( student, teacher, parent, administrator, state and national) but I think it would be best way to properly assess a student.

Day10: Electronic Portfolios for Students

I really like the idea of digital portfolios for students as a means of evaluating them instead of just collecting a folder that constains their test scores. At my district we use to have student portfolios for all students. Every student had a folder and it was passed on to each of their teachers every year, and each teacher would put in a couple samples of the students work. However the folders were getting so big and so hard to handle by the time the student graduated from our school that my district stopped having us put in any samples of work. Now each student has a folder that is kept in a file cabinet in the school office, and at the end of the school year each teacher puts a report card and AIMS test scores for each student. Now that folder is the only thing that we have to evaluate the students progress at our school. Even though I didn't realize it at the time it seems like we were on the right track years ago when we were collecting samples of students work. Even though keeping those huge folders year after year would of run into some storage problems it would of shown more of assessment than I think just a folder of test scores do. Having a digital portfolio for every student would be so beneficial to everyone involved. Students would be able to get a copy and take it with them to high school. Teachers would be able to see what they did and what they are cabable of doing prior to coming to their class and parents could see how their child was progressing year after year.

Day 9: Electronic Portfolios

Before this class I never heard of electronic portfolios. I have used regular portfolios with my students but they were just made in a folder or notebook. Also, I don't really think I realized how powerful portfolios could be to my students. I basically had them insert their best works and then had them show their parents at conferences. I never realized how important the reflection aspect of making a portfolio could be in assessing one's work. I think that would of made them much more meaningful to my students. I have always kept notebooks with my work or ideas but I really like the idea of using electronic portfolios to document my work through the years. There is so much more that you can put in an electronic portfolio that cannot be put in just a notebook. You can insert videos and audio and various multimedia presentations. I think it would be so much more meaningful than just some notes or pictures in a notebook. I am glad I have the opportunity to create mine in this class. I am sure that it will take many shapes and forms through the years. I look forward to creating mine and reflecting on my growth and development throughout my career.

Day 8: Professional/Teaching Portfolios

Teaching portfolios are away of recording and sharing a teachers work, their specific achievements, what they have learned and the growth they have made along the way. They can be as simple as their best works or as complex as an alternative assessment procedure. There are five stages involved when making a portfolio. First is the concept stage. This is the planning of the portfolio. Deciding what will be in your portfolio. Next is the collection stage. Collecting all the potential artifacts related to their growth goal. Third is the selection stage. Teachers review and evaluate the artifacts that they have saved, and choose those that demonstrate specific achievements. Fourth is the reflection stage. Teachers become reflective practitioners, evaluating their own growth over time and their achievement of the standards, as well as the gaps in their development. Finally, that last stage is the connection stage. This is where the teacher presents their portfolios to their peers. Portfolios allow the teacher to be reflective of their work and assess their growth. It also allows them to document the practices they would like to preserve and even pass on to others. Portfolios are a great way to record a teachers career and achievements.

Day 7: Tips for Different Types of Presentations

Here are some are some key points I learned about making a relaxed and effective presentation. First in order to create an effective presentation you must be prepared and confident and in order to do this you must know what you are going to say. The best way to achieve this is to write out a script of what you will be saying during your presentation. I know this is what I would have to do before presenting because I do not "wing it" very well. I would get nervous and forget everything that I had planned on saying. When you write your script make sure it is informative and tell your story in a way that will be interesting and will inspire enthusiasm. Your script should have facts and supportive data. You should give examples or analogies that add meaning and context to the data and reasons this is important to your listeners. Once you are done with your script you want to memorize and rehearse it and make it sound very natural. Since it is difficult to memorize an entire script it was suggested in the readings that you practice singing your script. I have never tried this but supposedly it is easier to remember the information if you sing it over and over. Once you have your script down you would concentrate on the delivery. Then you would just practice in front of the mirror or family members or an imaginary audience. If you follow these tips you are sure to give an informative and inspiring presentation.

Day 6- Using Multimedia Peripherals

I found the readings for today very useful and full of great tips. I especially liked the lessons that were given in the "1001 Uses for a Digital Camera". Even though they all were geared to a specific grade level they could easily be modified and changed to the grade level that I teach. I definitely will try some of these lessons in my classroom this year.
I also learn from the "Top 10 Tips" when taking pictures. I was familiar with many of the tips such as; getting down to their level and moving in close. Although there were tips that I had never heard of such as; know your flashes range, press the shutter button halfway down to lock the focus and using the flash outside.
The scanning tips were also very good. I didn't realize there was so many thing to take into account when you are scanning a picture. I usually just press "scan" and that is probably why my pictures don't always turn out so well. These were all very helpful ideas and tips and I intend on trying them this week as I take pictures for my projects.

Day 5: Using Fonts, Clip Art and Photographs in Multimedia Presentations

The most important thing to remember when creating a multimedia presentation is to "keep it simple". Here are some basic tips that I learned from the articles:

• Use fonts effectively- Use fonts that are easy to read and use the 24 karat rule. If you need to use a smaller font do not go lower than 18.
  Preview your presentation- Go to the room where you will be presenting. Make sure your text is readable. If possible ask someone else to preview your presentation.
• Keep running text to a minimum. No more than 6 to 8 words per line.
• Use graphics, animation or sound whenever they provide an effective accent.
• Your content is the most important.
• Use landscape instead of portrait layout.

I think the hardest rule about creating a presentation is to keep it simple. I know that whenever I have made a presentation I try and put a lot of information. I definitely use more than 6 to 8 words per line and I don't think I have ever used the 24 for karat rule. This article had great information and was very useful.

Day 4- Mulitmedia Copyright laws and fair use

I know that copyright laws were intended to protect the author from getting their work stolen or being used by someone else as their own work. I understand why they were created because it is only fair to give credit to the people that created a particular type of work. They worked hard and deserve to get the credit. However, after reading the articles about copyright laws it just became apparent to me that even as an educator I didn't know all the rules especially when it comes to copying things from the Internet. I think that might be the case for many educators and just people in general and maybe that is why those copyright laws are not being followed. Another reason is that the laws seem to be very difficult to follow, confusing and a bit vague. I know that the bottom line was just ask permission if you didn't know for sure but I know that I have not used information in the past from a website when I knew it was copyrighted because I just didn't have the time to wait for the approval. It seems like new copyright laws need to be created to keep up with all the new ways that information can now be spread, and just made easier so that everyone can benefit from another persons idea.

Day 4-Defining Multimedia

Multimedia is the integration of text, graphics, animations, sound and video. I found it very interesting to see how the definition has changed throughout history. I started thinking how it has changed so much just in my life time. When I was in elementary school my teacher would use this old movie projector to show science films. It would take forever for her to get the film reel on and to get everything to work but it was neat when we got to see a film at school. In my classroom my students have access to all kinds of multimedia. They can watch a video at just a touch of a button on their computers. I remember my mom using this old brownie camera when I was very young. Then we moved up to a Kodak. I think we might of even had a Polaroid camera. Every few years we would upgrade and get a camera that could do more things. Now everyone in my family has a digital camera or a camcorder. It is amazing how far technology has come and how the definition of multimedia continues to change.

Day 3-Storyboards

Today's readings were all about making storyboards. I didn't find a clear definition but it looks like storyboards are just a graphic organizer for video making and multimedia presentations. They break down the elements of a video production. For a 30 second movie you would start with an eight frame storyboard. It is basically 8 blank boxes shaped like a TV. You would think of the storyboard template as a comic strip. Each block has a picture with action and a line or two of dialog. You write down what you see happening in each block. It seemed pretty simple so I went ahead and tried to make one using PowerPoint. I just inserted the MS organizational chart. It was simple and could be made in a just a few minutes. I liked it and it did make sense to use some sort of organizer when we are creating presentations. I could see how it would help with the organization and the thinking process( just like the graphic organizers do when you are writing a story). It seems like your video or presentation would run smoother if you had a storyboard to work from. Good idea!

Setting the Theoretical Stage and Design Basics

Five P’s to a Poised and Perfect Presentation

The five P's to a perfect presentation are: planning, preparing, practicing, previewing and presenting. The first is planning which is probably the most important. Before giving a presentation you need to know who your audience will be and plan accordingly. Find out the amount of time that you will have and stick to the main ideas and make it interesting. If you use slides make sure they are clear and easy to read. Leave enough time to allow people to ask questions. Second is preparing for your presentation. If you are going to use a laser make sure you have extra batteries. If you need a cart or a table make arrangements ahead of time. Make sure you have enough supplies or paper for everyone. Next is practicing for your presentation. Practice your presentation several times and try to practice in front of someone. Do not use equipment that you will not have for your presentation. Keep track of your time so that you will know if you need to add or take off anything from your presentation. Another thing to keep in mind when presenting is previewing. Visit the place where you be presenting and make sure that all of your equipment is there and working. Preview your slide and test your microphone. Finally, present in an exciting way. Keep eye contact with your audience and watch for their general reaction and adjust accordingly. Speak slow and maintain a good sense of humor no matter what happens. Don't read the talk but make it sound like a normal conversation. At the end thank your audience and answer any questions that they have.

Reflection:
This was a great simple guideline for giving a terrific and well planned presentation. I wish everyone could read these basic ideas before they give presentations. So many times I have attended workshops or trainnings where the presentor is not prepared or does not know how to run the equipment or does not have enough papers for everyone. By not following those basic guidelines you really can start off wrong with your audience and many times it will be very hard to get them interested in what you have to say when you lose them right at the beginning of your presentation.

Setting the Theoretical Stage and Design Basics

Workshop:"Constructivism as a Paradigm for teaching and Learning"



Constructivism is a theory that is based on observation and scientific study on how people learn. The main idea of this theory is that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through their experiences and by reflecting on those experiences. When you learn something that is new you think about what you already know and then decide if you are going to believe this new concept or not. In other words people decide for themselves and are the creators of their own knowledge. A constructivist teacher will encourage students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then reflect on them. Dr. Christie used a very simple active technique yesterday with an ice-breaker activity that allowed students to create their own knowledge. We were given an assignment with limited supplies and a short amount of time and were expected to come up with a quality product. It allowed us be creative, actively involved, to take risks and learn from each other and I think that is what constructivism is all about.

This article was very interesting and I think that I do use some of the constructive techniques that were mentioned and would like to use more of them. However, one of things that I kept thinking about as I read the differences between a traditional and constructivist classroom was how to use this theory in the classroom when your school has a strict curriculum and everything seems to be about how we perform on the state test and not really what or how students are learning. I am not in a regular classroom anymore but I remember being very frustrated that I had to stick to the reading curriculum exactly and had to be on a certain chapter by a certain date and had to have exactly two hours of Language Arts. Although, I think this is a great theory and is a great way to teach and learn I think it might difficult to incorporate in your classroom all the time with the way that standardized testing and strict curriculum's are now a part of the school system.