Social Justice

I’m excited to incorporate technology into the curriculum. However, it’s important to remember that not all students have access to technology at home. Good teaching requires educators to know their students. Likewise, it’s important to know what technology (computers, Internet, cameras, cell phones, etc.) students have access to and are comfortable using. This can be accomplished through a simple questionnaire.

I don’t think it’s fair to use technology not all of the students have access to, but the same time, I believe I’d be doing my students a disservice if I didn’t use technology simply because of access issues for a few. Students will need to use technology in the real world. Therefore, I want to make sure I not only introduce my students to technology, but also teach them how to use it effectively. In other words, I want to make sure they’re “technologically fluent.”

I think schools should provide any technology they expect their students to use. If I expect my students to use certain tools, I want to make sure they have opportunities to use them in class as well as before and after school. In addition to increasing access in the school, I plan to provide recommendations to students on where they can use technology around the community (public library, etc.). In any case, I want to be careful not to draw attention to students who do not have access to technology at home and I want to make sure that my expectations are reasonable for all students.

PowerPoint

There were a lot of things I liked about the PowerPoint presentations. A few items that come to mind:

- James’ introduction to Algebra effectively simplified the information for his audience. The presentation appeared to be well planned and rehearsed with its timed animations and smooth transitions.

- Brandon’s presentation on major and minor thirds incorporated an engaging activity into the slides.

- Hayley used PowerPoint to present the rules of Improv, but didn’t let technology overshadow the content.

- Other things I remember: IPMAT (Liz), people shot bison from trains (Luke), lasers go pew pew (Zach).

I found the presentations crammed with too much information to be the least engaging. I was overwhelmed by slides containing too much text and had difficulty following lectures that were read word for word.

It was interesting to see the creativity in everyone’s presentations. I think the best PowerPoint presentations are those that are well planned and rehearsed, and take a variety of elements into consideration, including the presenter, the audience, the content, the amount of time, and the space. I would improve my own presentation by incorporating more sound effects and video clips.

I like using PowerPoint as a lesson presenter. PowerPoint keeps presentations organized and allows the audience to follow along and take notes. There’s so much you can do with PowerPoint. However, there are its disadvantages. Good presentations take time to prepare, create, and rehearse. PowerPoint also limits opportunities for students to actively participate in the learning. If used creatively, however, PowerPoint can be a very effective teaching tool.