I have been working on my powerpoint assignment for this class. This assignment has made me reconsider the modality for presenting information in a new light. Never before have I used powerpoint to make a tutorial without a supporting commentary (live presentation). I have structured my tutorial in order to be engaging to a viewer. I used video and audio clips to bring information to life. I have used Imovie in order to create my own videos (rather than merely youtube). This really provides the needed evidence to substantiate my thesis.
The following video appears on the second slide of my powerpoint presentation:
Upon doing this project it became apparent that there are some compatibility issues between Mac and PC computers. I finally was able to format my CD such that it could be read universally. My peers seemed to encounter similar problems.
We discussed video production in terms of shot divisions, camera angles and camera movements. We also looked at how to embed a video into powerpoint using Imovie.
Unit Planning with Technology: In lecture, we discussed some considerations when incorporating technology into the classroom. First, you should ask yourself "What do I want my students to learn?". Second, "What do the state standards mandate for the subject?". Third, "What is your pedagogical need? What tools of communication, resources, technologies do you need to achieve your curriculum goal?". Fourth, "How will you deal with the technological concerns (i.e. security, maintenance, technological support, achievement gap)?. Fifth, "How are you going to empower yourself and your students?"
New products are now available to make learning more stimulating and engaging. Today, in lab, we are exploring the use of "Smart Interactive Whiteboards" in the classroom. The smartboard is an interactive alternative to the standard whiteboard. The touch-sensitive display is a projection of the computer screen.
City TV Calgary covered this new technology in a morning news briefing.
I began to search on the web for ideas of how to incorporate this new technology in the classroom. There are actually numerous websites available where teachers have posted lesson plans and interactive websites they have found to be useful. This is an example of such a link:
The very fact that teachers are sharing their successes with others, shows how technology is also serving to unite eachother. The Internet is allowing educators to help eachother flourish!
Barbara Kruger is a conceptual artist. She uses large photographs with overlaid captions. The messages critically express messages that challenge the viewer to consider the power structures in society. "I Shop Therefore I am" was one image we discussed. A large black and white hand is holding the caption. To me, this is expressing how in order to truly exist in our world, you need to be a buyer and user of material objects. This is an unhealthy outlook of our role in the world. Consumer goods are increasingly taking on a stronger psychological role in a person's life. The ownership of a particular object serves as a status symbol to shape one's identity. I think it would be a valuable activity to bring in images like these to critically extrapolate meaning with students.
I used today's lab period to continue to finish up my digital photo album. I was just going through Apple's website and found an interesting link related to education. The web address is posted below. This is important as it shows that even companies understand the need to integrate technology into the classroom. Obviously, their points are economically driven. Even so, there is value to the various resources, such companies are making available.
The most meaningful part of today's lecture, was viewing the critical pedagogy video. I have included the link below, in order to revisit this at a later juncture. The sentiments have been echoed in a coursepack reading of a different class I am studying. In Ethics, we have been learning about "Liberation Theology". The quote below, coincides perfectly with our class discussions:
Richard Shaull explains,"There is no such thing as a neutral education process. Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of the world."
The alleviation of oppression and inequality should be a fundamental aspect of our education. Education can and should promote change. By not actually taking a stance on education the teacher is accepting and validating the current system with its oppressive elements. It is important to create a truly inclusive and dialogical classroom that embraces difference and strives for change.
