Watching the presentations tonight underscored how technology can make us more efficient workers. Gutenberg's printing press made possible mass production of books. The spinning jenny resulted in cheaper yarn helping to usher in the Industrial Revolution. Of course, Henry Ford's famous assembly line production drove down the price of automobiles for American families. And the microwave oven allows college students to consume vast quantities of unhealthy foods during late night study sessions without making a huge mess.
Teaching, as in book-making, can be done more efficiently. And, unlike heating a hot pocket at 2 a.m., finding ways to teach more efficiently actually benefits students.
For example, in my math class I am able to assemble a standards-aligned exam using database test-generating software that sorts items by standard, objective, and difficulty. Then, after students fill in their bubble sheets, I scan them and run detailed reports according to the same criteria.How does this make me more efficient besides processing tests more quickly (which is a huge benefit by itself)? By having such detailed reports instantly, I can isolate weaknesses early on and clear up misunderstandings before they infect other topics. My students will also know exactly what is going to be expected of them in the course, instead of having to learn a broad set of information and hope that what I assess is including in that.
Let's find the easiest, quickest way to teach and learn what we need to.
What's one thing you saw tonight that will help you be a more efficient teacher?
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27 comments:
By having online surveys and online quizzes it eliminates the need for paper and it increases the efficiency of the assessments.
Technology greatly aids in lessons planning. Technology can greatly improve and make lessons more efficient and the possibilities are endless! I liked Roxie's lesson and found it more engaging especially Jeopardy.
One thing that I saw tonight that I thought was very effective was Stephen's way in which he could grade student's physics answers.
i think it is very cool that if the student gets the problem wrong, that student has another chance through the teacher giving an optional hint to the student. I think this makes learning efficient because it is instant feedback. Usually feedback comes with tests a week later. Instant feedback is priceless in transmitting information (learning) effectively.
One thing that I saw tonight that would make me a more efficient teacher was the idea that "teaching is never perfect the first time" which was part of someone's philosophy. I feel like sometimes I have the mindset that a lesson is going to go perfectly. I think that realizing that's not always going to be the case and reflecting on how you can improve is important and will make you a better teacher.
One thing I saw tonight that will help me be a better teacher is by using videos and free softwares that can help make learning fun! I really enjoyed how Ashley incorporated a song in her lesson that got everyone involved. Also, I think using programs that can instantly evaluate students' work(like Stephen discussed) can help them learn better and also help teachers understand where students made mistakes.
Having programs that break down the subject at hand into categories helps a lot for both student and teachers. It also helps the teacher to alter their lesson plans to fit for the class. One thing that I saw tonight that will help me be a more efficient teacher is utilizing conventional lesson plans (i.e. journal writing) mixed with technology. It gives the students a broad range of ways to learn and understand the subject.
Technology is definitely something that can allow teachers to be more efficient. Videos and Powerpoints presentations can help students learn better. Online assignments help students not to lose stuff as easy. Online tutoring or chatting can be used to extend the personal aspect of teaching. If automated, technology can do all the tutoring work with little or no intervention from the teacher.
I think being an efficient teacher engages students and helps them achieve higher order thinking. One thing that I saw tonight is assessing students digitally as a group. The powerpoint quiz, online quiz, and "jeopardy" quiz greatly helps the students because it engages them, makes learning fun, and acts as guided practice. Making tests/quizzes online or digitally creates a more technological-driven classroom.
At first, I didn't think that using technology in the classroom was necessary. I always thought that it was a luxury, and wasn't needed to teach concepts. I always thought it was easier to teach using the "old-fashioned way" of writing on the white board. However, seeing the presentations today made me see that using technology is actually a very useful tool! The way that the students presented their lessons was very organized, and they did a very good job. It made me see that technology is an awesome way to teach, and that it actually is very effective in the classroom.
One thing I saw tonight that can make me a better teacher is by utilizing computers more than paper. Having the information centered on the web allows for less paper to be used and is more accessible to students who are prone to losing things.
CORMAC
Tonight’s class was great. I really enjoyed learning about others methods of teaching. Some of the most useful information was being creative and engaging to keep the the students attention. I really liked how the water cycle song was in the lesson with lyrics on the Powerpoints and a video. I saw a lot of great entertaining software to help make learning more fun.
One thing I saw tonight that was very useful was having students create their own story online. This definitely fosters higher order thinking and comprehension because not only do students have to read the previous entry, but they have to comprehend what it said and add to it in a logical way. This is definitely something I would use in my own classroom.
One thing I saw tonight that would make me a more efficient teacher is the simple use of presentation software to organize and display a variety of different information in different mediums. In the past, if I wanted to show lecture slides, some audio clips, and a video, I would have to use three separate peripherals to do it. Now, with Power Point and other presentation software I can organize and streamline the process of displaying information in a much better, more efficient manner.
I liked that in some presentations, teachers used videos to clearly and efficiently explain complex ideas. I think instructional videos can often be more effective than simply making a presentation verbally or using paper examples; of course, it will be even more effective to reinforce what the video said using other methods of teaching so that you tap into students' various ways of understanding (e.g. auditory and visual learning may not be a strength for some, instead kinesthetic learning might be more effective).
Utilizing common the functions of technology in culture (ie, e-mail, blogging, maybe even facebook) for classroom use seems like a great way to ease students into providing some great, quick feedback. By meeting students half way in a technology they feel more comfortable with, you are more likely to get results that are helpful. That's efficient at it's greatest!
First of all... a lot of things! One of the biggest things I took away from the presentations tonight though was that knowing my computer really well and making beautiful, well rehearsed presentations is really important. Having working links and videos make such a huge impact and it makes you look confident as a teacher which in turn gives your students confidence in you. I've learned in other classes that it's important to 'own' your material, and these presentations really brought home that this goes for your worksheets and exams just as much as for your digital presentations and materials!
-Robin van Schravendijk
There were many great examples tonight of technology enabling me to be a more efficient teacher. Emma's money game on the SmartBoard was a great example of this. The powerpoint presentations were good as well. It is a way to convey information that is engaging as well as interactive. You can present so much more information in a shorter amount of time and add videos and links to websites. I am going to use powerpoint presentations all the time in my classroom. I know from experience that if the students are engaged in something fun and interesting they will get much more out of the lesson and hopefully learn something!
I appreciated Emma’s bravery using the Smartboard for the first time as part of her presentation. I liked the way she integrated the representation of actual items that were to be used in an activity to follow--making the process accessible to everyone. As I’m in front of my class more and more, I’m finding it’s very important to vary the delivery, and I now feel more at ease with trying new methods in this direction!
I appreciated Katie's answers to parent concerns that, "we will use technology to teach what works best with technology and leave other conventional teaching tools in place where they are more appropriate." All the presenters offered wonderful applications of technology from applets for counting change to videos within presentations for holding student interest. These are great tools that will help kids engage and incorporate information. But let's not forget the wonderfully tactile old-school teaching. Touching real coins still beats moving digital coins on a screen...or is that just my old timer preference?! We'll need a survey for that..heads down vote or computer survey?!
I really like the idea of an interactive point presentation for younger grades. Up until I took this class I was very much a construction paper, plastic counter kind of teacher. Which is fine except that I have spent hours and hours making my teaching tools, out of construction paper, laminating until I have used up enough plastic to shrink wrap an entire classroom. For that reason, making a powerpoint that does this in a clear way, with interactive functions and a seamless progression is very appealing, and very efficient. All the TCs who used this format tonight illustrated that for me. Maybe now I can actually have a life outside of school instead of cutting paper shape cards out of oaktag on Friday nights.
Using a google site as a presentation tool is a great way to enhance the communication between student and teacher. By allowing easy access to assignments or presentations students will know what is expected of them and allow them to focus their energies on gaining knowledge and higher order thinking.
Tonight I saw confidence, planning, and a clear indication of experience. The experienced teachers (of which I am not) clearly had a calm delivery and addressed the topics without needing to skip ahead (much if at all) and provided the necessary details. Lacking experience, at least planning will lead to confidence. A detailed lesson plan where potential questions are addressed will be a more successful one. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
I think using the smart board to play games and demonstrate ideas is a great way for students to understand material. This allows students to physically manipulate things while also seeing and hearing the lesson. Also, it's fun! I think you can get points across more clearly and efficiently when students can use more of their senses to learn things.
Tonight I learned that a great way to be a more efficient teacher is to align interactive, non-technology based activities with a fun technological presentation. For example, using an interactive powerpoint slideshow with sounds and motions along with verbal prompts is a great way to engage students. The lesson can be taught efficiently based on student responses and the click of the mouse (or tap of the screen) to prompt the correct answer/positive reinforcement/next step.
I often question the effectiveness of technology on student learning.
In her presentation, Katie brought up the point that her classroom will only incorporate technology if it is necessary and effective. Why use technology just for the sake of technology? If there is no practical purpose, is the classroom better off? A teacher may be a techie, but there must be relevance to student learning.
I think I will be a more efficient teacher if I carefully consider how the technology I'm using is postiviely contributing to the classroom.
The presentations that used digitally displayed images that could be manipulated were very cool (as long as the technology works the way it is supposed to). As someone who will probably be teaching music classes in the future, I look forward to the opportunity of using software that would enable an instructor to write staff notation. Because some schools do not even have staff boards (with pre-printed lines), this would be a great benefit that would also save vast amounts of time that is consumed by erasing and rewriting.
Presentation tools could use a serious upgrade and update. I personally don't love Powerpoint because it's easy to overload pages with too much bulletpointed information, or conversely too many thin slides.
I learned that there is always new and available technology that can reinvent the wheel and help make efficient any task. Tonight I learned from Ryan about the website www.prezi.com which shows amazing, non-linear slideshows. This allows the viewer to digest small chunks of ideas at a time. I like!
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