Prezi presentation reflection!!

1.  What were some of the best things you saw during the presentations?  Why did you like them?  What were the most effective teaching strategies you witnessed?

I must say, I was really pleased with everyone’s presentations.   Passion ran deep on everyone’s subjects.  I felt I was more inclined to pay attention when the presenters were overflowing with enthusiasm.  I couldn’t stop smiling and became highly interested in tornados/weather during Marc’s presentation.  I also really enjoyed everyone’s layouts/templates, color choices, and fonts.  Ryan’s was by far my favorite layout and color – I love dark lime green.  I also liked all the fun facts that were brought up during the presentations.   Tim Allen made me laugh multiple times with his witty jokes.  Cassandra had some of the best effective teaching strategies – she always keeps me engaged and is so calm in front of the class.  As a whole, I’m extremely proud of everyone who took on a new technology program (Prezi) and made awesome engaging presentations.

2.  What were the least engaging/helpful things you saw during the presentations? Why were they not effective?  What could any specific student do to improve?  [Please be honest here without being mean.  This is for critical feedback to help others improve.]

I think it’s very important for us as future teachers to see how others would approach an assignment.  As I was putting together my Prezi presentation and chatting with peers about the struggles they were having too, it created a comfort that we’re all in this together!  With a new technology program, it’s nice to see examples and then start to build what we would imagine to best an ideal presentation.  I think one of the biggest struggles we had, as a class, is that our videos were loading really slow.  Most of froze because we had no idea how to fix it, but I really like how Sara improvised by acting out her video with grace and excellence.

3.  After viewing everyone else's presentations, how would you improve your own (both how you presented and the project you made) the next time you were to give this presentation?

Practice makes perfect.  I want to try new templates and experiment with them!  I didn’t use a template and since the different templates were one of the things I highly enjoyed, this would be nice to play around with and experiment too.  I also liked how Cassandra integrated her unit plan into the presentation (“this is what we did today.  This is what we’ll work on all week.  This is what we’ll work on all quarter.”), and would love to do this myself.  

4.  Do you like using PowerPoint/Prezi/SmartBoard as a lesson presenter?  What are the pros/cons of using it?  How might you use it with students?  Could you go back to Friday, would you have tried a different one than what you chose?

It’s definitely fun to try new programs and experiement with different techniques to deliver a lesson.  I feel pretty comfortable with PowerPoint so I wanted to push myself into something new which is why I did a Prezi presentation.  I found that it’s very aesthetically pleasing but when it comes to “creating the path” and other formatting issues (such as moving pictures when I didn’t want to) created some concerns and problems.  Multiple times I threw my hands up and even went to the extent in which I began creating a PowerPoint presentation!  I really like how the SmartBoard can be used in class.  They have a lot of interactive tools that would be great for a math class – and its nice for students who miss class because the notes on the “board” are saved!

If I could go back to Friday, I would want more time in our classroom to experiment with the SmartBoard.  It would have been nice to experience a full tutorial on Prezi because I know the struggles I was having are probably the same as multiple people.  It would’ve been nice to have an ‘expert’ show us the ideal ways of creating a captivating presentation via Prezi.

5.  After this project, what do you believe is the best way to deliver lecture material (no electronics is an option)?  How often do you think you will utilize an electronic presentation method to deliver your content and what might you use instead/in addition to?  Why do you think you will present material that way?

As a future science teacher, I really want my lectures to be hands-on and engaging.  When I use electronic presentation methods I would prefer them to be interactive so that they enhance the learning experience.  Also, using multiple presentations methods will help ensure that students with multiple learning styles are being reached.  Like I said before, practice makes perfect.  The more we practice these presentation methods the stronger our lessons will be and the more the students will learn.

social networking!!

1. In your estimation, does Social Networking offer teachers greater advantages through possible connections with students, or does it present greater issues for teachers?

I believe social networking can offer teachers greater advantages to making connections to the students in the classroom.  These advantages far exceed the disadvantages and/or the lack of integrating social networking into the classroom.  Social networking options such as Facebook, blogs, forums, twitter and teacher websites can be used as educational tools in the classroom.  Regardless if students have assignments or projects that involve social networking, they will find ways to use it during and after school.   Why not integrate it into the classroom?  As David Zax mentioned in Learning in 140-character Bites, “the professors […] kept an eye on the feed, getting a read of what concepts needed further explication.”  Furthermore, these social networking options can be used so that students can ask questions (both to the teacher and peers), implement assessment and gather feedback.

One very important thing to keep in mind is to address to the students the proper expectations when using social networking tools.  Create rubrics and as Renee Ramig discussed in the article Social Media in the Classroom, “monitor it often, and share appropriate and inappropriate responses with the class.”  Make sure to state why material might be appropriate/inappropriate – and then remove inappropriate immediately.  I think it’s also crucial to keep an open communication with the Principal and guidance counselors regarding any inappropriate messages or material.

On an exciting note, wouldn’t it be cool to post a video of an experiment (i.e. ‘soap bubbles’ – my favorite!!) that was done in class to the teacher’s website.  Students could show their parents exciting things that were done in class, increase interest in subjects and incorporate it into a homework assignment.  Sounds like a match made in heaven J

2.  Were you to utilize Social Networking with students, what precautions do you think are necessary in today’s digital world in order to safeguard your professional standing?  Do you think it’s fair to teachers to hold them to a different standard than other professionals (do you even think that that is what is happening – you can reference your take on the Natalie Munroe scenario). 

As teachers and community members, we become role models for students.  We need to understand that our role in the community becomes public and thus we need to be aware of our actions.  If our actions could possibly have negative connotations, such as the Natalie Munroe incident, we need to readdress our actions so that they are publicly and socially accepted.  I feel it was inappropriate for Ms. Munroe to disrespect students, even if she didn’t use their names.  If students were to do the same thing, would they be able to avoid punishment?  Doubtful.  So why should it be okay if teachers were to do the same thing?  And why wouldn’t it promote students to disrespects others if their teachers were doing it?  As Munroe stated, "I wasn't fixating on these things, I wrote them down and moved on."  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think it’s inappropriate to disrespect students!  Students are going to look up to teachers as role models; we need to set good examples.  We have students’ lives and well-being’s in the palm of our hands – and we need to take it seriously.  Like I stated in the previous question, we need to, as teachers, address what is and isn’t appropriate via social networking and keep an open communication with the Principal and guidance counselor.

In addition, I would like to mention that as a future teacher, I would like to make sure my private life stays private, and my public life stays (fun and) public.  I plan on keeping my privacy settings on all my social networks very ‘tight’ and would like to stray away from “becoming friends” with any students until they are out of my school.  Regardless, we, as future teachers, need to remember “there are no ‘take backs’ in electronic communications” (Have you Googled Your Teacher Lately?)

3.  How serious of a threat is cyber-bullying to what you intend to do in your classroom?  In your estimation, is it something that as a middle school/high school teacher, you will be on the lookout for?  Should you have to be on the lookout for it?

I want to make it clear, that I believe cyber-bullying is very serious and will not be tolerated in my classroom or school.  My goal would be to create a safe environment for social networking in which all students feel comfortable being involved in social networking assignments and projects.  As stated in the article Online Bullies Pull Schools Into The Fray, one in five middle school students are affects by a form of cyber-bullying.  I believe cyber-bullying is the ‘technological’ version of verbal abuse and should not be handled lightly.  Unfortunately, as we’re learning in Paul Pick’s class “Adolescent Development”, middle school students do not have fully developed prefrontal cortexes thus not understanding limitations and consequences.  This is why it is crucial for us, as teachers, to express appropriate expectations while involved with social networking.  We need to realize that bullying will happen both physically and virtually.  It’s our reactions and actions that will help keep it to a minimum.

digital natives!!

As a child born in the early 1980s, I would consider myself a “digital native”.  My first exposure in the digital world was in the form of Oregon Trail, Number Munchers and Turtle in 3^rd grade with the 5” floppy disks (circa. 1990).  I felt like one of the students described in Engage Me or Enrage Me in the fact that “I [couldn’t] wait to get to class” and learn more (p.1).  I was able to use a computer and learn math while playing Number Munchers, which felt more like a video game than an educational tool!  Looking back, I feel very privileged to have had a computer lab in my elementary school so early in my education.  I grew up in a small farm town in western Wisconsin and remember chatting with my cousins who went to school in the “big town” next door, in which they DIDN’T have a computer lab!  Since then, I’ve always had computers at my fingertips while in school.  My family also invested in a Tandy computer later on in my middle school years along with the original Nintendo (plus power pad)!

As a high school student (1995-1999) I saw a lot of technological leaps.  I remember when the library’s catalog went from paper to digital – how cool!  Disk drives went from 5” to 3 ½” to CD.  I find it funny when I ask younger generations if they know what the original ‘floppy disk’ looks like.  Printers also changed from the old school ‘dot printers’ to the more modern ‘laser printers’.  As an undergraduate college student (1999-2004) I also saw a lot of change with computers, but it was more in the sense of operating systems, speed and storage.  As far game systems are considered during my education years, I grew up with the original Nintendo to the PlayStation 2 and everything in between!  Still to this day, Super Mario 1 is my favorite.  The bottom-line being that it was highly influential in my learning experience.  For example, my spelling is absolutely terrible – and I’m SO thankful for spell checkers!!!

As an environmental educator, I’ve been able to use digital microscopes that project up on the screen that allows all students to benefit.  Also, using Microsoft programs such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel to enhance my lessons, workshops and research.  Not to mention building a website to increase outreach programs.

After reading all the articles, it was brought to my attention how it’s important to integrate technology into the classroom and curriculum.  Keeping up with technology will be a huge challenge, but in order to keep the students engaged and excited, it needs to be crucial.  As stated in Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, “They [students] have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age” (p.1).  Technology is an easy way to connect the generational gap.  As teachers, we’ll need to educate ourselves via tech classes and peers because technology is not going to go backwards or become stale, it’s only going to get ‘better’.  Much like technology, students are “highly unlikely […] to go backwards” (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, p. 3).  We need to be up-to-date and willing to use technology everyday in our classrooms.  If we don’t have the newest technology, we need to find grants or other funds in order to enhance our classrooms!

cat nap!!

my kitty cat, Glarus Michael McSnout, taking a nap on all my science books :)

he loves laying on things :)
PS- i'm still looking for his belly button :)

introduction rap!!!!!

yo yo yo,

my name is sarah kleven,

some say i'm sent from heaven.

i really want to teach integrated science,

i hope this blog is in compliance.

my favorite animal is a humpback whale,

they don't like to eat kale.

for some reason, whales always pop up in my dreams,

that tend to be sparkly themes.

or maybe my favorite animal is a jellyfish,

good thing i've never ate one on a serving dish.

i like how they have long tentacles,

if they're in cold water long enough, would they turn into popsicles?

i also love dinosaurs,

especially the ones that go rrrrroaurs!!

they're fossils are so cool,

looking at them sometimes makes me drool.

yo, i'm sarah kleven :)