Ed Tech and Learning

I have read this article before and really can appreciate many of the points that are brought up. I find that most adults presenting on Powerpoint using too many words, then they proceed to read us EVERYTHING that is written. This is extremely frustrating – and I agree and subscribe to using less than a dozen words per slide and making short statements from longer pieces of material. I differ somewhat from the article in that I teach young children Powerpoint, and I find that the first couple of years they use Powerpoint it is fun and an incentive to use all the bells and whistles. These are 2nd and 3rd graders – they are not making professional presentations! I find once they have these things firmly under their belts, then they can utilize them in a correct manner while creating original presentations. By the time  thye get ot high school they should be able to glean information from research and make clear, concise slides that present information.

Because I work in a computer lab, I am all too familiar with the teachers who are afraid of the computers. They utilize the lab in rudimentary ways and usually incorporate zero technology into their teaching. For these teachers we need more than traditional training. To begin, training is good, but if there is no requirement to continue in what was learned during training than much of the training is lost in disuse. How can this cycle be eradicated? To begin, training must teach in a way that shows the whys behind what is happening and not simply the method to get there. For example, anyone can learn to type a letter on Word, but if someone completely unfamiliar with Word is simply shown steps and asked to follow these steps, then that person is unprepared to jump into the program and explore themselves, and they have no idea why Word responds to certain commands as they do. So our training must begin at a point that explains how and why a computer works as it does, and hopefully dispel the fears behind the inability.

Secondly there must be reiteration – no one can learn once, go away and remember what they learned. Like learning math, computer skills must be practiced and built upon to become second nature. Therefore, there needs to be a follow up to training, even if it is a simple program mastered and emailed to a technology person on a monthly basis.

Handouts work well for follow ups, as well as the training itself. Unfortunately, they also allow the trainee to simply follow steps and do not encourage independent thought. Still, handouts of print screen shots can be extremelly useful for those who are attemting to learn something new. They must be easily written, like the book “Don’t Make Me Think”, by Steve Krug, and use terminology that is either explained or simple. I would think bright colors or different colors for different sections would help focus people onto what the important sections are – and would aid the instructor who could simply say “turn to the aqua section”, instead of “turn to the page with the picture of the computer”

I really liked learning about podcasting and blogging – although I was not THAT successful at the podcasting stuff. It will be fun to utilize this in the computer lab and beyond!I am tired this summer from coming to APU 2 to 3 nights a week, but I couldn’t have asked for better classes for summer – Photoshop and emerging technologies! Both are fun and frustrating at the same time – but I am learning alot that I can use in my professional life.

Dana said so!Dana said so…

I am using this post to write what I have learned in this class. Because it is only the second week of class, things are still very new to me. I have learned to blog – and have created my own site (duh), and I am learning how to podcast. I still don’t get the whole importance of Wiki’s, if everyone can post anything they want. It sounds like a conversation with too many people in the room and all of them knowing everything about everything. I don’t know if I want to join in or let the fool’s talk . I am with the group not knowing if blogs are the hottest thing going or just another fad. It is fun and I can find uses for blogging in education – I would love to blog with the fourth graders in my friends Florida class. I also see the downside – and the safety issue. So, for now, I am just checking it out. Linda

yep, posting a picture…

Okay, I am actually just checking this out – I am not posting for class yet. I want to see how this puppy works. Feel free to respond with your thoughts of mass confusion at any time. Catch ya later… Linda