Ms. York...Please Don't Make Us Do PowerPoint!

I have heard the groans and the gripes from my students on more than one occasion when any murmur of having to do a PowerPoint is brought up.  The fact is that as adults we're tired of watching boring PowerPoints, but we also can get through them when they have a purpose and it's necessary.  Really, when you just need to show a few pieces of information PowerPoint serves just fine.  Our students however, don't think PowerPoint is cool.  No matter how you swing it.  I also know that if I want students to really feel connected to the work they do, they need to enjoy doing it.  With Prezi, I feel like students can get creative and be engaged all the while showcasing their work.  As a bonus while Prezi is still new they might pay more attention if you use it instead of PowerPoint.  So here are some tips for using Prezi with your students and learning how to use it yourself, along with the resources and presentation I gave today at TeachMeet Nashville.

Tips for Using With Students

• Plan, plan, plan....and then plan some more.  
• No matter the age level I've found students need some time to take in Prezi and really learn to work with it.  Because of this they often have trouble with the general organization of their presentation.  Just like students need to plan their writing, they need to plan their presentations as well.  In fact I use a modified SPAM packet (our school/district uses SPAM as a writing format/plan) for all my students to plan their presentations.  I'd modify it as needed for different projects and grade levels, but it's always essentially organized the same no matter what.  Here's what my Pre-Write sheet looks like...feel free to borrow or steal.
• Show MANY Examples
• I told this story in my presentations today, and it happened in more than one class and grade level every rotation of students without fail.  I would show a class an example of a good Prezi, and ALL of their Prezi's would come out organized the same way.  So make sure you show your students examples so they can get ideas, or let them explore ideas on Prezi, but either way don't send them off on their own with one example or you'll have 20 more of the same example to choose from for next time.
• Sharing Students' Prezis
• I taught middle school in 6-7 week rotations so I only got to see some of my students for 30-35 class periods all year long.  We definitely didn't always have time to set aside 4 days for class presentations, so I still found ways to have them share their work and receive authentic feedback.  Edmodo is great for posting Prezis, they can be embedded in posts on class walls so all students can look at them and make comments.  I've also used Kidblog and had students write a summary of their work along with sharing links to Prezis so that their classmates had a chance to comment on their work.

Resources

So after all of that rambling here are the resources that I either used in my presentation today or promised to share.  You'll also find information on the Presentation tab at the top of this blog.

Prezi (on Prezi)Prezi Guidelines (I share with students)More Prezi Resources

Forget Those Outdated Flash Drives!

As the new school year gets started there's always plenty of work to be done.  Sometimes, that work is done with late nights at school or home.  But wherever you work, the ability to take your work with you can sometimes be just a little cumbersome.  I can't count how many flash drives I've lost, or time I've wasted e-mailing documents to myself.  So here's a great tool that I've known about for some time, but only recently put into practice....Dropbox.

www.dropbox.com will take you to this fabulous life saving tool.  After creating an account Dropbox will begin downloading to your computer.  The "download" is essentially just the adding of a folder to your My Documents folder or a location of your choice.  If you want to be able to access files from other locations simply save the file in the Dropbox folder and off you go.  Download Dropbox on any computers you use as well as almost any mobile device.  And yes, on mobile devices you can view almost any file including documents, spreadsheets, and pictures.  If you happen to be somewhere where Dropbox hasn't been downloaded simply go to the website, log-in, and access your files that way.   Some advanced features include creating a public folder you can share the link to (think class information on your school website), or share a folder with specific people so they can contribute files as well.  You get 2GB of space for a free account, with the ability to earn more space for completing tasks or sharing with friends, and if you are willing to pay can upgrade to accounts with 50 and 100GB of space.

Never again lose a flash drive with crucial files, spend time trying to figure out how to get the files, or being able to access them from wherever you happen to be. This is one of the easiest tools I've integrated into my every day work and will definitely be one I utilize for years to come.

"Growing Up" with Technology

I often tell people that I didn’t always have technology growing up, and if I can get past the rolling eyes of my older colleagues I continue by saying that in fact I did “grow up” with technology in a particular way.  The milestones in my education growing up were punctuated with important technology advances that we had no option but to adjust to. 

A "visual timeline" of the most iconic
technology tools of all time.  Being born right
after the Nintendo (NES), I've experienced
a whole lot of technology changes in my life.
Original Link

When I started school we didn't use computers whatsoever.  By 3rd grade I remember going to a "computer class", and using that old Encarta CD to look up facts for class.  Through the years at home we began to acquire technology, going from a computer with only DOS through dial-up days and eventually having a fairly capable computer with cable Internet by the time I was in high school.  I continued using technology in school, although I never saw an interactive whiteboard until I was in college.  Fast forward to present day when I have more technology in my one classroom than ANY class I was ever in growing up, even though I'm only 24.


What "growing up" with technology did to my generation is something I think we're missing as an opportunity for with our students.  It taught us to troubleshoot, problem solve, and always be thinking of ways to make things  better.  These key qualities that employers clearly value are being lost on the children we're teaching today, so why is that?


I used to fix the computer at my house when it had issues, and even the computers at school.  But more than that, I used to come up with better ways to do things using the available technology...something I still do today.  Now though, kids are born with a cell phone camera aimed at their little face, iPad's used to practice motor skills, and by the time I get them in 4th grade they have gotten more technology for birthdays and Christmas than I ever have.


Bottom line...we're missing a big opportunity to let those students get their creative juices flowing and thinking of the next big thing.  We're either so overwhelmed with the current state of technology we have, or we just don't have time, that we have stopped thinking about what's next altogether unless Steve Jobs schedules another media event.


As teachers we not only need to model tech use, but more importantly get it in the students' hands by whatever means possible.  It's no longer an option not to utilize tech tools because you might think it's "good for them" or you don't want to learn.  Think about as teachers how we never STOP using technology to perform regular functions of our job: lesson plans, putting in grades, creating work for students, checking and writing e-mail, etc.  Those systems have only gotten more sophisticated through the years and they will continue to do so for those kids in our rooms today.  You don't have to steer kids towards  a particular field, prepare them ALL for college necessarily, but preparing them for the "future" is the biggest task we face.

Mostly because we're already behind in educating them for the present.