Post #7

There are many advantages and disadvantages of using presentation software in the classroom. Personally I feel as though there are more advantages than disadvantages, and that the good outweighs the bad. Some advantages of using presentation software in a K-12 class are that it enhances learning, and gives students a visual while the teacher talks. I think that it is true of all ages that it is hard to keep the undivided attention of students, and I believe that something such as a powerpoint is extremely helpful in giving the students something to look at besides their textbook. Another advantage of using presentation software is that it can be an organized way for teachers to sort out the main points that they want the class to take from their lesson. Sometimes it's easier for students to take notes when they have some sort of outline to help them organize their thoughts. Although I think that presentation software is great, I also feel as though there are some disadvantages that must not be overlooked. Students can sometimes be distracted by the slides or presentation and not catch the entire lesson. Teachers must be extremely careful when deciding what to put on their slides because things such as animation or colorful text can be distracting for the students. Another disadvantage is that students don't get to be necessarily interactive which is very important. The teacher has complete control over the presentation software. Although this is an advantage, I think that it is something that can be fixed. Teachers can let students give presentations and teach them how to use the presentation software so that they can be interactive in the lessons. It's all up to the teacher as to ways that presentation software is used in their individual classroom, but there are plenty of opportunities open for the teacher to use it in their classroom!

I plan to use powerpoint all of the time to aid student learning! I want to first teach my students how to use powerpoint because I think that is very important. Once they have an idea of how to use it, I can assign projects for them to do that involve the use of Power Point. Say for example I was teaching a business class in high school. I might assign them a project that requires them to research a type of business and report on it to the class. They can use powerpoints for things such as pictures of the business type and interesting facts that they found during their research. This engages the other students in the project and also lets students practice using technology. Powerpoint is a way that students can sort their ideas and give them a reference to go by when giving their presentation. This is my idea of a lesson that can be devised where I get to teach the students how to use powerpoint, then get to see how they apply it in an everyday situation such as a project.

One issue of educational technology that really interests me is one that is fairly new. I think that it is so weird that students now can go to school completely over the internet. This new phenomenon is called "virtual school" and I think that it's rediculous. Anyone who has been to school knows that it's just as important to get the socialization as it is to get the actual education. If you go to school over the internet your entire life, then you're missing out on so much more. What about school sports, homecoming, football games, learning to work together, and learning how to adapt to conflict? All of these are extremely important in developing as a person and I think that if you choose to go to this new "virtual school" you are truely missing out. I'm all about technology and using it in the school system, but this is taking it too far. It's teaching kids that they don't need teachers and they don't need friends to make it through school. From my experience, this is completely untrue. Starting at the age of kindergarten a student can now go to school full time ONLINE! What's next? Are we going to just do everything over the computer? Click here to see what you think.