Presentation Reflections Cont.

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?

After giving my presentation, I noticed several ways I could improve.  First I can’t cross my arms while I’m presenting anymore.  I really didn’t noticing I was doing it.  I guess it was a subconscious thing I was doing.  I basically did it the whole time I was standing up there.  I felt comfortable with the material I was going over and what I was saying.  However my body language said otherwise.  Shawn told me after the fact that folding your arms indicates to your audience that you aren’t confident with what you are saying.  Or maybe he said that it shows you are nervous?  It was something along those lines.  I was confident in the presentation I was giving.  I had no trouble explaining what I was presenting.  I knew the material backwards and forwards.  But I was nervous a little bit.  I’ve really come along way though since the beginning of summer when I was petrified to get in front of the class.  I’m now much more confident.  But a bit of nervousness lingers in me.  So next time, no arms crossed!   Also I’d give a bit more eye contact to my audience.  I did look and talk to the screen too much.  But again I think I’m improving on this too.  Previously I was doing it a lot more.  Now I’m doing it less, but I need to do it even less frequently.  The Prezi I did was pretty good.  I really had no problems with my videos or the whole set up, with one exception.  I had one slide that was tilted at an angle.  So it didn’t look even like the rest of my photos.  It was a minor mistake that I didn’t really notice beforehand.  So next time I think I can clean things up a little bit, but overall I’m pretty happy with my presentation.

4.   Do you like using power point/prezi/smartboard as a lesson presenter?  What are the pros and cons of using it?  How might you use it with students?  If you could go back to Friday, would you have tried a different one than what you chose? 

 

I like using Prezi now that I’ve gotten the hang of it.  It was very, very, hard for me to figure out at first.  I had quite a bit of trouble with the technical aspect of it.  I’d zoom in too close, and then I’d zoom in too far.  I don’t know if it was my computer or the Prezi program, but it felt like I was trying to operate a runaway train.  The controls just wouldn’t cooperate with me.  It felt like I was moving all over the place.  Finally I was able to get used to it better, and then it wasn’t so bad.  I also was confused with the instruction wheel up in the right hand corner.  At one point I lost where it went and I couldn’t find it for an entire day.  I think I was in show mode and then I didn’t find the tab on the screen that allows it to come back.  It was such an easy solution, I’m embarrassed to say it, yet it really caused me grief.  So the cons are that it can be confusing until you get the hang of it.  The pros all come after you get the hang of it.  It’s really neat cool it works.  It can flow smoothly along the path once you’ve made it.  I like how neat it looks when it finished.  The pictures and videos are easy to use, that also makes it great.  If I was to go back to Friday, I would not choose to use power point or smartboard.  I’m so happy with the way my Prezi turned out.  It just sucked that I had to go through so many problems in the beginning.  But now I know it and I’ll never have that problem again. 

5.   After this project, what do you believe is the best way to deliver lecture materials (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?

I think the easiest way to deliver lecture materials is with no technology.  The reason I say that is I’m so bad at using those things.  But I really need to learn them because they should be used.  So the easiest way and the best way aren’t the same to me.  Once I can grasp the technology I will use it because it really enhances your lecture.  The visual aids are great.  I think I’ll use Prezi now and then.  When I need to deliver a lecture that I feel needs some visual enhancement, I’ll create a Prezi.  But I won’t use it every time because I can imagine it would be time consuming to make one for every lesson I teach.  I think instead of a Prezi I can also use other technology such a voice recorder or a camcorder.  I think these might be simpler for me to use, but ask me after Monday. 

Presentation Reflections

1  1.)   What are some of the best things you saw during the presentation?  Why do you like them?  What were the most effective teaching strategies you witnessed?

I thought that overall the presentations that everyone gave were fabulous.  Everyone, with the exception of Erin, used Prezi.  I’ve never seen or used Prezi before, but I can see what a great tool it can be for a presentation if it’s used correctly.  Some people had really unique ideas for setting up their Prezi’s.  I like how Jerry used a rattlesnake image to weave through his presentation.  It was creative of him to come up with that.  I thought that idea made his presentation run more smoothly.  It provided a good flow.  Probably the best thing I saw during the presentations was Sara’s improvisation when she ran into a technical problem with Prezi during her presentation.  I think she wanted to show a clip of Middle English speaking.  When it didn’t come up for her, she did it herself.  Suddenly she just starts speaking in Middle English!  This was surprising and impressive.  Instead of getting flustered and tongue tied during her crisis, she remained cool.  She spoke up in that language.  I was very impressed with the way she handled that.  Also Cassandra was impressive.  Her teaching strategies are well done.  She is confident and engaging.  She calls on students to answer questions.  At the same time she is roaming around the room and staying active.  You can tell she has done this before and is completely at ease when she is presenting in front of a class.  I wish I could say the same for me.  A few of the presenters encountered some technical difficulties (Sara, Ryan, and Roger).  This is something that is bound to happen to every teacher at some point in their career when using technology.  The key is how you handle the situation when it arises.  I thought all of them handled it very well.  I already pointed out how impressed I was with Sara when it happened to her.  But Ryan and Roger did a nice job too.  They remained calm and played it off real well when their respective crisis’s struck.  They each continued talking and presenting despite the fact their videos weren’t playing.  This took the attention away from the problem because we students still had to listen.  

2  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? 

An issue that came up for a few people, that certainly weren’t helpful, was the technical difficulties that arose.  I think these folks might have had too many video clips that caused delays.  I’m not real good at understanding this technical stuff, but I’m guessing it was too much for the system to handle.  Too many videos were causing the clips to keep buffering and not playing.  They might want to cut down on this to prevent it from happening next time.  Another thing that was not engaging was the few instances where I thought some presenters were reading the texts.  I know it can be easy to fall into this trap because I’ve done it myself before.  It’s important to avoid this because students can start to lose focus in what you are saying when this happens.  Middle and high school students can have pretty short attention spans.  If you allow them to time lose focus by simply reading and boring them, you can ruin your presentation.  That can also come in danger of happening when you have delays with buffering videos.  Technical issues and reading are two things you must attempt to avoid when doing these presentations. 

Social Networking/Cyber-bullying

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

In my estimation, it’s a combination of both.  Social Networking offers teachers the advantage of connecting with students, but at the same time it can present greater issues for teachers.  In class today we took a look at Twitter.  I’d never used Twitter before and had no idea how it worked.  From my limited knowledge of Twitter, I thought it was only a tool that famous people used to make little mundane comments to their followers.  My impression was it was a way for narcissistic people to sound off to people who had nothing better to do than follow them.  However after learning about Twitter today in class, I’ve changed my opinion.  Twitter does have a beneficial aspect to it for the classroom.  Shawn demonstrated to the class how it works in a classroom setting.  He posed questions to the class and we were able to respond to them on Twitter.  It was interactive and we could read a dialogue from the class in real time.  It was amazing to see response after response to his question being popped out on my computer screen every few seconds.  It really got everybody thinking about what was being asked.  Everyone was involved.  This is an advantage because typically when a teacher poses a question to the class only a few raise their hands to respond, while most students stay out of it.  Some students are shy and have a fear of talking in front of the class.  Now I believe those shy kids are much more inclined to speak up when using Twitter.  They no longer have that “speaking in public” fear.  I thought this idea was proven today when everyone in class was tweeting to Shawn’s questions.  People who normally don’t talk in front of class were tweeting.  In the article “Learning in 140-character Bites” by David Zax, he writes about how professors are familiar with the sight of a lecture hall full of mute students.  Are they listening?  Are the understanding?  With Twitter in the classroom, you’ll know the answers to those questions.  Facebook is another Social Networking site that can be helpful in the classroom.  Take for instance the Facebook page set up for the Blueberries in Rhiannon’s class.  They use Facebook to read and respond to class assignments and discussions.  This is helpful to them because they can learn from each other and give each other feedback.  I could see Facebook being helpful in my classroom if it is used in this manner.

Social Networking sites can also have a negative side.  One thing I noticed today when using Twitter was the distraction it was creating.  Shawn was giving instructions about a topic and at the same time we were trying to tweet.  It was difficult for me to focus on his instruction to us and write at the same time.  My mind has difficulty with doing both at the same time.  I found myself having to ask someone nearby to repeat what he just said because I missed it while I was writing.  I could expect students in my classroom to have the same problems.  Another issue Social Networking can have is with Facebook.  My Facebook page has many personal things on it that I only want my close friends and family to see.  I enjoy going to Oregon Ducks football games and tailgating with my friends before these games.  I have a couple pictures posted on my Facebook page of me holding a beer at these tailgates.  I’m an adult and I’m not doing anything illegal, however I wouldn’t want my class of 7^th Graders to see these pictures.  I think it could give these youngsters the wrong idea.  They could jump to some conclusion that I’m a party animal and an alcoholic.  By the way, I don’t think I am.  I typically only drink during special occasions such as Ducks football games and weddings.  I don’t want young teenagers getting the idea that drinking is okay because they see me having fun doing it.  I want to be a positive role model as a teacher, not a bad one.  

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 Monroe scenario).

I’m going to use Facebook in my classroom, but it will be a class page like the one that Rhiannon has set up with her group of Blueberries.  This setup doesn’t seem to pose a risk to me and my professionalism.  As for my personal Facebook page, I’m going to do what Shawn has done and keep my original Facebook page up with all the privacy settings.  Then I’ll set up another “Mr. Jacobs” page for my students that will be void of anything risqué.  I want to make sure to separate my private life from my professional life.

 

I absolutely feel it’s fair to teachers to hold them to a different standard than other professionals.  We as teachers have taken an oath to be professional and not violate standards that the State of Oregon has set out for us.  Also when we are hired by a district we will sign a contract that say we will follow their guidelines of professionalism.  This is what we signed up for and this is what is expected of us.  Teachers work with minors, people’s children.  These parents trust that we will watch over their children when they are in our presence.  Our expectations as teachers are different.  We aren’t in some other occupation, such as a waiter or a cashier.  We have a responsibility to parents to educate and protect their children.  I take that seriously.

I feel for the most part that most teachers feel the same way I do about professionalism. However I read How One Teacher’s Angry Blog Sparked a Viral Classroom Debate by Kayla Webley in Time Magazine and there are a few exceptions.  A teacher named Natalie Munroe decided to go off on her students on her blog.  She said she hated some of her students and called them some other names.  This is extremely unprofessional.  Apparently she felt that teachers aren’t held to a higher standard due to the reckless nature of her rant.  She had to have known that her blog could be seen by anyone, and could get back to her students.  This is a prime example of Social Networking becoming a detriment to a teacher and her students.  But these scenarios can easily be avoided with a little common sense.  

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 think cyber-bullying can be a threat to what I intend to do in my classroom.  It is possible that a Twitter thread or Facebook page that I use in my classroom could be used in a cyber-bullying scenario?  Sure.  A student could say something there that could be picked up by other students and used to ridicule him or her.  I will have to be on the lookout for this.  My intention with using Social Networking sites is to help in educating students, not to have them face scorn by their peers.  I think it is the teacher’s responsibility to be on the lookout for this because it’s our duty.  Parents are relying on us to protect their children from harm while they are under our supervision.  Making sure that their children aren’t being harassed by a group of students while in my presence is a parent’s expectation. 

Digital Immigrant

I'm certainly a Digital Immigrant.  I consider myself to be one because I didn't learn anything about the technology we use today, until I was an adult.  I graduated from high school in 1996 in Grand Junction, CO, which is a rural area of Western Colorado.  Maybe computers hadn't made it out that way?  Just kidding.  Sure there were computers then, however students didn't use them in the high school setting.  I never used a computer much as a kid because we did not have one at home.

All my experiences with technology to this point is as a student.  I have not yet had any experience as a teacher.  However when I become a teacher I'm going to need to be better with technology.  Right now I'd say my grasp of technology is very basic.  I really didn't use any technology such as computers until I was in college as an undergradute. 

When I was in high school from 1992-1996 I rarely used a computer at school.  I don't remember seeing them in the library (that doesn't necessarily mean they weren't there though).  I can remember taking Keyboarding class my Junior year and using the old school typewriters.  We used the white tape on the paper to erase spelling errors and grammatical errors.  You don't see that anywhere, anymore!  I'm really dating myself here I assume.  I remember having a Writing 101 class my Freshman year in college (1996) and the professor saying it was okay to write a paper by hand, no type needed.  I remember the first time I used the internet was at the University of Oregon in 1998.  I know the internet was around for a couple years before this, however I didn't receieve the news it existed until that year.  I remember being really confused about how it worked.  It was totally foreign to me.  But I was intrigued.  This is the point in learning for me that Marc Prensky refers to in his article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants.  He states, "those of us who were not born into the digital world but have, at some later point in our lives, become facinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology are, and always will be compared to them, Digital Immigrants" (pg. 1&2).  It ws at this moment I went from a digital nothing to a Digital Immigrant.  Discovering the internet revolutionized my learning as a student.  I no longer had to pore through books at the library for information, I could now look online!  I know "Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast" (pg. 2).  But I was not, so this blew me away.

I don't think this article changed my mind about the use of technology in my future classroom.  Prensky states "Digital Immigrant teachers assume that learners are the same as they have always been, and that the same methods that worked for the teachers when they were students will work for the students now" (pg. 3).  I'm a Dugital Immigrant and I don't feel this way.  I know that technology today is the only way to go when it comes to educating my students.  I cannot get away with using outdated ideas with them because they are Digital Natives.  In order to teach Digital Natives, I'm going to have to be one myself.  I'll use it every day in my classroom.  I'll use ELMO's and power points.  The only reluctance I'd have would be if I didn't know how to use it.  I'll try to avoid that by learning everything I possibly can. 

Three favorite websites

http://www.espn.com/
http://www.cnn.com/
http://www.facebook.com/

Introduction

I'm Brandon Jacobs.  I'm new to blogging, so I'm trying to figure all this out.  My endoresment area is Social Sciences.  My favorite food is Lasagna.  My favorite restaurant is Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks, CA. 

Introduction to Me

THis is my site.  Nice to meet you all.