Chapter 4:
Technology Tools for 21st Century Teaching
Word
Processing
I think
that word processing software is one of the most useful tools in a classroom
for teachers. There are so many
different uses that teachers can greatly benefit from. “Since it’s value as an aid to teaching
and learning is universally acknowledged, word processing has become the most
commonly used software in education (p.114).” I think that there could be a few
issues that could arise from using word processing. One in particular would be that not every student has the
same computer skills. If a teacher
was trying to use computers in the classroom, it might be hard to keep all the
students on the same track.
Spreadsheet
Software
Spreadsheet
software could be particularly useful for a teacher when keeping track of
student progress throughout the school year. With the ability to enter number into a spreadsheet “entries
also can be changed, added, or deleted quickly, with formulas that
automatically recalculate final grades (p.121)” Spreadsheets can be utilized to
help save valuable time in the classroom as well. Instead of using a calculator, spreadsheets can be easily
set up to calculate numbers or grades.
Presentation
Software
Presentation
software would be very helpful in a classroom to give a visual of the material
being taught. It allows the
teacher to layout an outline of what is going to be discussed to keep the class
on track and make good use of time as well. There are however downfalls to using presentation software. “Tufte (2003) famously said that “Power
corrupts; PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.” He is among those who feel that presentation software makes
people focus on the slides, rather then the message, saying that “rather than
supplementing a presentation, PowerPoint has become a substitute for it
(p.129).”
Classroom
Use--Chosen Software
I think that the software I
am most likely to use would be PowerPoint. I think that it would be a great tool to be able to show
students a picture of what is being discussed so that they are learning from
two different styles at once, instead of just listening to me talk. The video that I decided to use is a
really neat instructional video on tips for how to use PowerPoint and avoid
falling into the category of “death by PowerPoint”.
Works Cited
Phillips,
David. (April 2014). How to avoid death by PowerPoint . [Video file].
Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo.
Retrieved From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo.
Robylyer, M.D. (2016)
Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th Edition). New
Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2016. Print.
Hey Allison! I just found out i was in your group and am posting a comment on your blog! (Nifty stuff isn't it? Blogging?) Anyway I loved how you presented everything on this topic, including your description of how you would use powerpoint in your future classroom. While the book we have just goes over the specks of how and why we should use it, you make it seem like an actual tool that you will use one day. I'm not saying I won't, but i didn't write the with grace that you did, which i will work on next time. I liked the youtube video as well!
ReplyDeleteI completly forgot about the fact that it would be hard to keep all students on track using computers in the classroom. But I absolutely loved your point of about not every student will have the same computer skills as others. And your quote "Power corrupting; PowerPoint absolutely corrupts" is completly true, I know I am someone who sometimes is more focused on getting the information from the board, rather than the information the person talking is giving.
ReplyDeleteJust remembered to reference the text, my bad. So I completly agree with the quote you have used from page 114, "Word processing has become the most commonly used software in education."
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