Reflection on Chap. 4

This chapter begins with a bang! Burmark describes how different people approach prioritization of educational goals.  Her point is that effective teaching boils down to two things: 1. Get their attention, and 2. Make the presentation stick. She then describes how she used humor and props to start a memorable presentation to a school board association. I've been present at some presentations and speeches where the speaker began with a joke or a song or with props, and those are the ones that grabbed my immediate attention. Burmark uses the example of Velcro as a metaphor for education...what are the hooks? What are the loops? Teaching must be able to "hook" the students, and the "loops" should make the kids "stick". I know that when I taught kindergarten, we had a lot of hands-on activities that tied in with the alphabet books used by the students. To this day, some children and their parents remember the "alligator pie" we made for the letter A, or the "gold hunt" for the letter G...the hooks and the loops. Burmark lists some hooks that comprise the acronym "CHIMES2": connections, humor, images, music, emotion, story and senses. As I read her explanations for each hook, I thought back to my classes, and how I used some of these hooks in my lessons. I realized that while I used at least one or two, I probably could've used more. I'm interested to read further in the text about the different hooks, and learn how to incorporate these hooks in lessons.  

Reflection on Chap. 1

As I read the first chapter of Lynell Burmark's text, "They Snooze, You Lose", I thought about PowerPoint presentations I have seen at various inservices and workshops. Some bored me, some piqued my interest. The few PowerPoint slides I've made were very basic...a few words, a piece of clip art, and that was it.

I like what Burmark says about the use of templates. I do find myself relying on templates a bit, because I don't feel like I'm creative enough to compose a PowerPoint from "scratch". As for color, I can see where certain color combinations wouldn't work well. I tend to use text color when I send e-mails, especially when I'm replying to another e-mail. That makes my reply stand out, and hopefully my recipient will retain the information better. In my classroom, I was always using colored copy paper to make important notices "stand out".

The font size is also important. An example was given where the font size had to be HUGE so that it can be seen from the back of a typical hotel meeting hall. But in a classroom setting, the 12-point font should be sufficient. Burmark also discusses how the text should be concise and minimal. A few words or phrases should be used to convey the information, instead of a full page of text. 

I found myself thinking about these ideas in a different setting: my church! PowerPoint slides have been used in our Masses to display the lyrics to the hymns so the congregation can follow along. Now, with the impending implementation of a revised Roman missal, the priests have used PowerPoint slides to teach the congregants the new changes. So far, it seems as though the author of these PowerPoints has created some effective slides.

For PowerPoints to be effective, the content and the audience needs to be considered. Using the right color combination, and the right font size can make a difference in whether your PowerPoint will be one the audience will remember...or one they will forget.

Almost a month later....

Well, here it is...almost a month since my first blog entry...and I can honestly say that my brain and my world has been expanded!! I've learned many new tech skills, though I can't say that I'm "tech-savvy". I've met some dedicated and creative teachers, and have learned how to work on a virtual team in a virtual classroom. And I've become more interested in how technology is (and will be) impacting the educational field. This Sunday, I found myself watching MSNBC's "Education Nation Teacher Town Hall", and following along in one of the chat rooms. I listened to teachers from around the country share their passions and frustrations with Brian Williams, and read the online posts from even more teachers! It was so mind-opening and exciting to hear and read their concerns and successes! And tomorrow I will watch online as UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia participates in a forum on MSNBC. Can't wait to hear what she has to say!

What have I gotten myself into?

Well...this has been a most interesting week. I thought buying a new laptop would help with these courses. It's a great new tool AND toy. But I've found that a new tool is only as good as the brain that uses it. So I'm trying real hard to pick up new skills that others have already acquired. It's been hard, but I'm going to keep plugging away and really put myself out there. I hope my instructors and classmates are patient with this old dog, as she learns new tricks for incorporating technology in the classroom. Woof!