Response to Keethai Regarding Weary Teachers

Keethai,
It is insteresting that you say teachers are getting weary or using/learning to use SMART boards. I am assuming that is because, as you say, it is something else they have to learn and not the technology itself.
My board too is starting to push further into the use of SMART board technology and on the surface it sounds great but I think it comes with hurdles.
The cost prohibits schools for purchasing one per classroom or even grade level so only one is purchased. That leads to scheduling problems who gets to use it an when (signouts always leave some people feeling ripped off). So now if it is signed out it probably means it is a portable system so where is it stored because now there is an expensive data projector that is roaming the hallways. What happens if your school is two floors because there is now way to take the SMART Board up and down stairs, you would need a service elevator. And, like you say, you end up with a bunch of weary teachers because they have to go through the training for something that they may rarely get to use and is a pain to signout and transport.

Little Kids Rock

Not only do I like the mission but I love the ideas I got from the site. In the third term I would like to make iMovies with different student groups and I was tinkering with the idea of creating different music videos. I can also see how I might incorporate video podcasting as an add-on to the project.

http://www.littlekidsrock.org/hearkids/videos.html

Response to Patricia

This article also makes me think about how this technology might change the way online courses are run. While some schools and universities in northern or more remote areas have access to video conferencing this type of everyday technology could really take online conferencing/courses to a new level.
The ability to hear and see who is talking, and presenting ideas and information, and to then to be able to instantly and verbally respond would be appealing for many students.
Perhaps this way online courses would cater to all types of learners.
Interesting article Patricia, I liked her comment that now all she needs to give a presentation anywhere in the world is "an internet connection, a laptop and her cellphone". Amazing isn't it, what a way to globally connect with people everywhere.

All the stuff out there

My students have used Kidspiration many times before especially for mind maps or concept maps. I have to admit that I have never thought of using this application as a presentation tool. Thanks for sharing the article Patricia.
There are so many options for software out there that I think sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming. Somebody said in an earlier post words to the effect, "why can't we all agree on on platform?". Sometimes I feel the same about software. Teachers are bombarded with all different applications that as soon as they become comfortable with one application their computers get a new OS which won't support it anymore or 5 new products have come out to replace it. I have never been a big fan of being told what to do but, if we have a standard curriculum and reporting system in the province is it crazy to think that a standard software image for schools is unrealistic?

New Version of Keynote

In response to David's post

I looked at the new version of Keynote on the Apple site. It looks great!!! I watched the demo of the move feature and I agree with you David it's a hit. I like the fact that they have also added the ability to create narration within Keynote itself. At the moment I have the 2.0.2 version and I'm looking forward to upgrading soon. Trouble is that all the Macs at the school run the older version as well so until they catch up I won't be able to use the new bells and whistles for class presentations.

Comics and Keynote

Creating comics with speech bubbles and imported digital images is a fun way to create a presentation for sure!!!. Students can take it that extra step by adding their own sound track to the presentation as special effects. Another neat idea might be to use the ComicLife Software to produce your comic (eBook) and then import it into the presentation software this way you can take advantage of the best of both worlds (ComicLife's grahics and fonts and Keynote's presentation functionality). I played around with this earlier and found that the easiest way was to create the comic and export it directly into iPhoto the import the image into Keynote. I thought the final product turned out pretty well.

Peer Editing Presentations

Having students Peer Edit their presentations is a must as they are often the best critics when it comes to "you are using too much animation" or "I couldn't understand your presentation because your slides were moving too fast". One of the great things about peer editing/critique of presentations is that the computer lab provides an ideal space to manage and control the activity from a teachers perspective. In the third term I do a presentation project with my grade 5's (topics vary). They spend about a month putting together a presentation that is about 5 to 8 slides long. As we near the end of the month I usually have about a couple of Peer Critiquing Sessions. During this time I have the students run their presentations on a loop and go on a gallery walk around the other computers. They take with them a pencil and stickie notes. As they watch a presentation students are encourage to provide positive and specific feedback by writing on the stickie note and putting on the computer. I usually give them about 20 minutes and have the rule that a maximum of 2 people can be watching a particular presentation at one time. Works pretty well and of course the session creates a fair bit of discussion about visual presentation as well as content.

Where is the line??

Like with many pieces of technology today, the intended uses for hardware or software applications do not always follow the straight and narrow. Mark makes an interesting point about camera phones being used as a way to document and perhaps even prevent bullying. On the other hand the camera phone can be the tool in the bullying behaviour itself. A quick surf of You Tube will present any number of fights and incidents of bullying of students or teachers that have been posted not to prevent the act but rather to promote it.
The concept of MySpace or Facebook started out simply enough as a way to connect with others. Now privacy issues and people with nefarious intent prise the waves.
I think it is difficult to keep up with how technology is being used and to have a common set of rules and responsibilities which govern how technology is to be used. Take for instance the case going on at the moment concerning the Ryerson student who is facing expulsion for having an online study group through Facebook. Seems to me the student is doing exactly what university students have been doing for years, except now they are doing it electronically.

eBook Online Library of sorts

I took a quick look around this site, you are right Michael there is a lot to filter through. There is however quite a bit of really neat stuff. Good links to ideas for lessons around classroom theatre, good variety of text for all ages. I think most people could find several useful links to use themselves or to pass along to colleagues and parents.

http://drscavanaugh.org/ebooks/libraries/ebook_libraries.htm

Free-Ware/Not so free applications

Great site Keethai, thanks for sharing!! I could see using this site with younger students as a way of introducing them to creating their own comics. I agree with Michael that it does have some limitations. For a fee site it is a great site. Might also want to think in terms of using this site as a warm upto using ComicLife. Students could also do a comparison between free-ware applications and those that are licensed. With all the talk of Google suites and other all access applications, having students compare functionality and reliability of free vs pay for application would be interesting.

Mac vs Windows

In my school board the majority of elementary schools use Macs, while PCs seem to be the platform of choice in the secondary schools. At present our board is at a bit of a crossroads. The board has a computer "infusion" plan on the go whereby they want to create a sustainable standard and staff/student ratio of computer workstations. The problem is that the windows based machines are significantly less expensive than the Macs. At present the board is conducting open meetings, both online and public, for staff to give their opinions for or against continuing to be a dual platform board or switching to Windows. As you can imagine the secondary panel is fine with going strictly windows, however some in the elementary panel are almost beside themselves at the thought.
Having used both my two cents are that there is often a reason that one product is much cheaper and it doesn't always relate to economies of scale.

PowerPoint Handouts-When to use them

Interesting article Christine found. I thought the point about finding time during the lecture (presentation) to "pause and poll" the students was important. This point reminds me that the presentation itself is not the message but rather a means to communicate with students. Taking time to check for understanding is important in assessing for learning.
The examples of PPT handouts in the article gave me some ideas for the future. Seems to me that it is important to understand in your own mind what it is you want your audience to go away with after your presentation before you decide on a handout format.

Keynote vs PowerPoint

In response to Mark's Post

Mark,
I used the same approach you did, started on PowerPoint then converted to Keynote. Too much frustration using PowerPoint. The one advantage that PP had over the version of Keynote that I was using, was the ability to create narration within the software. In my Keynote presentation I used GarageBand to record my narration which I then had to export to iTunes and finally embed the narration in Keynote. It sounds like a lot of work but the reality is that by using GarageBand I was also able to include some background music to accompany my narration. In the end I think the product turned out way better than if I would have used PP.
I also went on the Apple website to take a look at the latest version of Keynote and it looks like they have added the function adding narration through Keynote itself.

Keynote and Creating ebooks

I found what I thought was a pretty good, and concise manual directed towards teachers on how to use/navigate Keynote. As the author says, you can download the nearly 200 page user guide but the reality is that most users will not need that much information. I also liked the visuals that he added to the pdf making it much easier to follow. Have a look and see what you think.

http://www.mattjfuller.com/ice/Keynote_3_Book-draft_quality.pdf

I also tried making a quick ebook using Keynote and found that the only drawback was not being able to create and insert audio within the slideware. Instead I needed to use GarageBand and iTunes to record and insert audio through the media inspector creating an extra step. Not a terrible inconvenience but if all I want to do is narrate the text I believe that PowerPoint has the edge on function.

Apparently Not Everyone is a Fan of Slideware

This post comes in response to a link that I found at the bottom of a site that Christine had posted regarding the evaluation of presentations....

At the bottom of the site there was one article that caught my eye, PowerPoint is Evil by Edward Tufte. In the article Tufte made some interesting points that although directed towards the business world, are messages that teachers and their students should consider. His big idea is that the presentation is really about the content and that boring content can not be saved through some version of slideware(PowerPoint, Keynote). He talks in terms of the presentation itself not taking away from the content and at it's worst a slideware, "style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes content."
This article just emphasizes the care that presenters (teachers and students) need to take when building presentations.
It was a fun read check it out if you like:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.

Spirit Reading

I was reading the discussion some people were having regarding reading to students and having them read. It reminds of an activity I have used with some effectiveness in my classroom call spirit reading. In a nutshell what happens is that when we are reading a piece of text together one person reads of a bit and then stops and whoever "feels the spirit to read" picks up where the last person left off. This takes a bit of getting used to and co-operation from all members of the class. In the beginning you will find that the same folks want to dominate and some will never read, but like with most classroom activities investing a bit of time brings out great results. Even my reluctant readers are taking turns, they don't read for as long as some others but they are now feeling confident enough to read aloud.

Keynote vs PowerPoint

In the ongoing battle of Mac vs PC, I would have to agree that Keynote is a much more user friendly application to create presentations. Another plus for Keynote is that you can easily convert your Keynote presentation to a PowerPoint, thus having the flexibility to make the platform irrelevant when you go to present. The one caution that I would add is there exists the possibility of some formatting adjustments to be made after the conversion.