Chapter 4 ~ PowerPoint

While society is literally submerged in technology, there is specific tools that benefit a classroom environment. Software offering concept maps could be utilized in any writing assignment, no matter what the subject. The Semantica and Inspiration packages can help a teacher or student flourish in any educational activity.
   Due to the level of creativity that PowerPoint allows,  an individual can unintentionally take away from an oral presentation. One should make note of the tips offered in the textbook to avoid this from occuring. It is easy to fall into the trap of too much stimulation on the slides. This may be my pitfall.
  In conclusion, it is best to hold back on a PowerPoint presentation to make sure it remains a tool for an oral presentation, not the presentation itself. Keeping the potential pitfalls listed in the textbook in mind hopefully I will be able to overcome this.

 Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R. M., & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful Learning                  Technology (3rd ed., pp. 62-72). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Chapter Two

   Personal Digital Assistants are hand held computers that allow for organizing functions, such as a calendar, task or memo tools. the Palm operating systems are the most common handheld device utilized in education. For use in the classroom the textbook offered numerous PDA ideas. Firstly, a handheld allows for students to conduct  experiments in the field and share the information with their peers from one device to another. Upon returning to the classroom, the handheld devices can then download the data to a classroom computer where it can be analyzed and graphed. Secondly, students can conduct nature mapping whereas  data collected in the field by participating farmers can be sent to students in a classroom. Upon receiving the information, the students can then engage with the farmers and update their findings for a particular assignment.
   Online survey tools allow for data collection opportunities across curriculum. Surveys allow students to answer questions based on themselves.The collected results then become the springboard for a classroom discussion conducted by the teacher. Online surveys can be both fun and educational because they can allow for participation outside the classroom with students from neighboring schools or countries. In my opinion, two good rules for online surveys are to avoid long questions and to not appear bias in your phrasing. Both of these can deter a individual from participating.
   Implementing  a PDA in the classroom is a great educational tool. These systems allow for students to step outside of the classroom and become engaged in their surroundings, or remain in class and participate in the collection of data from a field instructor. As an English teacher, I am not sure how to utilize the PDA, but I do know that online surveys would be a great interactive tool when questioning students on their opinions of various literature.

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R. M., & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful Learning withTechnology (3rd ed., pp. 29-37). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.