Experiencing High Quality Science Education

    Going above and beyond is part of being a good teacher. It sometimes seems that the list of things included in our job description grows longer each year. It is important to not become overwhelmed with endless administrative tasks but rather to devote our energy towards delivery quality lessons for our students. I have found the most rewarding way for me to use my time is to prepare rigorous lessons laced with real world connections that promote student interest and engagement. It is during these times when I feel as if I am being happily challenged to live up to my title as a science teacher.

"What's our Spuntik?"

"What's our Sputnik?"

  Looking back through history there very few instances that compare in the level of unpreparedness to that of our current pandemic situation. To say we were caught off guard is the grandest understatement in history. As history has shown, positives can come from tragedy and improvements can lead to great discoveries. The light is always brightest after the dark! Growth and rejuvenation can come from the ashes.

  As a nation we are at a pivotal point in our history. To move forward we need to finally deal with racial and social injustices to  create acceptance of all people. We also need to deal with our shameful level of implicit bias, especially in the work place where minorities and women deserve be treated equally. These issues have been ignored or voluntarily accepted by people for decades. This year seems to be about burning down to rebuild; 2020 is not for the faintest of hearts. 

Reference:

Friedman, T. L. (2010, Jan 17). What's our sputnik?: [op-ed]. New York Times Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F434270918%3Faccountid%3D14872

SCIE 6662- Journal Entry #1- Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools

Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools 

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       With an explosion of new web-based tools being released every year, web 2.0 tools now overfill a teachers toolbox with more options than ever before. Ranging from the familiar and classic PowerPoint to the motion attention seeking Prezi. If a teacher needs to create a presentation for a lesson they have an onslaught of choices to provide an entertaining presentation to their audience.

Old faithful PowerPoint has been resurfaced to provide a more sleek and fashionable design. This is not what we think of when we used power point. If you haven’t made a presentation using PowerPoint recently, you will be pleasantly surprised with the new version. It still feels familiar with it’s timeless features that we all grew to love, but now has more choices, features, layouts, designs, and transitions. No longer is “PowerPoint” synonymous with a boring presentation (of course that is depending on the creator and presenter). PowerPoint is still the go to choice for many people because of its easy to use, familiar (small learning curve which saves valuable time), and reliability. Other reasons to use PowerPoint now include online access from anywhere through your Office 365 or OneDrive account (which my school has so I am unaware of the cost involved), and the ability to share presentations and collaborate with anyone worldwide. I have found that students still feel very comfortable using PowerPoint, and have even noticed a few using it to take notes or create a study guide to review for a test. 

       Other noteworthy online presentation tools include Google Slides, Prezi, Visme, Emaze, Adobe Spark, PowToons, and a host of others. Each presentation tool is web based which allows access from anywhere and also saves automatically as you are working (which is great for students who forget to save their work). Most of the tools listed above do require you to create an account, which can be an issue with students under age 13. Collaboration is easy if the person you want to share the presentation with has an account. 

        Each year during our cornerstone project I offer students as variety of presentation options. A few brave students will take on the challenge to try something other than PowerPoint, and most discover a solid alternative. I also try a new presentation tool out each year to help keep up with the new tools. Most of the web 2.0 tools that I've tried have similar functionality that seems to mimic PowerPoint to a degree. Prezi, Emaze, and Visme are all a great alternative and are generally user friendly. I have found that each web 2.0 tool has its own niche of customers; some presentation tools seem to work tailored for specific types of presentations or jobs. 

       My final verdict is that it is hard to move out of your comfort zone (i.e. PowerPoint). PowerPoint still provides an effective and efficient presentation tool that is easy to use, reliable, and has modern features to collaborate online.