This week we explored the use of Powerpoint, Prezi and Glogster.
This week I chose to use Powerpoint. I have had a bit of experience using Powerpoint, and decided that I would explore its use further. I would like to justify this choice through the discussion we had in class this week.
We talked about the implementation of a few pieces of technology from the different perspectives of key stakeholders within the education process. This discussion kept coming back to the issue of acceptance and willingness of those above in the hierarchy of teaching- their willingness to accept ICT in teaching methods, their willingness to pay for subscriptions etc.
This got me thinking. While we are exploring a large range of programs, what am I going to do should I get a position as a school that does not have access to all these wonderful new ideas? What if they aren't equipped to give the students access? I would hate to spend so much time developing ideas and lesson plans that are not able to be implemented. This is why I chose Powerpoint.
Powerpoint is a Microsoft program should be accessible through most computers- if it is a Mac, then a suitable conversion program will need to be available on the computer. Generally, the computers that students will have access to will come with Powerpoint installed, and therefore saves a large amount of issues with downloading/gaining access to this program.
As stated above, I have had some experience with Powerpoint. This experience has been through the creation of boring presentations. I had embedded a picture or two, and once even included some sound that I had recorded. Had I not attended this class, I may have continued with this dull format.
I decided to have an attempt at creating a game after viewing what little you could see of Glenna Shaw's (2010) work. I immediately could see how you could manipulate the functions of Powerpoint to create a game.
The first thing that I did was choose a theme. I decided that this was the most appropriate:
It is bright, but not too busy ie you can easily add text, images and buttons without the theme getting in the way. There were a number to choose from, and even once I chose this one, I was offered the ability to change the colour scheme.
I appreciate the consistency of the Microsoft programs. If you are fluent with Word, then you have a huge advantage when using Powerpoint. Powerpoint offers a somewhat instinctual layout with the main functions being on the homepage ie "New Slide", editing of text, and editing of styles. Anything off this screen is what I would call a perk- a little something extra that you need to play with to get working.
So once I had determined my theme, I inserted a few more slides. These all had the same theme as the original slide, and you can change the layout to fit your needs.
I first built the game with four players in mind, however I manipulated it so that you can have a number of different player combinations. It would work where you have one device for 4 children and they each have a go, or it could work with a group working cooperatively to determine the answers. Additionally, this could be a class exercise where each student could provide verbal or written feedback to the teacher, with the general consensus answer being chosen.
I drew up the board with 16 questions as shown below. The star is the current question.
This didn't take long to draw up, with the use of a text box. I created one about the right size and then clicked on "Quick Styles" which let me preview and change the colour of the box. I then copied the box, placed it where I wanted it and clicked the style button to chose a different colour with the same style. On the image above, you will see two styles- the start and finish are different from the number tiles.
Another great function of Powerpoint is that you can ensure all your boxes and images are lined up, spaced evenly between them and central to the middle of the page or text. When you are dragging the items on the screen, lines appear to show you this. I love this tool!!! It made everything so easy to line up and space evenly.
Inserting text into the boxes was easy and I love the button that lets you change the text size with an "up" and "down" button. I could easily highlight the text that I wanted to increase in size, and click on the "up" button. It increases in increments of 4, which was great.
Next I created the slides with the Questions on them. It was as simple as adding the text for the title and question. For the answer, again, I created a text box, changed the style (I modelled them on the board colours) and then added the different possible answers.
I started piecing the questions together after consulting the curriculum and determining the math requirements for year two, I included questions around General Capability requirements ACMNA029, ACMNA030 and ACMNA035. Had I created all 16 questions, I could have included more Capabilities into the mix.
I then created a correct and incorrect screen. This was a simple task as well. I used one of the "online images" that they offer for the correct screen. I pasted this and then copied it and changed the size of the images.
On the incorrect screen, I decided that it was best to provide feedback on the way in which you get the answer. You will see examples of the different methods I chose- a picture, a table and some text. These were all very easy to create. I employed the tools listed above.
After creating the first question and slides about correct and incorrect, I then wanted to insert the board again, with the star in a new place. Powerpoint offers a great function that you can right click on any slide and duplicate it. It then appears directly under the original. I then dragged it down to where I wanted to put it. I clicked on the star and dragged it to where I wanted it.
I continued this process before doing the more tricky stage which was creating to directions for when you click a box, such as the "continue" boxes you can see in the images above. This was a relatively easy process, however it exercised my brain to ensure that I was creating the appropriate link ie from the answer box on the question page to either the correct or incorrect page.
Creating the actual links was easy. Under the "Insert" menu, I found the "Action" button. This opened up a menu where I could chose to link it to the next page, or a certain page, and also add sound to the selection. I chose to do a "click" sound for all bar the last page where the "you won" page comes up. Here I chose to insert applause from their menu (although it sounds more like a train).
The only difficulty I had with this stage was that I had to remember to select the box before creating the action, otherwise it would only activate if you clicked on the word. I wanted anywhere on the box to be active.
This is about all of the technical steps. There was a lot of repeating and duplicating of items. A lot of time was taken to get my head around how this would game would function and a lot of testing of items. I am happy with the final tool which can be downloaded from here: Math Geniuses- A Board Game
Reflection:
Once I was happy with the document, I decided to upload it to my Weebly. We had discussed in class using programs to upload it into this blog, however this was not successful by Gary. I uploaded the game to Weebly, however when I tried to play it through there, it did not work. The document is there, however the decision I made to insert click buttons to take you to the appropriate page does not work properly. I tried it on my WikiSpace, and it is a workable edition, however you need to download it. It is currently just under 5mb, which means that if I had completed the full 16 questions, it may need to have been broken up which is not really an option for year two students.
After uploading the game to my WikiSpace, I downloaded it to ensure it worked. I found, however, that if you didn't enable editing, the game does not show the titles on each slide. If you do click to enable editing, then it seemed to work.
Having these issues with uploading and downloading the game, I would choose not to upload this game to either a Weebly or a WikiSpace. I think it would be easier to have it on a memory stick or email that is downloaded prior to the lesson. This would mean that the game should be played first up, or after a break to allow time for set-up.
While Powerpoint is readily accessible, one of the main concerns I have with this program is that you cannot control students from just clicking through the game to the end, as you would on a normal Powerpoint presentation. It would need to be monitored to ensure that there is no "cheating". Additionally, I was not able to find a way to keep track of how many questions were answered correctly.
With the limitations in mind, I can see many different ways of using a Powerpoint for interaction. What I have created could be classed as Augmentation and Modification, however you could use it for a number of lessons including:
References:
Shaw, Glenna. (2010). Presentations, Educational Games and Project Management. Retrieved from http://www.pptmagic.com/
This week I chose to use Powerpoint. I have had a bit of experience using Powerpoint, and decided that I would explore its use further. I would like to justify this choice through the discussion we had in class this week.
We talked about the implementation of a few pieces of technology from the different perspectives of key stakeholders within the education process. This discussion kept coming back to the issue of acceptance and willingness of those above in the hierarchy of teaching- their willingness to accept ICT in teaching methods, their willingness to pay for subscriptions etc.
This got me thinking. While we are exploring a large range of programs, what am I going to do should I get a position as a school that does not have access to all these wonderful new ideas? What if they aren't equipped to give the students access? I would hate to spend so much time developing ideas and lesson plans that are not able to be implemented. This is why I chose Powerpoint.
Powerpoint is a Microsoft program should be accessible through most computers- if it is a Mac, then a suitable conversion program will need to be available on the computer. Generally, the computers that students will have access to will come with Powerpoint installed, and therefore saves a large amount of issues with downloading/gaining access to this program.
As stated above, I have had some experience with Powerpoint. This experience has been through the creation of boring presentations. I had embedded a picture or two, and once even included some sound that I had recorded. Had I not attended this class, I may have continued with this dull format.
I decided to have an attempt at creating a game after viewing what little you could see of Glenna Shaw's (2010) work. I immediately could see how you could manipulate the functions of Powerpoint to create a game.
The first thing that I did was choose a theme. I decided that this was the most appropriate:
It is bright, but not too busy ie you can easily add text, images and buttons without the theme getting in the way. There were a number to choose from, and even once I chose this one, I was offered the ability to change the colour scheme.
I appreciate the consistency of the Microsoft programs. If you are fluent with Word, then you have a huge advantage when using Powerpoint. Powerpoint offers a somewhat instinctual layout with the main functions being on the homepage ie "New Slide", editing of text, and editing of styles. Anything off this screen is what I would call a perk- a little something extra that you need to play with to get working.
So once I had determined my theme, I inserted a few more slides. These all had the same theme as the original slide, and you can change the layout to fit your needs.
I first built the game with four players in mind, however I manipulated it so that you can have a number of different player combinations. It would work where you have one device for 4 children and they each have a go, or it could work with a group working cooperatively to determine the answers. Additionally, this could be a class exercise where each student could provide verbal or written feedback to the teacher, with the general consensus answer being chosen.
I drew up the board with 16 questions as shown below. The star is the current question.
This didn't take long to draw up, with the use of a text box. I created one about the right size and then clicked on "Quick Styles" which let me preview and change the colour of the box. I then copied the box, placed it where I wanted it and clicked the style button to chose a different colour with the same style. On the image above, you will see two styles- the start and finish are different from the number tiles.
Another great function of Powerpoint is that you can ensure all your boxes and images are lined up, spaced evenly between them and central to the middle of the page or text. When you are dragging the items on the screen, lines appear to show you this. I love this tool!!! It made everything so easy to line up and space evenly.
Inserting text into the boxes was easy and I love the button that lets you change the text size with an "up" and "down" button. I could easily highlight the text that I wanted to increase in size, and click on the "up" button. It increases in increments of 4, which was great.
Next I created the slides with the Questions on them. It was as simple as adding the text for the title and question. For the answer, again, I created a text box, changed the style (I modelled them on the board colours) and then added the different possible answers.
I started piecing the questions together after consulting the curriculum and determining the math requirements for year two, I included questions around General Capability requirements ACMNA029, ACMNA030 and ACMNA035. Had I created all 16 questions, I could have included more Capabilities into the mix.
I then created a correct and incorrect screen. This was a simple task as well. I used one of the "online images" that they offer for the correct screen. I pasted this and then copied it and changed the size of the images.
On the incorrect screen, I decided that it was best to provide feedback on the way in which you get the answer. You will see examples of the different methods I chose- a picture, a table and some text. These were all very easy to create. I employed the tools listed above.
After creating the first question and slides about correct and incorrect, I then wanted to insert the board again, with the star in a new place. Powerpoint offers a great function that you can right click on any slide and duplicate it. It then appears directly under the original. I then dragged it down to where I wanted to put it. I clicked on the star and dragged it to where I wanted it.
I continued this process before doing the more tricky stage which was creating to directions for when you click a box, such as the "continue" boxes you can see in the images above. This was a relatively easy process, however it exercised my brain to ensure that I was creating the appropriate link ie from the answer box on the question page to either the correct or incorrect page.
Creating the actual links was easy. Under the "Insert" menu, I found the "Action" button. This opened up a menu where I could chose to link it to the next page, or a certain page, and also add sound to the selection. I chose to do a "click" sound for all bar the last page where the "you won" page comes up. Here I chose to insert applause from their menu (although it sounds more like a train).
The only difficulty I had with this stage was that I had to remember to select the box before creating the action, otherwise it would only activate if you clicked on the word. I wanted anywhere on the box to be active.
This is about all of the technical steps. There was a lot of repeating and duplicating of items. A lot of time was taken to get my head around how this would game would function and a lot of testing of items. I am happy with the final tool which can be downloaded from here: Math Geniuses- A Board Game
Reflection:
Once I was happy with the document, I decided to upload it to my Weebly. We had discussed in class using programs to upload it into this blog, however this was not successful by Gary. I uploaded the game to Weebly, however when I tried to play it through there, it did not work. The document is there, however the decision I made to insert click buttons to take you to the appropriate page does not work properly. I tried it on my WikiSpace, and it is a workable edition, however you need to download it. It is currently just under 5mb, which means that if I had completed the full 16 questions, it may need to have been broken up which is not really an option for year two students.
After uploading the game to my WikiSpace, I downloaded it to ensure it worked. I found, however, that if you didn't enable editing, the game does not show the titles on each slide. If you do click to enable editing, then it seemed to work.
Having these issues with uploading and downloading the game, I would choose not to upload this game to either a Weebly or a WikiSpace. I think it would be easier to have it on a memory stick or email that is downloaded prior to the lesson. This would mean that the game should be played first up, or after a break to allow time for set-up.
While Powerpoint is readily accessible, one of the main concerns I have with this program is that you cannot control students from just clicking through the game to the end, as you would on a normal Powerpoint presentation. It would need to be monitored to ensure that there is no "cheating". Additionally, I was not able to find a way to keep track of how many questions were answered correctly.
With the limitations in mind, I can see many different ways of using a Powerpoint for interaction. What I have created could be classed as Augmentation and Modification, however you could use it for a number of lessons including:
- The more simple forms of presentation that include links to websites, videos and have embedded pictures;
- Recreating books with sequencing and asking each child to retell the story in their own words of that slide through audio;
- Creating choose your own adventure books where students design their own stories and endings;
- Teaching the relationship between actions and reactions- provide different ways to react to situations with the students learning about consequences of their actions;
- Change the ending of stories.
References:
Shaw, Glenna. (2010). Presentations, Educational Games and Project Management. Retrieved from http://www.pptmagic.com/
A high quality post Melissa.
ReplyDeleteLoved your tech approach and reflection.
Overall you are right on track with this course.
Well done so far.