E-Portfolios

This week I am working on making my e-portfolio better. I am adding content to the site. I have worked on getting some lesson plans on the site and tweeked my resume. I am currently looking at my documents to see if there is anything from past classes that I have done that I can add.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday. I am off to prepare some pies for tomorrow.

Vlog vs. Blog

This week we have been learning about vlogging. Which is a short video posted on the Internet. This can be used for educational purposes. Though there are many videos posted that are just silly ways for people to show themselves to the world if you are unfortunate enough to come across them. The vlog is somewhat intimidating as it can be rather personal with sound and picture of a person, place or thing. Unlike a blog that is just posted words and perhaps a still picture. The blog seems to have a new dimension of criteria. Sound is certainly an issue as well as a steady picture are needed to be effective, as dull sound and bouncing picture can be very distracting.

I watched several YouTube videos. Here is one from Ted Kooser poet laureate doing a reading of some of his poetry.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuoWarhWFXw
I did try to post a vlog myself. Though once again the slowness of my dial-up interferes with the loading of the video.

I can see the potential of use on YouTube for education as there is a category of videos posted that are just for education. This can certainly help with teaching a class and giving them a real feel for something almost like a field trip within the classroom.

Ken Robinson

I was amazed by what Ken Robinson said, and I agree whole heatedly. I remember sitting in on a Language Arts class where I enjoyed the teacher greatly, as well as the lesson plan, but I was distracted from the class thinking how can I write when I have no imagination anymore? I remember being the age of the students and I was much more creative and less inhibited by the consequences of my creativity. Now I feel ashamed if I have an original idea. How can that be - it must be something I heard from someone else.

There seems to be so many students that are completely lost at school. My son being one of them. Conventional wisdom can't touch anything inside him. He is a smart kid, but school has taught him there is no hope in the world for him. No job that will excite him. Academics don't do anything for him. He can compute math, read, and write, but has no drive to learn more. He thinks his only options for life are to be a logger or truck driver. Both noble professions, but not the end of his limit. As a parent I am angry that I see so many young men in schools with the exact same feelings. This is one of the reasons that I wanted to become an educator. There must be something we can do to help stimulate these kids and help them feel successful and creative.

I don't know what the answer is, but I feel the education system needs a revamping. So few children are supported in a way that helps them flourish and become what inspires them. Perhaps it's just fate that leads people to what it is that sparks the flames of desire in what they do. Some people intuitively know what it is that drives them and others must try several things before they get a feel for what it is that gives them purpose. The essential thing is to keep looking.

Bad Powerpoint Presentations

I have had the misfortune to sit through several pretty bad PowerPoint presentations. The bad points to these presentations were that the slide had all the information the speaker needed and simply read it out loud. The speaker did not add any further information to make the presentation interesting. Also the slides would be filled with text and no appealing images. I find when the slide is crammed with text I just look away, especially if the presenter is just reading the slide anyway.

I find the presentation more interesting when the speaker uses short points of fact and can continue to expound on this interesting information. I like pictures on the slide that help back up what is being spoken about and add some visual appeal. I have seen a few slides with random pictures that didn't seem to have anything to do with what was being presented. Also I don't personally like it when the speaker is continually busy flipping paper and losing their place or train of thought. It is better if the person practices giving their demonstration before the big day. Of course you can never be sure what questions may be asked. But so long as someone is actually asking a question, you know you can feel good, because you actually have someones attention!

My fist few attempts at making a PowerPoint presentation were lessons in humility for me. Naturally I didn't have the software on my computer and had to go to the library to make my presentations. My first attempt wasn't too bad. I did manage to copy the work and get it work for class. My slides had short bits of information accompanied by pictures that pertained to what I was speaking about. Although I was nervous I knew my subject and could handle any questions. I think that is key to making a good presentation. My second attempt was a great presentation on vampires and fashion. The problem was I couldn't get the PowerPoint copied correctly and it didn't work for my presentation. I made a last minute movie- maker display to use in my talk. Since I was rattled about the PowerPoint not working my presentation was not as good as it should have been. The last PowerPoint I made, I once again I ran into the problem of making my pictures fit on the slide and was pressured for time on the library computer. Although I have encountered problems in making the PowerPoint's I have learned from each experience and continue to make improvements. I am hoping my next attempt will run more smoothly as I finally have the software on my computer at home and I won't be limited by time at a public library.