ICT in classrooms

Using PowerPoint
PowerPoint in classrooms has been used for many years already.
During my PP1, I was able to create and use PowerPoints to
present each lesson. I found this helpful because pictures and
short videos could be incorporated and this made the lessons
more visually interesting.

Another benefit was being able to walk around the classroom

while the PowerPoint changed, this aided with classroom
management. However, the use simply replaced the teacher
writing on the blackboard.
PowerPoints have also been used by students to present their
work. The program is very user friendly and easy to introduce to
students. One lesson I observed during PP1 was the introduction
to Business for a Year 7 class. The students were asked to think
about Jonathon Thurston and what his Needs and Wants would
be, and then do the same for themselves. From there, each
student needed to create a PowerPoint and present the
information to the teacher. While the students were interested,
this was also only a substitution from students writing in their
textbooks.
The examples I have seen were simple and could be easily
changed to introduce Bloom’s Taxonomy and Higher Order
Thinking. Looking at the SAMR model and the aforementioned
lessons, the following changes could be made.
Topic: Year 7 Business Studies – Needs and Wants
Higher order thinking is utilised in the redefinition phase of SAMR
because the students are taught about Wants and Needs from
their perspective; they are then told another perspective from
students in a geographically different area; before researching
another country and understanding that not all countries are as
viable and prosperous as Australia.
Should students wish to use PowerPoints for their
presentation, they would require a sound understanding of
how to use the program. PowerPoint can allow students to
add voice recordings, images, create a short motion picture,
and link other sites from the internet. The program is a part of
the Microsoft suite so by having a base knowledge of Word,
the functionality is similar and transferable.
The use of a class website requires the understanding of privacy
and legal, safe and ethical practices. As mentioned throughout
my blog, web safety is important, especially for children who may
not understand the full implications of a funny photo that they
post. As this lesson is a short lesson, where the final work is to show
understanding (not a reflection of grades), students’ web images
would be limited to using only the copyright-free sites - Photos for
Class.
The website for the class would have the privacy settings
limited to only the people who have the link. The link
would be accessible to students, other teachers, and
parents. Further information regarding privacy and
legal, safe and ethical practices can be found in my
past blogs from Week 3 and Week 4.
Thank you for listening