Prezi

A picture is worth a thousands words but what is a picture with a narrative worth?  Prezi,  a virtual whiteboard, transforms presentations into an interactive and engaging experience. Prezi creates a visual story where words and pictures come together to present an idea or a lesson. The unique thing about Prezi is that it physically draws the audience into conversation and thought. With the added visual and spatial components, Prezi changes the way information is presented.

Every Prezi you come across has a unique look and feel to it. Prezi allows the individual's thoughts and ideas to shine through with the use of tools to customize your presentation. Looking at several examples that were all very different from each other, there were three presentations that left a great impression on me.

1.) "Mathematweets" was a very informative and interactive presentation. The video in the beginning was unexpected and it was a good choice to introduce the topic of the presentation. I also liked the tree and how the branches symbolized the topic branching off into several different topics. It was also cool that as you zoomed in on the binoculars, it brought you to the topic "what I want to see instead." This is definitely a memorable presentation.

2.) I found myself quite intrigued by the "Why We Live Where We Do" Prezi. The detailed pictures, photographs, and artifact images made it so different than any ordinary slide presentation. The effects were really neat as well. This was an enthralling presentation that would definitely benefit students and help them learn a great deal of information in a highly creative way.

3.) The last Prezi I really enjoyed was "The Journey of Big O." The dialogue between the shapes was cute and I feel like students would get a kick out of it. Giving the shapes names and faces would help the students retain more information about what they had learned from this presentation.

Teachers who have yet to try Prezi, I would suggest that they explore it! There are so many ways to teach and to deliver information. Prezi is a sure way to hold the attention of students as they are learning! Watch the video below to experience Prezi for yourself!

Flipped Clasroom

There is a lot of talk in the world of Education regarding the "Flipped Classroom." Before watching one of Todd Nesloney's webinars, I had no idea what the the flipped classroom meant or what it looked like. In his May 7, 2014 webinar, he clearly explains what this idea is and how it can change the dynamic of learning. 

When the classroom is flipped, students gain first exposure to new material outside of the classroom either through reading or lecture videos. Instead of class time being taken up by lecture, it is utilized to do harder work together, through problem-solving-discussions, debates, and project-style activities. 

Todd explains that the lecture videos he gives his students to watch usually are anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes long. In these videos, he personally introduces new material that he wants his students to begin thinking about. He then asks them to complete a "WSQ" or a Watch, Summary, Question." This allows Todd to make sure his students are watching the videos and that they paid close attention to them. 

A tip I got from Todd was to show your students you are not perfect! Make sure your students know that it is okay to make mistakes and to mess up. This is what leads to a healthy learning environment. 

In the webinar Todd said that sometimes he is aware that he has made a mistake in a video for his students to watch and sometimes he is not. He does not mind when he is corrected because it shows that his students are engaged and listening carefully to his lectures. 

Here is a question I have for Todd: If I were to flip my classroom, what are some ways to keep my lecture videos interesting enough that students will want to watch them? Is there any right or wrong way of making the lecture videos?

After watching Todd's webinar, I am definitely more inclined to flip my classroom. I think students come to class with more passion to learn and more motivation to work hard. When you allow the students to move from the passenger's seat to the driver's seat, true learning takes place.

Gamification: Fad or the Future of Learning?

In the world of educators and school leaders, the word Gamification has sparked a lot of conversation. Is Gamification useful in the classroom? Will students learn more effectively by it? Will this be a temporary trend or a permanent change in the way people learn?

Gamification, may be a word that is gaining popularity but its principles have been around for a decent amount of time. Gamification is the use of game design techniques and mechanics to solve problems, simplify concepts, educate, and intrigue leaners.  This can be applied to any industry or any subject matter to create engaging and interactive  experiences that make tasks more fun and enjoyable. 

Most people are born with a competitive streak. Keeping score is a natural human tendency.  Whether competing individually or against other groups or individuals, Gamification is a way to incorporate some level of competition while learning at the same time. Learning or completing tasks in the form of a game is a brilliant way to engage, excite, and motivate learners. 

Keeping score will never go out of style. Gamification allows students to unleash their inner competitive side while acquiring new knowledge all at once. While some styles of learning come and go, Gamification has been placed in the spot light and will be there for quite some time. 

Content Curation: Why it Matters

You may be asking yourself what is content curation and why is it important? Well here is a simple definition: Content curation is the process of collecting, organizing and displaying information relevant to a particular topic or area of interest. This type of organizing is a sure way to "make sense" of information on the web and having it readily accessible to share. Click on the link below to watch a video on content curation!!

Check it out!

There are lots of tools we can use to make this type of organization possible. There is one that many people know and talk about. This tool is called Pinterest.

Pinterest is an online service that allows you to share images through social networking. Users are able to share and create collections of visual bookmarks referred to as "Boards." Boards are made by a user selecting an item, page, website, etc. and pinning it to an existing or newly created board. Users share and save "pins" onto boards based on a particular theme, such as interior decorating, holidays, party planning, vacation destinations, etc. Pinterest can be a very useful tool that helps organize and develop plans and events. It is quite similar to a filing cabinet but much more fun!

Hope this information has opened your eyes to how helpful content curation can be!! Try it out for yourself! 

iPads = iLearn

Dear Principal Robertson,

I think students could benefit greatly if we were to get iPads for the classroom. I know this would be a high expense but the reasons I mention might help make it a bit more considerable.

1.) Save Money!! Yes it is a very big expense at first, but think of all the money we could save on books, writing implements, calculators, etc. if we were to have these tablets that do universally everything!

2.) No one can learn to drive a car if they don't sit in the driver's seat! The same goes for any learning experience. iPads could potentially give students more control of their own learning.

3.) iPads would give students the ability to quickly switch to another application, allowing them more time to focus and less time to be distracted.

4.) iPads are a definite way to make the classroom "greener," saving the school a lot of money on paper.

5.) iPads can be used by virtually any student, even those with disabilities!

6.) The iPad can be paired with an external keyboard. Students can become better at typing!

7.) There is no time wasted waiting for apps to load. They load almost instantaneously.

8.)  The iPad is very light weight and can easily transported from class to class.

9.) Because it replaces the heavy textbooks, students will have an easier time managing their work and keeping organized without breaking their backs!

10.) Children are eager and enthusiastic to learn about and with technology. 

I hope you take time to consider the positive outcomes that can come from having iPads in the classroom!

Sincerely, 

Miss Polcini