Just recently I have been introduced to inspiration, a writing tool that makes the brainstorming and organization of an essay assignment a lot faster than doing things on paper (the old style as some say). The other program powerpoint, which I have known about but have not used as often as I would like, that makes presentation visuals more elegant and fun. I was asked to reflect on these programs from my instructor...I may have anyways here if I was used to putting my thoughts out in cyberspace.
(ok - this first paragraph just blares out the range you may find me in years- I don't mind. For those that do not know I am 36 years old with three teenage kids, a single parent earning my degree sometimes by sheer stubbornness. I believe there should be more teachers out there that want to make a difference in the quality of education in Alaska and strive for it.) OK, no more philosophy - back to the assignment:
I believe that using inspiration is a great tool. For those that despise the formal writing process and oftentimes just write without much organization this program gives a fun method of organization practice and in time skill. One may feel like its not work at all, that it is just play. If one may want to start younger this would be a good visual tool to show the kids how to use bubbles, how to use an outline and how each relates to the other. I would still like the kids to do something on paper. Penmanship is also an important skill.
Powerpoint is a great tool that most presenters use in the screens. One can incorporate personal pictures, charts, and animation to embellish the quality of their presentation and the interest of their audience. I believe it is already well known and is often the standard method of using visuals. The actual creation of powerpoint is fun, yet needs higher thinking skills so the grade level in a student creating his/her own powerpoint presentation would possibly start in the 5th grade. This is wholly dependent on the skills of the actual classroom.
I personally will find ways of using this in the classroom for various activities. I will not make it a totally technology dependent class due to the limited abilities of Rural schools.
4 comments:
Nastasia, you brought up handwriting, and I often wonder if you can make someone have good handwriting. I have terrible handwriting. My mom use to make me practice writing in cursive over and over, and I hated it. I just don't have nice handwriting, and I didn't start using a computer until 9th grade. So, my question is, should we grade on handwriting? I like your blog also by the way!
I can see where you are coming from because I am a left-handed writer and had a teacher who insisted that all students are right-handed writers. She would sit me down and put a pencil in my right hand and practice. There was no way that I would be proficient in writing right handed. I do use my right hand on the board, and can print using my right hand legibly, but I don't use my right hand for writing. I would not dock any grades for handwriting, but I would like the students to practice because there are still some organizations that make others use pens for their paperwork.
Hello... I also know what your mean about handwriting. I am an occupational therapist and I work with children that have handwriting issues. Handwriting difficulties can stem from issues with fine motor skills,visual motor skills and/ or graphomotor skills. If kids have any of these issues, I agree that grades should not be affected by this. Some kids need extra help or adaptations to improve the quality of their penmanship.
Hello... I also know what your mean about handwriting. I am an occupational therapist and I work with children that have handwriting issues. Handwriting difficulties can stem from issues with fine motor skills,visual motor skills and/ or graphomotor skills. If kids have any of these issues, I agree that grades should not be affected by this. Some kids need extra help or adaptations to improve the quality of their penmanship.
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