Tech Week 5

The PowerPoint presentation that I submitted was a lesson plan entitled "Segmenting Syllables". This was designed to teach second grade or struggling older readers how to read multisyllable words. The lesson described a strategy that involves identifying vowel sounds in words to figure out how many syllables there are and then blending the syllables to say the word. This strategy is useful for those students who decode letter by letter and thus struggle with bigger words.

The features I included in my presentation included transitions, animations (lead ins, exits), some effects, importing images, creating links to relevant sites. I experimented with sound and created some narration for a few of my slides in which the teacher was being instructed to instruct in a scripted manner. I felt that I could have added a table or chart (mostly from creating the screencast with my group) but I was having some trouble thinking of a relevant reason to include one in this particular lesson. I would add charts/tables in future presentations. I learned how easy the animations were, once I played around with them.

Probably the most important thing I learned through this project was that despite all the bells and whistles available, you needed to be careful not to obscure the material you were presented. It's tempting to include all kinds of effects but often these become distractions. Sometimes less is more. That said, I am eager to keep experimenting with PowerPoint and I would most certainly include this tool in my classroom. Most learners are to some extent visual and so connecting ideas with images or text in interesting and in many cases, dynamic ways, helps get the point across. I think with kids that are used to navigating in a multi-sensory environment, lessons that include PowerPoint are more engaging alternatives to staid lectures. Lastly, I am envisioning for many of my special education students that this visual, auditory component of PowerPoint will be a support in their learning taks.