Kinder Can Do PowerPoints, Too!- TCEA 2009

Title:      Kinder Can Do PowerPoints, Too!
Presenter:     Mrs. Lea Anne Daughrity
Description:     Learn to create amazing interactive activities easily for your students to use incorporating reading, science, math, and more in programs like PowerPoint, Word, and Publisher.

Presenter’s Blog- Templates for PowerPoint available there

1. Intro with the IWB as a whole group setting
   1. slides are visible in the left column. Show how to navigate between slides
   2. on left side there is a microphone that gives audio directions  (pre-recorded by teachers) on what to do
2. As a class you go through how to enter your name
3. Slide example:
   1. Video
   2. Images
      1. Bring in clipart, biubble maps,Venn diagrams from Kidspiration or SmartBoard notebook software
   3. Activity to look  for understanding(2-4 activities enough for age group)
      1. Multiple choice
      2. drag and drop
      3. sequencing
   4. Multiple Choice with clipart to show understanding.
4. Adding subtitles with videos
   1. Choose Close Caption when downloading on United Streaming.
5. Skills addressed:
   1. Drag and drop
   2. Highlighting
   3. Deleting & entering text
   4. Extracting information in different media (audio/video/images)
   5. Printing (Handout view of their manipulated slide)

Introduction is not how to make a powerpoint but showing how to manipulate a powerpoint. After a few times, they are tready to create ones creating it.

Building a PowerPoint

1. Choose a topic
2. Create a file
   1. in order to embed audio and video
3. Embedding Discovery United Streaming (using segment clips) or YouTube (convert  and download first via Zamzar.com)

Web Searching Strategies for Elementary School Students

Information is ALL around us. Actually there is SO much information, that most people are overwhelmed with locating, saving, organizing and then later on retrieving it.

Searching and research skills are becoming more and more important. Even first graders at our school are being asked to research in order to produce some sort of report.

Most reports will need to be written out on the traditional piece of paper. Occasionally, the assignment becomes creative and asks students to make a poster, a model, or a diorama. Some teachers are now venturing into integrating new media and allowing students to create different kinds of “reports’ that demonstrate their knowledge (or recount) of the information they have found. Ex. PowerPoint slideshow, PhotoStory movie, podcast audio

Until recently classes were sent to the library to check out pre-selected books that would have some information about their topic.

Allowing students to search for their information on  the web makes teachers often uncomfortable.

• They can’t control the content, students encounter
• Overwhelming number of search results
• Inappropriate sites
• Inaccurate information
• Citation

All the above mentioned reasons are valid points, but can’t be used as a reason to “stick to the book” when allowing younger students to research.

We do have to prepare them for research in media that is current for our times and one they most likely will use as as their primary source for gathering information as they grow.

Are books still your PRIMARY source when YOU gather information?

In our elementary school we are using the following search tools :

• Encyclopedia Britannica (Membership required)
  
• NetTrekker (Membership required)
  
• Customized Google Search Engine
  

The customized Google Search engine is designed specifically for our students. The search is narrowed down to give results only from specific domains, handpicked by our teachers.

As part of a plan to continue to introduce and reinforce information literacy among our students, here are several resources for teachers and students to improve their searching skills on the web.

• Patrick Woessner from Technology in the Middle outlines several important components of Web Search Strategies on Digital Literacy: Effective Search Strategies.  I especially liked the definition of search words he mentions from the Illinois Science and Math Academy (ISMA)

• Keywords that are effective “as is”
• Intermediate words that represent important ideas but probably are not effective “as is”
• Words that have little effect on the outcome
• Stop words that are ignored by a search engine

It is important to point out and practice the distinction of these words with your students. Check out the following Keyword Challenge site. It is a great sample of how to show examples and practice with our students.

• Keyword Challenge: Become a Power Searcher

• CommonCraft – Web Search Strategies in Plain English

• Surf the Internet- Minimize your wipeouts for Elementary School Students

• Patrick Woessner’ Effective Search Strategies from Technology in the Middle is geared towards 7th graders, but definitely adaptable to elementary school students.

• Google has made avariety of Search Tip pdf files available for download and distribution such as the one above on their Librarian Central Site.

What are some search strategies that you are using to prepare elementary students in becoming efficient and productive web searchers?

Groundhog Day- Predictions on the SmartBoard

Groundhog day is just around the corner.

First graders predicted on the SmartBoard if the groundhog would see his shadow, hence signaling six more weeks of winter.

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in United States and Canada on February 2.

In weather lore, if a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, or marmot emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for 6 more weeks.

The class discussed the results of their graph:

• How many students predict that the groundhog will (not) see its shadow?
• Did more students predict six more weeks of winter or more students predicting spring coming?

On Monday, students will revisit the graph and see if their predictions came true or not.