Productivity tools were the first tools that really accelerated the popularity of computers in small business, education and homes. Initially laborious to use, constantly swapping out the program floppy for the data floppy, they have become sophisticated tools that over time have morphed to incorporate elements of desktop publishing in most all of them. Even spreadsheets have word art and the ability to insert pictures. All of the innovations in productivity tools have made them more flexible and able to support creativity and complex thinking. Our text states, “Creation of hypermedia products requires that the learner constantly make decisions and evaluate progress, thus encouraging students to apply higher order thinking skills” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 176). No longer are we limited to packages such as Microsoft Office which combine word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation and desktop publishing software into one suite. Now we have hypermedia Web 2.0 tools that engage students and stimulate creativity, thinking of the highest order.
In my school, some teachers are sticking with the old tried and true Office tools, but a growing number are beginning to use Web 2.0 tools such as Animoto, Prezi, and Edmodo. Last semester I worked with an 11th grade English teacher to create a study The World as Stage: A Biography of William Shakespeare. We posted all assignments to a class wiki and students working in groups posted their work there as well. The project included Timetoast, Wikispaces, Prezi, Microsoft Publisher, and Screencast-o-matic. It was important to first provide the students with some instruction as to how the tools were used. For instance, students had used Prezi before, but the teacher was unimpressed with their work which was mostly boring slide shows. I presented a few Prezi tutorials which showcased creating visual metaphors and techniques such as nesting information within the graphic. This preparation paid off as the students created some pretty amazing Prezi presentations to share with the class and the world. Last, they had to self-reflect on their individual and group work for the project using Screencast-o-matic. These tools are not an end in themselves, but they do support higher learning activities when integrated into a lesson plan that requires complex thought and creativity.
Of course, whenever there is a good thing, there are barriers. Getting teachers to use the tools is one barrier. Some are just comfortable with the status quo, but others try and are frustrated by network connectivity issues or lackluster products. Our system is getting some technology infrastructure upgrades this summer which we hope will solve connectivity issues, but getting the teachers to use the tools is more of a challenge. I am inspired to identify teachers who may want me to come to their classrooms to give tutorials and help them plan Web 2.0 integration. In addition, I would like to create a webpage to share fundamentals of graphic design tips and links to YouTube tutorials that would help students create thoughtful, meaningful presentations for the 21st Century.
References
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Chapter 6/Hypermedia tools for 21st Century teaching. In Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
In my school, some teachers are sticking with the old tried and true Office tools, but a growing number are beginning to use Web 2.0 tools such as Animoto, Prezi, and Edmodo. Last semester I worked with an 11th grade English teacher to create a study The World as Stage: A Biography of William Shakespeare. We posted all assignments to a class wiki and students working in groups posted their work there as well. The project included Timetoast, Wikispaces, Prezi, Microsoft Publisher, and Screencast-o-matic. It was important to first provide the students with some instruction as to how the tools were used. For instance, students had used Prezi before, but the teacher was unimpressed with their work which was mostly boring slide shows. I presented a few Prezi tutorials which showcased creating visual metaphors and techniques such as nesting information within the graphic. This preparation paid off as the students created some pretty amazing Prezi presentations to share with the class and the world. Last, they had to self-reflect on their individual and group work for the project using Screencast-o-matic. These tools are not an end in themselves, but they do support higher learning activities when integrated into a lesson plan that requires complex thought and creativity.
Of course, whenever there is a good thing, there are barriers. Getting teachers to use the tools is one barrier. Some are just comfortable with the status quo, but others try and are frustrated by network connectivity issues or lackluster products. Our system is getting some technology infrastructure upgrades this summer which we hope will solve connectivity issues, but getting the teachers to use the tools is more of a challenge. I am inspired to identify teachers who may want me to come to their classrooms to give tutorials and help them plan Web 2.0 integration. In addition, I would like to create a webpage to share fundamentals of graphic design tips and links to YouTube tutorials that would help students create thoughtful, meaningful presentations for the 21st Century.
References
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Chapter 6/Hypermedia tools for 21st Century teaching. In Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.