[Replicable Practices] SlidesMania - An excessive enthusiasm over Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint

A presentation tool of any type - low or high tech have has existed in teacher toolboxes for a long time. Microsoft PowerPoint has existed since May 22, 1990 (32 years ago) and Google Slides initial release date was March 9, 2006 (17 years ago). Nothing new!

I remember the countless hours spent (on either presentation software) making presentations look just right. 

• Trying to find the perfect ratio of text to pictures.

• Trying to find the right variety of layouts so my presentation was interesting and engaging.

• Trying to not overwhelm the students with not a lot of one thing.

Only to repeat all of the above time wasters again to "improve" the presentation because I learned to use a new tool or discovered a new layout or new colour combinations. I didn't even mention the number of experiements that tool place with transitions and animations.

I stumbled upon, what I consider to be a Replicable Practices website that can help eliminate some of the time wasters above.

[Replicable Practices] Tricking my students to write an Opinion Essay. What I mean is Creating Comics & Cartoons

The students in my class are very opinionated. I often hear them get into fiery discussions with their peers about who is the best basketball player, favourite recording artist or favourite team in any given sport. They are also very good at coming up with advantageous reasons as to why they should not be in school uniform or why they should not receive a zero for an assignment they may or may not hand in. However when student's are asked to write an opinion essay they become so burdened, listless and lethargic in getting pencil to paper (fingers to keyboard). Of course I go over with the class countless examples and writing guides on how to write and effective opinion essay but somehow they do not seem to enthusiastic about it (I do not blame them, since the my old way was a snooze). Personally I happen to think it is the term 'essay' extinguishes their writing flame despite the fact that they can argue with some incredible points of view. One idea that I would like to explore to further my own replicable practices when it comes to delivering a lesson about writing an opinion essay is through the use of Comic Creators.

[Replicable Practices] Apple Education Apps

For anyone interested in getting more out of their iPad, iPod touch or iPhone via apps be sure to visit Apple in Education. You can search for apps by subject or by function.

[Replicable Practices] The power of an Apple iPhone and iPad to transform classrooms!

Apple iPad

For a long time whenever anyone mentioned an Apple computer I immediately thought of two things, graphic designers and classrooms. I suppose one reason is that Apple themselves marketed and aligned their products for a particular market.  Secondly it may have been the ease of use and availability that guided Apple computers into those segments.This thought had me thinking of the new Apples products such as the iPhone and iPad and how they could potentially transformation classrooms.

Google search "hand held classrooms" and at the time of this post about 2,950,000 results were found.

Here are a couple of PDF articles worth reading

• Mobile Learning and Handheld Devices in the Classroom by Robby Robson, Eduworks Corporation, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
• The Handheld Classroom: Educational Implications of Mobile Computing by Mark Finn and Natalie Vandenham from the Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society.

YouTube search "hand held classrooms" and at the time of this post about 302 videos resulted plus 567 videos under the search "classrooms of the future" and "Ipad in the classroom".

This shift is going to happen.

[Replicable Practices] NOT another bristol board or powerpoint presentation I

Publisher: Microsoft
Software: Microsoft's Photo Story 3 for Windows
Requirements: Link
Download: Link or see it in Action

While taking an AQ course (Special Education Part 2) I was introduced to Photo Story. One of the class assignments was to create a commercial. During the process I discovered that my colleagues were using this program with their class by allowing their students to create a presentation via photos. Great idea! (Since the method is as if not more important than the message). Being uninspired and tired of seeing the same run of the mill presentations PhotoStory adds a new dimension to the already tech study students.

What I did was I gave them the assignment and told them to use Photo Story. They figured it out, asked one another for help and showed each other the features they discovered. I was inspired!