| Make it relevant
to the students everyday life.
|
Show them how they will be using it in everyday life. eg: use
of a financing program will be useful for home accounting some day;
developing a Power Point Presentation they may have to do in class
or at work some day.
|
| Have a backup plan, and
another backup plan.
|
When technology doesn't work, what else can you do? Do you have handout
with enough information that students could walk through this independently
later. Or do you have a back-up set of overheads?????
|
| Explain it, explain it
again, and then be ready to explain it again.
|
Student have a hard time first working through use of some technology applications.
It is usually helpful to have several examples ready for use and use/show
them before you begin, so they have some clue as to what you mean.
|
| When using the Elmo, you
cannot use the computer, so be creative.
|
For example, have students demonstrate a topic (after they have some preparation
time) or giving students extra credit for showing / telling / doing something
unusual.
|
| Read it, write it, say
it (tell it), and then show it.
|
Students do best with repetition. When applying technology they seem
to need to have it first described, then see it in writing, and then are ready
to walk through it. Remember, students learn in different ways (cognitive,
visual, audio........)
|
| Have step by step directions
for everything.
|
When we know things well, we forget how hard it was at the beginning.
Slow down, and don't skip steps, just because you know them. If you
have to write the directions down, and then have someone follow them, it'll
really make your life easier.
|
| Smaller activities are
better than larger ones.
|
Breaking up an hour into three periods / segments / activities really helps
when using technology. For example, show how to set up a data base,
type of letter to their students parents, and then finally teach how to mail
merge.
|
| Projects and assignments
must be relevant to the students ability level.
|
How do you adjust from the "I know it ALL" to the "I know NOTHING"?
Finding the right fit is hard. Keep finding "new" ways to challenge
the gifted, but find ways to help the needy. Challenge by creating
colors, fonts, sounds, video clips, and then demonstrating these
to the class.
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| When students complain,
address it, revise it, but don't just throw good ideas away.
|
Often student feedback is very valuable in development of activities.
Do understand that the views expressed by a few may not the that of the whole.
If you have concerns as to how an activity went, ask for feedback from the
group as a whole (1 minute paper). Don't loose your good thoughts for a couple
of comments.
|
| Practice before you present.
|
How many times does it not work.... I personally practiced
something only to find out that morning that the computer I was to use had
a new version of the program!!! arg....
|
| Write it down, review
it, try it out, and it still might not work.
|
I'm a list maker, so my lists get crossed off,
and then I throw them away. However, many times even if you have a list
it doesn't work. Try it again, call someone, read from a new Front Page
Book, cry, or go for a walk. And then if all else fails find different
ways of achieving the same task by calling a friend. Because friends
make life worth living. And I need more time to learn, perfect, and
be better at what I do.
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| Be able to laugh
at yourself, because you can redo it next semester.
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AMEN!!!!
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