The Future of multimedia presentations in Education

1.) Do some research of your own on the future of multimedia presentations in education. Will programs such as PowerPoint continue? Will multimedia presentations take on a different format? For example, might they be in 3D? Will they only be online? Make some predictions and post your thoughts to your blog.

From reading about the satisfaction of both learners and teachers using multimedia presentations it is clear to me that they do indeed have a place in the future of education.

However, I don't think that this means that students are doomed to sit in class watching slides go by in front of them. I think that this relatively new technology is going to transform the way we learn and the ways in which we teach. In reading through a list of all of the applications that Pennsylvania teachers has access to on their school computers I was blown away. Their classroom computers have skype, google earth, software for making movies and many other applications that could transition information into multimedia presentations. Upon seeing this I realized that the future of education knows no bounds. A classroom today can use skyp (a free online telephone with the option to use video) to connect with any other classroom or individual with the use of Internet for free. Students can use google earth to see places they are studying by satellite for free. If more teachers are taught how to harness these tools for teaching I believe that our students will be more well rounded and have more of a chance to learn things in a hands on active way. Imagine having your student’s present reports on water cleanup to schools that border rivers known to be toxic. A class of 5th graders could then become teachers and become empowered to become life long learners who know that their work is making a difference. So many students today question the relevance of their learning because most teachers don't get a chance to put their lessons to work in relevant ways. The use of multimedia presentations could change that forever. Through the use of web sites such as 280 slides it could also be possible for students and teachers alike to "publish" their power point presentations into what looks like magazines for free. This is just another way in which students and teachers could move forward with multimedia presentations.

If we embrace new forms of technology and harness them for learning we can set the example for our students that learning never stops. It is possible to take multimedia presentations into the classroom of even the youngest student to empower them and teach them in relevant hands on way.

Fair Use Policy and legal obligation

Fair use policies have been in use for internet access for as long as I can remember. When I was in middle school I remember having to sign a fair use policy with my parents in order to use the internet in school. I also recall having to do this to use library computers as a child and in highschool for the same reason. My understanding of fair use policies is that they are in place to protect school and other organization from any actions that students take on school computers and to also lay out the ground rules for computer/internet use. But what happens if a students partakes in illegal actions online while at school? If they signed a fair use policy does it mean that the parents are held legally responsible?

Learning in an age of technology

After reading "World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others How to teach when learning is everywhere" and "Footprints in the Digital Age" by Will Richardson I came to a realization. As a preschool teacher I, like Will Richardson, worry that my students will missuse the Internet. In this fear I know that I am guilty of "...failing to empower kids to use one of the most important technologies for learning that we've ever had." In truth our youngest students ages 3-5 are more capable of learning to use this technology for learning than any other age group.

Recently I enrolled a new student age 3, we'll call him W. W was in for a tour of the school and was trying out the toys in the classroom. He caught sight of our child friendly computer and plopped down. I clicked into one the children's games for him and slid him the mouse. He placed his right hand over the mouse and used his thumb to click. It took him no less than 60 seconds to connect that he when he moved the mouse the arrow on the screen moved. It took him another 30 seconds or so to connect his clicking with the reactions on the screen. I knelt down and showed him where to click to find a picture to "color" and add things to. After standing back and watching him for a few minutes his mother informed me that W had never even sat in front of a computer before. I was astonished. He had created an entire picture with characters that he had chosen from a panel on the bottom of screen, and different colors from another panel on the side of the screen. This is one the moments that reminds me how sponge like these children's mind really are. They are capable of learning anything including how to use the Internet.

Teaching or should I say guiding our very youngest students to online teachers is such a daunting task. As Will pointed out the Internet is an endless resource that includes places for learners of all ages. I believe that I "...must engage with these new technologies and their potential to expand our own understanding and methods in this vastly different landscape. We must know for ourselves how to create, grow, and navigate these collaborative spaces in safe, effective, and ethical ways. And we must be able to model those shifts for our students and counsel them effectively when they run across problems with these tools." In my attempt to bring the Internet into the classroom I have started small. I have taken the advice of my technologies teacher and began using a web site www.starfall.com. This is a web site that teaches phonics. I know it's a small step to integrating the Internet into my students lives but I know that with time I will learn to branch out. As Will said there is a certain fear associated with allowing students to use the Internet. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why schools ban the use of web sites such as YouTube and facebook during school hours. Are educators educationally equipped to properly harness the Internet in their classrooms?