Sunday, September 7, 2014

Module 1



Word Processing Software
As a teacher you should use word processing for multiple reasons.  One such reason being that it can save time by allowing you to reuse previous years letters or lesson plans and update them to the current years classroom needs.  It can also allow for collaboration on documents.  One word processing software that could be used is Google docs, because you can save it to the cloud, so the teacher could access the student’s assignment through the cloud.  One downfall of word processing is that it can lead to worsened handwriting.  Using word processing software at young ages is also an issue that some teachers come across, because it may lead to some students not wanting to write, because typing is easier.  

Spreadsheet Software
            As a teacher using spreadsheets saves time on calculations, both the students and the teachers.  Using Spreadsheets also can lead to students wanting to do mathematics more.  This is caused by showing how mathematics works.  The biggest issue with using Spreadsheet in the classroom is encouraging students who are more in fear of math to try it.  

Presentation Software
            As a teacher using a presentation software such as PowerPoint can help organize thinking on a topic.  It also allows the teacher to make a larger impact by making the information easier to understand and allow it to be presented faster. One issue with presentation software is that it tends to be boring.   Another issue is that it can lead to being a substitute for a presentation, completely taking over it and turning the presentation into only a PowerPoint or similar software.  

Classroom Use
            Presentation software can be used in many scenarios in the classroom.  Social studies is one topic I would likely teach with it.  I would incorporate it by using it to summarize important information or events on a given topic.  I would also include pictures of different time periods or of different states to assess what students might know or not know. 

2 comments:

  1. Tyler, you discussed several examples of how these different software programs can be used in the classroom, which are all great ideas. The textbook lets us know, just like you did, of the downfalls for presentation software. Educators tend to use it to replace a spoken presentation, which causes the presentation to become boring for students to watch. As future educators, we could learn about ways to make presentations come alive and be more engaging for students so they can learn as much as possible through this tool.

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  2. Tyler, as you mentioned, using word processing software is a great time saving tool that teachers can use to produce shareable documents. Word processing is my personal favorite, as there are so many options available to use while creating documents. I find that it is very easy to share these documents with others. Also, the book mentions the pros of allowing students to use word processing software as a way to organize their thoughts. This is just another idea of a way to incorporate technology, specifically word processing software into your classroom.

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