Reflections+Chris+Kennedy

First of all, I was not insulted by your comments about Powerpoint-crazed teachers. I am one of them, but I am also aware that I cannot just rely on PPT presentations to engage my students. I have at times experienced even in this teaching year times when I felt that my students were not interested in what was included in my PPTs. I first started using them because it brought a more visual element to what I was teaching. I know that I learn this way and this influences how I encourage students to learn. I can add photos, animations, and video clips. I can use different slide transitions or custom animations to make text appear in different ways. I can use sound effects. But Chris’s discussion reaffirmed that this is not encouraging discussion and engaging the students’ involvement in their own learning. He used the comparison to a teacher slowly pulling down the overhead to reveal more and more notes. What PPTs are providing is more visual stimulus while not stimulating the critical thinking of my students. This frustrates me as I enjoy try new ways of teaching, yet I still find myself struggling to engage the students. However, Chris Kennedy suggested many new ways to encourage our students to use technology to collaborate and share ideas in the learning process. I really liked his suggestion to organize students into reviewing groups that can post and edit review concepts on a blog or wikispace.