Thousands of Programs, Millions of Options

Chapter 7 provided a very interesting look at some of the computer program options that teachers can work with in the classroom. One program that I would really like to try is the Inspiration or Kidspiration program. Providing students with a creative platform outside of Microsoft Office would both challenge them and remind them of different ways they can go about completing school projects. For example, I think it would be great to introduce them to iMovie if Mac computers are available, since the graphic ability and purpose is so different from that in MovieMaker. Whenever possible, students should be exposed to different programs that try to accomplish the same thing. In doing so, they could actually analyze the varied focuses of the different programs to determine which one would best suit their needs.

I also think it is extremely important to foster creativity in the classroom, especially to high school students who often don’t have the opportunity to showcase their non-academic abilities. Not only does creative opportunity give them a new way to process information, but it can actually be a relaxing break from the more tedious and traditional demands of the school day. I imagine that making graphic organizers (such as the one shown below,) images, and charts on a program like Kidspiration will help students reorganize information in their brain and will thus help them learn the information in a clear, interesting way. I know that I understood information more deeply when I started to teach and make visual displays for my students, and I believe that it would work for many of them as well.

Students not only learn content when making these diagrams, but must analyze the connections between topics, vocabulary words, and images, and are thus developing their higher-order thinking skills. Similarly, if we require our students to make these visual displays while using the internet as a resource, they are enhancing both their content and technological knowledge. My only concerns are with the students who are not used to creating something artistic, or who are not very comfortable with technology. How do we utilize our time most wisely to integrate these creative activities into our lessons? What can we do to engage students who say they’re not artsy or creative when we ask them to a complete a task that requires them to do so? How do we encourage our students to make deeper connections between the material they are learning?

Other curriculum ideas and resources can be found at http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration/examples.