I am sad to say that I did not find chapters 8 and 9 as
informative as I wished they could be. I found that chapter 8 was very
repetitive of chapter 6, although it did go into some greater detail about
sharing information via Wikis, blogs, and teacher-created websites. Similarly,
chapter 9 spoke about many types of multimedia technologies that I am already
aware of, and I was disappointed to see that I did not gain much new knowledge
from either chapter. However, there were a few relevant points made in the
chapters that are certainly worth expounding upon.
Chapter 8 discusses teacher-created websites as a way of
maintaining open lines of communication between teachers, students, and
parents. Although they are time consuming to make, it is really an investment
in the rest of the year, because teachers end up saving time in the long run
when students need reminders about upcoming homework and assignments. I imagine
that it is difficult to keep these sites updated consistently, but they prevent
students from having the excuse that they did not know what the homework was or
what the requirements for a project were. This chapter also mentioned how
important it is for teachers to analyze the clarity and ease of use of these
websites, which I believe is an important consideration when creating and
maintaining the websites. If students cannot find the information they need
easily, they are less likely to utilize the service provided for them.
Chapter 9 mentioned many different multimedia tools and the
importance of multimodal learning. The author brought up an extremely valid
point when discussing the multimodal learning – it is crucial that teachers
create interactive, rather than passive, lessons. No matter how much media is
included, many students will tune out boring lessons, thus making the effort
the teacher put forth to create the lesson worth very little.
A final point made by the author in chapter 9 concerned the
use of PowerPoint presentations in class. With such widespread use in middle
and high school and especially college, PowerPoints have become, in some cases,
little more than a digital representation of notes that would just be written
on the board. Teachers, as a result, must be cognizant of the way they use
PowerPoints in their classrooms. Theorist Edward R. Tufte states that
PowerPoints “usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning” and promote a “cognitive
style that is contrary to serious thinking.” (p. 247) Although I don’t agree
with Tufte wholeheartedly, I can say from experience that I have been taught
with PowerPoints that do just that. The question is, then, how do we create PowerPoints that are interactive. Which promote critical
thinking? Are PowerPoints always “contrary to serious thinking”?
I believe that teachers of all subjects could utilize this
tool in a way that enhances the learning of their students, just as long as
they keep in mind exactly what they want their students to get out of the
lesson. The author makes an important point in chapter 9 by saying that
teachers may get caught up in the appearance of the PowerPoint, without enough
focus on the desired outcomes. Do you
think that teachers should focus on the appearance of the PowerPoint, or should
they focus only on the content?
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