Lessons for Final Week

 

Our lessons this week focused on technology and preparing students to compose their introductions for senior project. For our first lesson, we composed a Prezi presentation with examples of several kinds of digital tools. We also included the criteria they needed for creating their introductions including the time limit and not saying “Hi my name is ___”. We also included the rubric piece on introductions and asked they always try to exceed the standard. Over the last few weeks, we have seen the projects these students were working on and have been helping them a little bit every time we visited the high school. Personally, I went around the room asking students one-by-one what they were working on the day we started observing so I could get to know them and know what they were working on.

When we prepared this lesson, Amanda and I felt that with the videos and the presentations that our lesson was going to take a substantial amount of time, which we would be going into the next day. Our lesson for the day after was to discuss how to use each of these tools. The first lesson was to give examples of the types of technology they could use for their introductions (or their presentations in general) and then, seeing which ones they responded to, elaborate on only a few the following day. We prepared to teach about all of them though, since technology is not something we have discussed a lot in the class.

However, when we started teaching, we still had a substantial amount of time and were almost done with the presentation. This had happened to me in the middle school too, and I tried to think quickly. I saw that the students liked Animoto so I began showing and explaining how it worked. Unfortunately, the projector we were using cut off part of the screen and made it very difficult to see what I was doing. I think that, in a classroom of my own, I would have either a projector of my own or would ask for another projector from the school. I think that the computer and projector was more of a visual example and that, regardless, I would be able to explain the program.

Despite time management difficulties, I think a lot still went well. Students LOVED the twitter exit slips. I was also amazed at the attendance rate that day and the amount of enthusiasm the students had. They genuinely seemed excited about our lesson and were willing to share their thoughts and questions. It was amazing; even other students saw that the classroom was very outgoing that day. I am grateful and happy that they enjoyed the lesson and were able to get something out of it.

The day after there was not as many students. I was able to see some students from our cooperating teacher’s other classes in the computer lab so they were also able to hear our second lesson. We originally were going to explain how to use each of the tools we talked about the day before. We decided to go over Animoto only since almost all of the students wanted to use it. We had them create accounts and went over how to choose a template and add their own photos and videos to the presentation. One student added their own music to the presentation and we taught the students how to choose a certain part of the song to play in the thirty seconds they had.

The students looked a lot more confident and relieved about starting their presentations. Many of them told us that we were very helpful in preparing them for senior project.

Despite our emphasis on technology, we did not deter them from creating a poster board. In fact, they could use the told we gave them in addition to a poster board. Our lesson was an example of the many ways they can approach their senior project. I have said numerous times that these students are very capable and very intelligent, and I stand by it. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to see how their projects bloomed and see the final projects on presentation day. I am confident that the students we worked with in the last three weeks will pass senior project and graduate with their heads held high.