Blog #9: Flipped Classroom & PowerPoint Skills

The flipped classroom is a model that basically flips the teacher student interaction. The flipped classroom has students listening to a prerecorded video lectures  for homework and then coming to class. Usually, the student goes to class and listens to a teacher lecture, then they go home and do homework on that content. This model helps transform students from passive receivers to active learners who are engaged because they already have some of the content known. I chose the site PBS in the kids section under educational videos. http://pbskids.org/video/

For the first power point project, I learned in class how to use bullets but in a better way, like using graphics or Smart Art. I learned how to use all of the shapes and graphics in Smart Art and I was surprised that I had not known about this feature sooner. When our professor went to a presentation and took a photo of the presenters power point and showed us and told us that this was a bad slide on their power point, I was very surprised. All of the power points that I have previously done all looked that way and I thought they were fine. But after going to class, I realized that I had to cut down on the text in my power points and use bullets in a more entertaining way.

For the recording behind the power point, I learned so much about power point that I had not known previously. I had no idea that you could record sound on each slide and that it would play without even having to press any buttons. It was so easy to press record, stop the recording if you forget what to say, then press record again and it just places you right where you left off. Then you continue this for all of your slides and I thought this was going to be much harder than it actually was. I loved that I was able to learn these useful tools and I was given an opportunity to use them in a real world setting. I think my students and fellow teachers would find these new skills very beneficial and entertaining.

For the power point game, I didn't even know that you could use power point for educational games before our professor showed us how. I have played in class jeopardy with some of my classes in college but I had no idea that they were using power point. For my assignment, I was able to have sound and put in all the content that I thought meet the CPALMS standards. I had a blast playing my own game and I think my students would love to interact in this type of learning. I know that for me, I learn best when I am interested and I think this would hold the attention of my students and engage them so that they like to learn!