1. What two suggestions from the readings about how to use PowerPoint effectively do you think are the most important to remember? Why?
a) Think about the colors which are being used to organize the presentation. Choose colors which will create the appropriate atmosphere for the presentation.
b) Conduct a test run of you presentation at the venue, if possible, to ensure that you do not encounter possible glitches.
2. What is one thing you learned about PowerPoint that you didn’t previously know?
Slides should not be just notes. Keep the presentation simple, using pictures to give explanations and do not be afraid of white spaces on the slide.
3. Have you ever used PowerPoint to present and what was your experience like? Did you follow the rules to presenting with PowerPoint or not?
I have used PowerPoint for presentation and it was very nerve racking for me. I was afraid that I would make a terrible mistake in front of the audience or that my equipment would fail me. I, of course, did not follow the rules as I did not do a dress rehearsal.
4.How was your experience creating your Museum Kiosk on Google Slides?
My experience creating this Museum Kiosk was a bit intimidating but interesting. I tried different forms of slide presentation and was quite satisfied with the end result.
Reading the articles about the different learning theories gave me a better understanding of how learning takes place and the different methods that can be utilized when teaching the students.
Both Bloom and Maslow agree that learning begins from a point at the very bottom where the individual may have limited knowledge of any situation. As the person develops and acquires more knowledge through the learning process, they will grow to the point of attaining full knowledge at the top.
Maslow’s Hierarchy states that each person has needs and in order to develop, these needs must be satisfied in a specific order. The needs at the lowest level, which are the physiological needs, where the person realizes what is needed for human survival must be satisfied first. Moving up the hierarchy to safety, the person seeks elements of security and protection. Next is love, where the person senses a feeling of belonging and acceptance. Esteem is developed as the person learns what it entails to have self-respect and then self actualization comes with the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.
Bloom’s Taxonomy states that there are six levels in the taxonomy, but the focus is on the three domains which are cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. The cognitive domain is the knowledge, understanding and ability to remember any given information on a particular topic. The affective domain explains the social interactions which the students will have with each other and the way they express and react to each other,s emotions. The psychomotor domain explains the process which the student will go through as he or she gains knowledge and develops in a certain skill or behavior.
The theory of the Backward Design was especially important to me as I could see the relevance of telling students about the goal I would like them to achieve before we actually begin the lesson. Once we have discussed the desired goal, we can plan a course of action which will be used to get to the goal. As an educator I can assess the student’s understanding and level of learning through observations, informal interviews, quizzes and class projects.
My name is Karen Williams and I am a senior trying to complete my final semester at the University of South Florida. My major is BGS with concentration on Educational Foundations and I am also minoring in Global Studies in Education. I am currently employed in the medical field but look forward to a profession in teaching, with a focus on students with behavioral issues. My hobbies are gardening and travelling.
Gordon Moore was the co-founder of Intel. He predicted that technology would continuously grow at a drastic rate every two years. This prediction gave rise to Moore’s Law. Moore stated that the advancing of technology would “make the impossible possible” and aimed to prove that “whatever has been done can be outdone” as the processing power of computers , tablets, smartphones and other forms of technology would continuously increase over the years.
Ray Kurzweil
Ray Kurzweil is an entrepreneur and the person who invented the first software which was capable of transforming written words into data. He made synthesizers which could recreate orchestral instruments and translate text to speech. Kurzweil is the director of engineering at Google. Kurzweil states that when technology is fulfilled to its predicted extent, something new will be created in technology to take its place. This process is referred to as the “Law of Accelerating Returns”.
Richard BuckminsterFuller
Fuller was a “Jack of All Trades”. He was a designer, architect, poet, educator, philosopher, engineer and environmentalist just to name a few of his attributes. His most outstanding characteristic, however, was his concern for humanity an the poverty which would surround humanity. Fuller dedicated his life to finding a solution to this problem by creating inexpensive and efficient designs to make life more sustainable for humans. He met up on many obstacles in gaining acceptance, funding and recognition for his designs but he did not give up. Fuller was finally recognized when he created the dome shaped buildings which were used by the military.
Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is the co-founder of PayPal and the CIA backed data, Palantir. Thiel was the first big investor in the social network, Facebook. Thiel belives that the developments in technology are over rated and over exaggerated and the progress will eventually cause technology to slow down.
Moore, Kurzweil and Fuller all believed in the advancement of technology and that it will continue to grow as it is replaced by new ideas. Thiel, on the other hand, belives that too much emphasis is being place on technology instead of directing the funding to the scientists and other individuals who are contributing important factors to society.
I was pleased to learn all of the new information as previously, none of this had interested me. Yes, technology is moving much faster than I could ever learn to use it, and I must say that it scares me. I am from Jamaica, West Indies and I have seen some of the dome shaped buildings there but never gave any thought to the creator of the design. Things which were once considered to be impossible are indeed proving to be possible and, as predicted for the future, I look forward to the eradication of diseases.
Technology on the Rise 