Do we need to be a computer whiz to teach a secondary level classroom?How available resources can be used to their fullest potential
ABSTRACT
Learning takes place when interest is aroused, as learning without interest is
merely reinforcement. With interest comes voluntary attention and with attentiveness
comes the ability to decipher lessons. In this age of computers, secondary students are
constantly developing new schemas related to the Internet, chat-groups and a plethora
of learning software - elements that somehow never fail to entice students’ attention.
Teachers who had noted such change in their students’ needs stepped up to the
challenge by introducing computers as a tool and a learning medium, and this attempt
seemed to envision imminent success. But why do most teachers still get little attention
from students during lessons with computers, especially those involving slideshows
painstakingly created by the teachers themselves? One criterion is lacking. Creativity.
Teachers believe that the common slideshow presentation is enough to satiate
students’ attention. This is indeed a fallacy as students eventually find such forms of
presentation dull and bland. Students crave for flashy animations, sleek designs and
“hip” styles. A somewhat difficult appetite but it is one that could be whetted with an
average computer and a touch of creativity. This paper will discuss on how to maximize
the potential of available resources, in particular the Microsoft Powerpoint application
since it has been gaining popularity among teachers. The methods discussed will be
juxtaposed with visual samples and a proposed guideline on how to be creative when
using slideshows in different classroom scenarios as well as its relevance to Interactive
Whiteboards. The paper suggests that anyone with sufficient knowledge on creating
slideshows and the Internet, with a newfound creativity, can produce sleek, interactive
presentations that veer extremely close to those generated using Macromedia Flash.
Top Related