PPT in the Classroom

What kind of course will this be?

• project oriented? the participants learn skills in the context of how to put them together to create a final peice
  
• skills? kinda like a cook book or how-to-improve-your...(golf swing)
  

What exact skills will folks be learning? Perhaps we could design a chart of sorts that would more clearly describe exactly which skills we're going to cover.

EVO 2007 Moderators Week 1

Well, I finished all the tasks up to this week.

• Pre-Training
  
• read the "How EVO Differs" article
• filled out the Needs Assessment Survey
• joined the EVO Moderators YG site
• read the Netiquitte article
• took the Netiquitte online quiz
• Week 1
• already had a YahooID
• introduced myself to the group
• uploaded a picture of myself
• set my membership options
• crap... I just realized that I need to post my comments on the "How EVO Differs" article... guess I'm not done yet

Other things

• Check out the Advanced PPT module and reply to Sandy
  

Internet Banner Project

Useful how-to's:

• change stage size
• make a motion tween
• add/manage layers

1. structured
1. banner project skills
1. delete backgrounds
2. find graphics
3. make documents
2. semi-structured
1. re-create a banner
3. free
1. make your own banner

Even though the class might have been biting at the bit to get into a project, it's essential to follow these types of steps.

This is supposed to be a project-oriented class. Present skills as a means to an end. Never throw skills at them "out-of-context".

I jumped right into things and it was a lot for them. Think of warming up with more activities.

• What is a banner?
• Choose some favorite banners? (difficult printing or saving those examples)
  

Flash 8 reference material

For next year, who ever is teaching this class might do better with a textbook that can serve as a reference for students while they are working on their projects. Currently, I'm creating all of my class materials and though it offers me flexibility with the content and design, it's difficult to develop something that will cover all my bases this first time around.

EV Online 2007

I was recently honored with an invitation to join the Electronic Village Online six week session on using PowerPoint in the Classroom.

At this point there are a few things I need to do to prepare for the October 8th Moderators' Training Session.

1. read through a heap of emails to catch up on the chatter
2. post a bio on the wiki
3. join the YahooGroup for moderators
   

and there was more... but I can't remember unfortunately. I tried to save the YM conversation I had with Christine a little while ago, but they don't have that feature!

The EVO Training Wiki

だめ！ Don't do it!

I found myself in a little bit of an ethical quagmire the other day with a student in one of my computer classes.

I was going through the students' "home folders" on the network to retrieve assignments from the previous week and found some dangerously offensive material stored there. I don't use those adjectives lightly.

I didn't know exactly what to do because I'm not officially authorized to directly access the students' home folders... however any teacher on the network has open access to them as well as materials stored by other teachers. The access is a little convoluted, but nothing is secured. It's truely an open network.

I have no idea what the decency laws are in Japan or at this school for that matter. He might have been disciplined, suspended, expelled, or even arrested. I have no idea.

After consulting another teacher confidentially about the matter, I decided that it would be best that I delete the materials and speak to the student without reporting the incident to the administration. (I'm mostly using "I" in the sense that I'm taking full responsibility for what might happen).

When I approached the student he didn't know what I was talking about at first. He only gave a slight indication of knowing at the end of the conversation. I addressed him as the adult he is, but let him know sternly that it cannot happen again.

He came up to me later and let me know that he did know what I was talking about, language barrier and all, and that it had happened a long time ago and was a joke. Mostly that he felt ashamed. And I'm going to take him on his word.

Students need to be educated about the perilous nature of freedom. I love America for the freedoms we have: speech, religion, even firearms.

I don't think the Japanese fully understand the concept of those freedoms at times. I don't think that I or some of my fellow Americans understand that fact either at times.

We have to pay a price for freedom. Is that price ever too high? Ask those grieving Amish folks, or others who've suffered from recent acts of violence in America. I would like to say "no", but I know that that feeling is probably circumstantial.

So, back to my student. I think this reinforces my role as an educator deeply committed to technology in the class room is to address media literacy in my classes. About how to do that... well that's another post.