Am I a Control Freak?

This week's discussion was incredibly helpful in solidifying some of my own ideas about the "cheers and fears" of technology use in the classroom. I tend to feel most comfortable with direct instruction or small groups working to achieve a goal under my guidance; for some reason, with technology, I feel less "in the know" about what my students may (or may not) be doing.

I also really liked that we talked about the asynchronous discussion because I see both its benefits and downsides. I like that it forced me to process my ideas out loud a bit; when we had our face-to-face discussion, I felt more sure of my stance on the various topics. I must say, though, being an extrovert leads me to still prefer discussions in person. I like to see and hear the people I am speaking with, and I appreciate how one person's thought might help me make a leap in my own.

I already often use Powerpoint as a teaching tool for direct instruction, group work, or individual directions. I believe Powerpoint functions as a tool to aid my presentation, and often I encourage students to "hold off" on taking notes until my presentation is done. At that point, we discuss the salient points and do notetaking together. I have used this (and will continue to do so) to provide directions for literature circles in a computer lab. Each group is provided a different set of step-by-step directions (or sometimes the same steps) and the students manually move on in the presentation when they've completed something. This makes it easy as a teacher to monitor where students are at in their processes. I have also successfully used Powerpoint for individual editing steps in a paper. The wonderful thing about using such a tool is that, while a slide may read, "Check each of your sentences for capital letters and correct end punctuation. Make any changes necessary on your draft and/or raise your hand with questions," I can circulate the room and assist students without feeling "tied down" to a presentation.

I have seen students use Powerpoint in other classes with great success. For example, my colleagues who teach Communications begin the year with students interviewing one another in complete sentences, then determine what is most important (and how to show it) on a Powerpoint presentation. As students present, they learn more about their classmates and also have a visual aid to use in their very first speech of the year! In my English classes this year, I would like to try giving students the option of presenting their book projects in Powerpoint format. I often provide a "choice menu" for students so they have options on how they can present and format the information; Powerpoint could be one of these options.