Digital Blog Post #E

Information Presentation Design
Video in the Classroom
Democratic Schools and Classrooms

Utilizing different forms of media and technology is sometimes not enough in the classroom. When the technology being used is not visually appealing, whether it be too colorful and garish, or overly simplified an dull, the presentation will not attract the desired attention of the audience. Information presentation design is the creation of presentations (usually PowerPoint, but could be other presentations as well) that are visually appealing, both with text and images. The authors further state that information presentation design is important for engaging the classroom in the discussion topics, and creates memorable presentations for students (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 223). I find this topic extremely important, as I love most aspects of graphic design. Whenever I work with PowerPoint, I find myself taking almost too much time working on the visuals. A presentation is memorable when it has a background that matches the font color, the font type that matches the mood and tone of the presentation, and pictures that flow easily with the overall presentation. I even remember some of my classmates PowerPoint presentations in my public speaking course.

By Shelby Steuber | Made With Wordle

Another technological tool that assists in engaging students is video. Video in the classroom is beneficial to learning because it provides student interest, an abundance of resources and a unique learning experience. Additionally, there are multiple strategies for using videos within the classroom that creates the most productive learning environment (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 225-226). Because YouTube is such a common activity among younger generation, students would be more excited and focused to watch a video in class. I think videos are especially helpful at the beginning or ending of class. At the beginning of class, teachers could introduce the topic by providing a basic foundation of the learning outcomes with a video. Other times, a video could be used at the end of class as a summary and enforce the topic taught that day. Videos from Khan Academy are great for Introduction; they provide students with an abundance of information that can be taught further throughout the lesson. Furthermore, videos from the YouTube channel "Crash Course" can be used as an ending video; these videos are often fast-paced and provide a lot of information at once, and it would be better to play them once the student already knows the material and can follow along with the video.

The final topic that I found very interesting is about democratic schools and classrooms. According to the authors, this idea creates schools and classrooms where both administration and students make important decisions about the events and aspects of their education. And, while there are criticisms of this practice allowing students to make decisions and make school more about having fun, the practice ultimately has teachers/ administrators make final decisions (283-284). I really like this idea and practice. Students will be able to voice their opinions and be heard about problems they are having, solutions they have for those problems, and other ideas. Not only will this help students with problems, they can also develop decision-making, public speaking, and debating skills. If I were a teacher, I would definitely want to hear what my students have to say and offer for their education. Therefore, I would advocate for democratic schools and classrooms to be implemented more in schools.

Resources


Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Steuber, S. (2016, April 3). Untitled Word Cloud Created with http://www.wordle.net/*

*There is not/I can not find a specific URL that links directly to my graphic