Research PowerPoint Presentations
Rene
Hasbargen
2nd grade/Reading
Links to Files Associated with This Lesson
Content Area Objectives Addressed:
1.
Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the
writing process.
2.
Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of
writing.
3.
Writes with a command of the grammatical and mechanical conventions of
composition.
4.
Effectively gathers and uses information for research purposes.
5.
Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the
reading process.
6.
Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Technology Objectives Addressed:
1.
Understands the characteristics and uses of operating systems and file
management-Name and save a file, retrieve a file
2.
Demonstrates competence in the general skills and uses of word
processing-font, graphics, insert, retrieve previous work, write simple
sentence, copy simple paragraphs.
3.
Knows how to use presentation software to create reports and
presentations.
The first step for the students was picking an animal that they wanted to
research. They were able to choose any animal they wanted to. The students
started doing research on their animal immediately. They went to the library and
found books about their animal. They read the books and then they started
writing down answers to specific questions I had on the board. The questions
were about habitat, predators, food, etc. Once the students completed the
research from their library books, they did further research on the Internet. I
gave the students instructions on how to search the Net, how to save and print
information, and how to save pictures that they would later insert into their
presentation.
After
the students had completed their research, they were given instructions on how
to create a PowerPoint presentation. The students were familiar with using
PowerPoint, so I only needed to review. I had the students all use the same
template, but they could do whatever they wanted with font, pictures, and
backgrounds.
The
students worked individually, each creating their own PowerPoint. They typed in
all their information from their notes, inserted pictures they had saved from
the Internet, and inserted a background. After an adult had evaluated the
student’s work and given feedback, the students edited their work. When the
students informed me that they were completely done, I did the final editing.
How did you monitor student progress?
The
students came together at the beginning and ending of each class period and we
talked about how the presentations were going. The students were each on their
own computer, but were spread out between four different rooms. I had an adult
in each room to monitor progress and I ran between rooms troubleshooting.
Was there a template or an example that
students were expected to follow?
The
students had specific questions they were expected to answer. They were to use a
specified template in their PowerPoint presentation. The students were able to
create as many slides as they wanted to.
Total=10 hours
Daily=30 minutes
The students invited their parents to come to view their completed
project. The student presented their project and read each slide. The PowerPoint
presentation was projected onto a 32 inch TV screen. Each student brought in a
rewritable CD and their presentation was burned on the CD for them to keep.
Who was the audience for the final product?
Parents,
school staff, and the rest of the second grade was invited to watch the final
presentations. I also put the presentations on the R-drive so all of the Lincoln
staff could view the presentations.
What
prior knowledge was required on the part of the students in order for them to be
successful in this project? (include curriculum and technology knowledge)
Students
need basic PowerPoint skills, basic Internet skills, keyboarding skills, editing
skills, word processing skills, and a high reading level.
What was the
student to computer ratio?
I had one computer to every one child.
How did you schedule your students’
computer time?
We
were not able to have any computer lab time, so I had to have adult volunteers
come in every day for a half an hour so that I could manage splitting the
students into four different classrooms. I had to use two laptops that were not
connected to the Internet in order to have enough computers.
What was the location
of the computers and other technology equipment used by students?
The
computers were in four second grade classrooms. The scanner was in my room. The
printer was down the hall in the computer lab.
How would you suggest
beginning teachers obtain computer resources for their students? (Knowing some
of your strategies would be valuable for our pre-service teachers.)
I
would suggest you try to schedule computer lab time so that all the students are
in one place at the same time. I would try placing students in other teachers
rooms in pairs, making sure one of the students has advanced knowledge of the
programs you are using so they can peer teach.
Rate the level of
access for students to use computers/other technologies as they needed
--high, medium, low
Rate the level of
supervision required for students during the project, specifically for computer
and other technology use –high, medium, low, high
What hardware was required for your project?
17 computers, scanner, printer, TVAtor, big screen TV
What software was required for your project?
Microsoft PowerPoint and the scanner and TVAtor software
Anything else?
I
had to go to another school to burn the CD’s as Lincoln does not yet have a CD
burner.
What
kind of assessment did you use for this project? (Include a copy if you can.)
I used
a rubric that I adapted. The rubric was created by Kerri Whitehead at Boise
State University.
What categories did you assess?
Planning,
content, screen design, special effects, and work habits.
How does the product that you submitted
compare with other students’ products for this same project?
The products the
students submitted this year were far superior to the ones the students
completed last year. There were two reasons for this: I was better prepared this
year and gave much better instruction, and the students had had a year and a
half of instruction in word processing, PowerPoint and Internet skills.
The students enjoyed working with the technology and I enjoyed doing an
integration project. I liked seeing how much the students learned about
technology from completing this project.
The students loved doing a project
that challenged them. They loved working with the technology and they enjoyed
having freedom and choice. They also loved showing off their completed projects.
They were very proud of what they had accomplished.
Very high
Very high
I will teach this lesson every year.