And my technology knowledge continues to increase

Well, I have now learned the basic principles behind power point presentations, some of which were new to me and some of which I already knew. I have made changes to a badly formatted power point using my new found knowledge. I started with changes in colour. The original presentation used a different coloured background for each slide, and also had HORRIBLE colour choices that made the text VERY difficult to read. I made all the slides in the same colour scheme (using the same background colour, same colour for headings, etc.) to make them easier to follow and less distracting. When the colour stays the same the transitions between slides are smoother, and the information becomes the focus rather than the graphics. I also used colours that were easy to read. The second major change I made was to reduce and simplify the text. I made use of bullet points instead of paragraphs, and used different bullet graphics for each level of bulleting. These are points that can be expanded upon by the presenter, and will hopefully not distract or confuse the student who is following along. Next, I made each slide represent a main idea, which I incorporated into my choice of title for the individual slide. I then grouped the information according to these main ideas. This will make it easier for a student to digest the information, and will just make more sense. I gave the title of the presentation its own page, and added a picture to give a visual representation of the topic being presented. The photo can be used to visually entertain the viewer as the presenter gives a short introduction of the topic (the Crowsnest Fire in 2003). One of the final changes I made was increasing the size of the text being presented so it is certain to be seen at the back of the room (within reason). There is still room for improvement, and I think I could work on making the presentation more interesting to view. I could possibly consider adding slides with different information. However, my main objective was to simplify the information I was given, present it in an aesthetically pleasing way, and organise it in a way that facilitates comprehension. Hopefully I have accomplished my goal, but I'll let you be the judge: check it out on my slideshare account! Oh yeah, slideshare was my second learning curve of the day. At this rate I'll be a techie in no time!

On a side note: the third slide of the 'bad' power point actually hurt my eyes to look at (it used a bright blue background with tiny, bright red font). Speaking from my own personal experience, red font is the worst. I have trouble reading text in presentations, on boards, etc. due to my near-sightedness. Of course, I have glasses to correct my sight. However, colouring the font red only increases my vision problems, particularly if I am not wearing my glasses. In fact, I first realised I needed glasses when my grade ten math teacher started using overheads during lessons. Most of the time I could read them okay, but anytime she used red font I had more trouble seeing the text. I also found (and still do) that when my teachers used red coloured white board markers the print was more difficult to read. Just something for all you future teachers to keep in mind.

Something Cool

This summer I saw The Lion King (the broadway musical) in Edmonton. It was indescribably awesome! Check it out, and get a taste of what I'm unable to talk about. If you get a chance to see it, DO! You'll never regret it.

Introduction

Hello! Here I am, making my first blog ever. I am a student at the University of Lethbridge and, as part of our Communications Technology and Education course, we are learning about blogs. Part of this entails creating a blog ourself, and part of it is looking at how blogs could be used in education. This is my blog. I am in my third year at the U of L, working towards a BA/BEd combined degree majoring in Dramatic Arts/Drama Education. My love of theatre and desire to teach brought me all the way here to Southern Alberta, quite a distance from my hometown. I am originally from a small town in Northern B.C. called Dawson Creek. No, not "Dawson's Creek", as all residents there will tell you when you unkowningly add a possessive "s" into the title. No, it is not where they film the television show. No, I do not know Dawson, or Casey, or whoever it is that is on the show. Remember, they are fictional characters, and our creek is not owned by Dawson. Be careful, a bored citizen will sometimes amuse himself or herself by convincing an ignorant newcomer or tourist or whoever that the opposite of all the afore mentioned statements is true, in the hopes that hilarity will insue at the expense of the poor victim. A sense of humour is essential to survival in a small town.

Back to more serious things. More about me later perhaps. Actually, here is a story that relates to the second part of my assignment. When I was in grade seven our class had an assignment in which technology was used as a learning tool. As part of our social studies unit, our teacher had us do reasearch online and in the library on a well known and inspiring individual of our choice. I chose Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin. I really had no idea who he was, and picked him sort of randomly off the top of my head. By the end of my project I knew a lot more, though the only thing I remember now is basically what I just said, he invented penicillin. Although I do recall it was a sort of accidental discovery, involving a piece of bread and some mold and other scientific stuff like a lab. Our teacher had us publish our information on a webpage of our design, which was then linked to our class website. Not only did our class learn about unique and inspiring individuals, we also learned about how to conduct reasearch, how to create webpages and how to use the internet to share information. Now I know how I could find information on a topic that I know nothing about...like Sir Alexander Fleming and his discovery of penicillin.