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Examples of Technology in My Science Classroom |
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Suggested Ways to Use PowerPoint in the Classroom |
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Both teachers and students can utilize PowerPoint in various ways in the science classroom. A list of specific ideas for PowerPoint presentations also follows. Teacher Use Overview of the Year- A PowerPoint presentation can make the first day of
school a breeze! Students are anxious
walking into class, so why not lay out the road that lies ahead? The general units can be posted, and while
discussing, students can even add their own questions to help guide the
teacher’s preparation of the unit. If
you hook them the first day, they’ll be in the palm of your hand all year! Teacher Introduction- A PowerPoint presentation can be given at the beginning
of the year to introduce you to students.
Slides can include information about your education and interests,
especially in your content area. Connecting
to students in this way will pay dividends throughout the year. It makes you a real person in their eyes! Seating chart/student introductions- A PowerPoint slide can be made depicting the desk
set-up in the class, and names can be assigned to desks in order to create a
seating chart. If this is displayed
during the first week of school, students can use the display to find their
seat. If the program is available on a
computer, students can create a hyperlink on their “desk” and create an “About
Me” slide for the teacher to review to get to know students. Present policies and procedures- A PowerPoint can easily be put together for the first
day of school to review policies and procedures. Several examples have been reviewed, and
the best ones include music, animation, and fun. Add a little interest to boring
housekeeping items! Lab safety presentation- Safety presentations are critical to a science
classroom. Though real time
demonstrations are best, they can be accompanied with PowerPoint slides. Handouts can be printed so students always
have a hard copy of the safety regulations of class. Daily “Housekeeping”- PowerPoint slides can include items such as the daily
“Do Now” and the lesson objective. Other
items, such as an exit slip question, can also be displayed via a projected
slide. The slides are an alternative
to using the chalkboard. They can be
much more colorful and interesting, and no chalk dust on the clothes! Calendar/Review of unit syllabus- A calendar can be displayed or posted for students to
visualize a timeline for a unit or extended assignment. Hyperlinks on specific days can provide
instructions and check points. Explanation of assignments- In addition to traditional paper packets students
receive for major assignments, projects can be introduced in class with a
PowerPoint presentation. Directions to
complete the assignment can be reviewed, examples from past classes can be
provided, and the rubric can be posted.
This document can be accessed after class via the class website or the
computer lab to reference throughout the assignment. Introduction to vocabulary- Instead of
issuing students an assignment such as defining a list of vocabulary words,
create a PowerPoint slide show to teach the definitions in context. I created such a presentation during my
student teaching last spring, and it was very successful. The slides with the vocabulary definitions
were hidden to students, and therefore did not print as part of the student
handouts. Because of this, students
would record the definition on their paper when a vocabulary word was
approached. Handouts complete with
definitions were provided to students who needed them, and they highlighted
the definitions as they were covered. Accompaniments to lecture- Within PowerPoint slides, visual items such as
animations, illustrations, tables, charts, etc. can be used to compliment
lectures without including text (as necessary). For example, an animated slide of the water
cycle can loop continuously while the teacher (or student) explains each part
of the process. Virtual experiment- Perhaps there is an experiment that can not be
replicated in class or a student missed lab day. With a PowerPoint slide show, video of the
experiment can be incorporated into a computer presentation. To illustrate this idea, I conducted a
simple “Mystery Powder” experiment and created a PowerPoint slide show which
you can find here. Lab experiment/CMT embedded task overview and
instructions- Directions/examples of lab experiments and lab reports can be displayed
in a PowerPoint presentation. Skills,
such as measuring, can be reviewed with movies or other animation while
providing specific instructions for the lab at hand. Handouts can be used as the hard copy of
the lab instructions and lab report structure. Virtual Field Trip- PowerPoint presentations can depict photographs to
“take” students to a place or a time period.
One possibility is creating a slide show depicting Italy in the early
1600s to illustrate the context of Galileo.
It is possible that students visit museums or even outer space with a
PowerPoint virtual field trip! Test Review- A comprehensive PowerPoint can be written to review
unit content for the class to view together.
This can be done in a game format, such as Jeopardy, or a traditional
slide show. Material can be combined
with graphics to further enhance understanding and interest. PowerPoint can also be used in this way to
prepare students for the CMT/CAPT tests. Open house presentation- A comprehensive PowerPoint can be created for parents
that are visiting your classroom with their son or daughter. Blow them away with a great technological
wonder! It can review your policies,
the curriculum map of the year, and student examples. Student Use Assessment- Students can create a PowerPoint presentation to
accompany an oral presentation in any unit assignment. Photographs, clip art, sounds, animation,
and music can be combined with text to communicate material learned. Incorporating technology into an assessment
assignment would be beneficial for students so they can enhance their
computer skills. Teacher-created interactive study guides- Information to be assessed on a quiz/test can be
integrated into a PowerPoint for students to play during free time or during
centers. Slides can include simple
multiple choice questions where students click on an answer. For the creative teacher who has lots of
time, slides could be more game-like, such as Jeopardy. Specific Examples of Possible PowerPoint Presentations Interactive Star Map- The teacher can create (paint or use autoshapes) a
general map of stars and using the enhancements option located within the
custom animation function, an included constellation can glow or flash on
demand. Lines can also appear
connecting stars in the constellation to help students see the figure. To further authenticate the constellation,
major stars can be labeled by name and colored to indicate temperature. A hyperlink can bring students to a slide
explaining the ancient story behind the constellation, and another hyperlink
can bring the user back to the “sky.” Online flashcards- As another study guide, material can be implanted in
a PowerPoint slide show with flash card shapes. Material such as scientific/common names
and chemical compound names/abbreviations can work well to become e-flashcards. Hyperlinks would allow the user to click on
a flashcard (like carbon dioxide) to bring him or her to a slide that has “CO2” on it. Students can independently use this
function to drill this type of material. Scientist biography- It is important to expose students to scientists
outside of textbooks, especially showing women and other minorities in the
field of science. By bringing these
individuals to light, all students can feel that they can have a represented
place in science, providing curriculum content that is more balanced. PowerPoint slide shows can combine
information, portraits, and sound clips to be an interactive biography. Planning a community event- In order to connect science content to the real
world, it is necessary to have students plan/participate in community
projects. For example, a local
watershed clean up can accompany an ecology unit or a blood drive during the
circulatory unit can accomplish this idea.
A PowerPoint presentation can be used to outline the plans for such an
event or even recap it. Career exploration- Many careers involve science and you do not have to
own a lab coat! Due to the dwindling
numbers of students entering science fields after their educations, it is
necessary to explore various careers within curriculum now. PowerPoint can be used to create
presentations about careers in which you can not find local volunteers to
share. Guides/strategies for note taking- Not only can PowerPoint presentations be used to
provide students with outlines, they can be used to teach students ways to
effectively take notes (even using content curriculum). Note taking skills will carry students
through the rest of their academic careers, and it is important to provide
students with strategies they can adapt to their personal learning style to
be successful. |
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Homepage | Virtual
Experiment PowerPoint (online) | Virtual
Experiment PowerPoint (ppt) |
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Last Revised:
6/12/08 | © Sherree Wolfgang | Contact me: swolfgang@sjc.edu |
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