Blog Journal #5

I critiqued http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/. The website contains news about science and is geared toward children. The site is well-organized and demonstrates general design principles. The site has written information as well as pictures. To the left, there are various links that students can click on if they want to learn more about a particular subject. Finding information withing the links is a little difficult especially for young students. After clicking on a link, there are various other links to choose from. Headings and captions are properly used throughout the website. The site does a good job at using only one font type but makes the screen look messy by using too many colors. It is clear that the site's audience is for young students. The site does not make use of any lists. The site makes good use of placing more important information at the top of the screen. The top of the screen promotes "The Weekly Scoop." Overall, the site is a good resources for students.




The biggest advantages of using presentation software in the K-12 classroom are that presentation software allows you to convey ideas in an organized way and encourages students to think about relationships. Presentation software organizes information, breaks it down, and puts it into a visually pleasing concept map of flow chart. K-12 students are much more likely to grasp concepts when presented in an organized manner. Presentation software also encourages students to think about relationships because students can visually see the connections of different subjects. This allows for better thinking and understanding in the classroom. A disadvantage of using presentation software in the classroom is that presentation software does not do much to aid the learning of non-visual learners. There are different types of learners and students that do not learn well when presented with visuals will not gain much from presentation software. This is why teachers much present concept maps or flow charts while still orally explaining the relationships that are depicted.

An example where I might use PowerPoint to support student learning at each knowledge dimension in a particular lesson would be if I told the class to create a PowerPoint on the Founding Fathers of the U.S. I would expect that the advanced students use their knowledge and creativity to make detailed PowerPoints. I would like if the advanced learners included graphics in their presentations. For my beginner and intermediate learners, I would want them to include a few of the Founding Fathers in their presentations and expand on each person just enough so that they understand the Father's role in U.S. history. I would not expect the beginner learners to include graphics in their presentations but I would like for the intermediate learners to look for graphics to include in their PowerPoint. If the intermediate learners need extra help downloading their graphics, I will be more than happy to help.