Blog Junkie

What is the “noob Twit” up to now?

I get to do all the fun stuff.  I get to be the fun teacher!  If the students are going to come to me once a week for research, it might as well be FUN research.  So I get a brilliant idea (look out, my brilliant ideas usually end up with me asking someone to shoot me the next time I get a brilliant idea), that the next project will be Extreme Environments! HA!  How cool would that be?!  But I want a hook, something to fire up my students to my brilliant idea.  A PowerPoint!

Why a PowerPoint?  Well I spent last Friday in a seminar learning how to make one.  Now I’m not just a “noob twit” out there in Twitterland.  I happen to be a “noob” out here in techieland too.  Last year at this time I was thinking I was all that when I finished learning to use WORD! In Jan of last year I first heard about Web 2.0 and had no clue about what it was.  Its been a journey.

Back to the PowerPoint. Three days later I have forgotten how the Master Slide thing works, my seminar was shown on PP 2003 and I have 2007.  Hmm, things are not starting off  great.  But perseverance pays off and I manage to get titles, animated text and pictures.  Looked for the best of the google images I could get.  I even had an explosion going off for the volcano picture!  Impressive! I added music from a sound track.  HA!  Noob managed to get that right after about 4 attempts.  All in all this 17 slide show took 4 hours to complete! Jeez!

At school I set up the laptop, projector and even have the screen down!  I have discovered there is a plug in in the floor so I don’t need the 4km extension cord any more.  Noob has a serious headache today.  Thinking is worse than usual and all noise is a major issue.  Head thinks it is a bowling ball in a 10 pin alley.  Students come in and are sweet and quiet for Noob’s headache.  Press F5 to play PP – notice I know this shortcut.  No sound!  Have absolutely no clue how to connect the sound system up to the laptop.  Good thing the students quickly point out the class techno man.  Our resident 10 year old who could work at Future Shop as a techie works at the sound problem.  We played that PP part way two times before we got the sound!  It was a hit as big as Twilight and I’m going into the movie making business!

In all seriousness, the 4 hours spent making the PP to show 4 classes was worth it.  The images really helped the kids pick an environment that had a strong appeal to them.  Who can resist images of penguins, baby polar bears, exploding volcanoes and the inside of the International Space Station?  The hydrothermal vent initiated a lot of discussion, especially the seaworms. I had images I hoped would appeal to both genders and it appeared I managed that.  They were excited to get their hands on the books and look and share the information they discovered.  It was a good day.  Next time that PP will only take 2 hours! I am learning and expanding my beliefs about technology and education as well as my skills in using the technology in a networked school environment compared to at home.