Session+6

=6.1 - Opener= media type="custom" key="9978953" 1. Do you believe that videos can lead to innovation in the classroom? Explain your answer. Yes, videos can certainly lead to innovation in the classroom, for many of the same reasons Anderson points to in his TED talk. At its best, the classroom setting has everything needed for Crowd Accelerated Innovation: crowd, light and desire. I found the "light" portion particularly applicable to my own classroom. Anderson refers to "letting in the light," and this is something I see through student presentations all the time. In most classrooms, there are a couple of students who are resistant or who think that it's not cool to try their hardest (especially when their peers are watching). There are many reasons for this, but mainly it's about fear and the self-consciousness that is a natural part of adolescence. As Anderson says in reference to posting your own online video, it can feel like sharing your deepest, darkest secrets. But what I have seen in my classroom is that //all// students - even the resistant ones - are supportive and impressed when they see one of their peers try their hardest and produce something excellent. And once one student is willing to put himself or herself out there, it "lets in the light" for others to do the same. One example of this is with Poetry Out Loud - now a school-wide project at MHS. Watching videos of exemplary P.O.L. recitations (which is how many English teachers introduce the unit) is the best way to inspire students to take it seriously and actually do their best. Witnessing their classmates nail a poem has a similar effect. This is just one of many ways videos can lead to innovation.

2. How does Prezi, the tool that Chris Anderson uses in the video, differ from traditional presentation tools for the classroom. The multi-media elements of Prezi make it different from traditional presentation tools for the classroom. As I noted about Glogster in the previous session, it includes the best features from some more traditional presentations tools and provides a platform to combine many formats into one presentation. Prezi was a fitting tool for a TED talk about online video, as he was able to incorporate examples of inspiring videos into the presentation. This, along with the graphics and other images made what was already an interesting talk a lot more effective.

=6.6 - Create Your Own Prezi= media type="custom" key="10016845" I can definitely imagine using Prezi in my classroom, both as a tool for presenting information to the students and as a tool for students' presentations to their peers. Prezi allows for much more engaging, possibly even interactive, presentations that are much more likely to capture students' attention. Playing with frames and sizes, etc. is a great way to help visual learners grasp concepts and relationships. The ability to embed YouTube videos is also a plus. Once I got the hang of it, creating my Prezi was not too difficult, although I did find it time-consuming as I tried to configure the best way to use its tools. If and when I use Prezi in the classroom, I will definitely have to allow sufficient time for learning the process and creating an effective final presentation. I wasn't thrilled with the process, but I do like the final result.