Yesterday was the first day of the new and improved unit on Respiration. My consultee wanted to begin with notes. I encouraged her to revamp her current notes. She agreed. They were way to detailed (wordy) and did not have enough examples for students. I suggested she embed some pictures and diagrams from the internet into a PowerPoint presentation for notes. I advised her that she could use the photos to help explain content to her students. One picture that was included showed the insides of a mitochondria. The photo showed the folds of the cristae. The importance of the cristae is the many folds that are inside. It allows for more surface area to make more ATP. It is sort of like human DNA and intestines, which have a lot of material included in a small space.
My consultee also included 7, yes 7, new videos (or short clips) to show her students during notes. I showed her how to use keepvid.com to download YouTube or other videos. Our school does not allow anyone to use YouTube, but students and teachers have found ways around it. We are told we are not to use those means either, so I have had to find other ways to use the great education videos included on YouTube. Keepvid.com allows the user to download the video and then it can be saved. I chose to save it as an mp4. The video can then be hyperlinked within the PowerPoint presentation so the teacher does not have to close one application and open another. I think it makes for a smooth transition and one does not need a DVD or VHS player. So, my consultee created her new presentation with a little help from me. I reviewed it. It looks pretty slick. I think it will be more interesting for the students. I also think it will create deeper student understanding as they can see what the teacher is talking about.
My consultee had all the necessary equipment: computer, mounted overhead projector, screen, even a presenter mouse, but we did not check her speakers. I guess she had always shown videos on a cart that had a DVD/VHS with speakers. Well when she began her first presentation and video she noticed that the mounted projector speakers were not very loud. I went down to look at the projector it is an older model projector and is not directly hooked up to any other speakers. It made it more difficult for her students to hear the video, but they made it through ok. She put in a tech request to have it fixed, but in the mean time I found and extra set of speakers for her. Another instance of things not going as planned, but that is the life of a teacher. You must be good at working on the fly. Other than that all went well and she really is enjoying her new and improved PowerPoint notes that include multimedia.
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