How multimedia tools can support 21st Century learning

Multimedia tools are a quick, fun way to make students interested in what you are presenting. Multimedia tools can bridge the gap between students, parents, and teachers. Multimedia tools makes learning fun. It is another means of providing differentiated instruction to students. It will help those students who need the use of technology to better learn and understand materials. And as an educator, that is what we truly want; for our students to fully grasp the concepts. If it takes using multimedia tools, then that's what we need to do. Now days, most kids are using technology more than they ever have and we need to be mindful and govern ourselves accordingly in order to reach and teach more children. Multimedia tools are what kids are used to. Most of them are more technologically advanced than some adults will every be. So let's use their own material to support them in learning.

Multimedia tools are easy to use and access. It took me about 25 minutes to learn and create an animoto, but I have shared it with several of my friends and family and they have thoroughly enjoyed the clip that I created. I didn't show them anything that they didn't already know, but I presented it in a more interesting manner to them. We can have the same effects on our staff and students using multimedia tools. It is also easy to distribute multimedia tools to students and parents. All we have to do is click a button and we are able to share pertinent information with our parents about anything. It works the same way with our students. I am a big fan of multimedia tools and I going to work harder at incorporating them into my lessons and using them with my parents to make the connection between us all.

What makes an effective website?

I think what makes an effective website is the fact that it MUST accessible, user-friendly, and easy to use. If I was going to create my website, I would use weebly.com. I looked over weebly and joined weebly and I thought that it was a great way to create a website. It is simple to use, it has tutorials, and it is becoming very popular.

My website will have the schools purpose, vision, and mission posted on the site. This lets others know what we stand for. My site is going to be user-friendly and appealing to those who log on to the site because with the way technology is, websites say a lot about you. Some people check out a website before they even are willing to go to a place and if the website doesn't meet the standards, they don't go. This tells me that first impressions are everything and I want my school to have great, lasting first impression. I am also going to put pictures of my students interacting with each other and the staff on the page. This lets people see how we work together to achieve a common goal. An “About Us” page is a must. This gives others the insight on the history and character of the school. A great way to do this would be to create an animoto, like the one I created in class to highlight the school. This will be entertaining and let others see how your school works. My website is also going to have a staff directory page and a link to other important sites page. This goes back to being user friendly and accessible. It is also a must to have school calendar and a sports page. These two things may be the two most important things on the site. Being that they are pushing teachers to use edline and email more, I am going to have a link to both of those on my site.

I want to do all that I can to ensure that my site is appealing and informative to all who visit. I am also going to have a place where those who visit can comment and make suggestions on the layout and design of the website. This will give me direct feedback to what my audience is thinking and how I can best support them.

Presentation Tools

I decided to look at PowerPoint. I chose PowerPoint because it is the most commonly used presentation tool. It is very easy to use and there are tons of materials available for those who do not know how to use PowerPoint. PowerPoint is full of animations and graphics tools which you can use to "spice" up your presentation. Those tools are simple to use as well. There are also tutorials available for those as well. I also like PowerPoint because it is widely available. If you log onto a computer, almost 100% of computers will have PowerPoint installed onto them. This makes it easy to make an assignment and not have to be worried about whether or not PowerPoint will be available for you when you go to a new location to present. It is also very simple to embed hyperlinks, videos, etc. into PowerPoint. I think that PowerPoint is a very user-friendly tools, which is why most people choose to use it. The other feature that i like about PowerPoint is that it is accessible on the Promethean board. I am able to type my lessons into PowerPoint and use them on the Promethean board. This makes the kids, as well as others, think that you are very savvy when it comes to the Promethean board, but it is really just using PowerPoint. Because most people already know how to use PowerPoint, it is a simple transition to the Promethean board.

I can't think of many cons to PowerPoint. The only ones that i could really think of is that unless the presenter is very entertaining and energetic, PowerPoint can be a bit boring to some. The other downside is that the audience will have a tendency to read the slides, as apposed to listening to the presenter and not pay as much attention as they should. But overall, I think PowerPoint is a very good presentation tool.

Using PowerPoint, or any presentation tool is in direct alignment with standard 3: Administrators are able to display all gathered information and data in an effective manner that makes taking necessary steps for school improvement more manageable and understandable. PowerPoint helps make communication data and materials easy to staff and others. Using PowerPoint also aligns with Standard 4:Administrators should demonstrate their ability to model the routine, purpose, and effective use of technology.

Data Driven Instruction

Data driven instruction influences the vision, mission, and goals at all schools. Data is what we look at to influence how we, as a school, can improve and change what we are doing. We look at the data and see exactly where we need to improve. We use the data to track progress, plan and execute interventions and methods to improve on, report results, as well as hold teachers, parents, adminstrators, and students accountable. Data driven instruction also helps with mission, vision, and goals by accurately point out problems, identifying students needing extra help, make decisions and changes in the middle of the year or semester. It also lets our administrators review teachers progress. It also lets our teachers and parents review student progress. These are the key factors in implementing and planning a vision, mission, and goal for a school. Administrators should ensure that the data teachers receive is accurate, timely, and in a format that can help classroom instruction. This also ensures a more accurate account of where a school stands in relation to its vision, mission, and goals. Data-driven instruction gives us a good sense of where students are at the beginning of the year and gives us measurable goals for where we want our students to be at the end of the year. As administrators and teachers we need to use data to benchmark the progress of students during the school year toward those year-end goals. Simply using baseline data to set measurable year-end goals, without also implementing a system that allows for frequent analysis and adjustment of instructional and organizational practice, is not likely to result in significant improvements in student learning or reaching goals. If we meet regularly and frequently to collaborate we can make wise discussions about our school's and our students' progress. We need to use the data to identify patterns and discuss what the data says about students’ progress toward end of the year goals. We can then identify appropriate changes that need to be implemented during the next peroid of time and make a plan of action to implemente those changes.

Week 1 Reflection

What is a visionary leader?

I believe that a visionary leader is someone who always has a goal in mind and is constantly changing to adapt with the ever changing world. A visionary leader is a man/woman with many trades, skills, and abilities. He/she must not only be goal oriented, but also takes the necessary steps to ensure everyone is on the same path to reach those goals.
Visionary leaders must also be open-minded. Open-minded because as technology changes, so must our visionary leaders. They need to be able to adapt and change as technology changes.

Visionary leaders need to be savvy about all aspects of technology. When they aren’t as savvy about an item, they seek help or professional development in order to become a better educator. This will keep them aware and knowledgeable of new technology trends.
Communication is also another trait of a visionary leader. They need to be able to communicate with colleagues, students, as well as parents. The only way to improve on anything is to talk to others and share knowledge and experiences. Communication is the major aspect of improving education.

Visionary leaders are not afraid to take risks especially when it comes to technology. The main difference between an administrator and a visionary administrator is technology. Visionary leaders encourage the use of technology tools to do things such as research, data collection, and presentations. Visionary leaders know that technology is ever changing and we need to be able to relate that technology to our students. Because students are so technologically advanced, visionary leaders want teachers to use the same technology that students play with to engage them in learning activities. Visionary leaders know that technology is one of the most important tools in the classroom to keep the students motivated, engaged, and enjoying learning.

I believe that we all should be leaning towards becoming visionary leaders in order to reach our colleagues, students, as well as the parents. Technology seems to be growing more and more each day, but it also is one of the major motivators for our ever changing population of students.