Advanced PowerPoint and WebQuests

Let me start by saying I have downloaded the Advanced PowerPoint tutorial for future consultation, but reviewing it has given me some great ideas to enhance my PowerPoints for class.  I plan on making the SmartBoard and PowerPoint a big part of my teaching strategy.  For my PowerPoint assignment I created a presentation that covers a week long in-and-out of class group assignment with the idea that such a lengthy assignment can be posted on my hypothetical teacher webpage to be used by students while they conduct their research.  Immediately I saw my assignment faintly reflected the WebQuest model we went over in class this week (9/22).  I was exposed to effective instructional strategies in class that I had overlooked while creating my assignment namely the introduction (which I associate with a hook exercise),  evaluation; the WebQuest model will prove helpful to designing effective assignments.

Yesterday I read on seventy-five page packet for a different class that introduced the Interactive Lecture Model. PowerPoint and WebQuests would not necessarily fall into the ILM according to the reading, but I see my classroom using them in tandem to create the most effective classroom experience for all learners.  The ILM maintains that lecturing is effective in maximizing the amount of content covered within a certain time period and that is hard to argue.  Having students connect with lectures and be able to harness the information is the challenge at hand, and the ILM provides practical solutions and techniques for this.  PowerPoint presentations are a great visual aid for lecturing and allows the teacher to conduct notes, graphic organizers, videos, and worksheets with ease.

A concern of mine becoming a new teacher is capturing and maintaining my students' attention; for this, I think the abilities of the SmartBoard are rather essential.  With that, it is my goal to not only engage my students in the learning process but (ideally/naively) give them a sense that learning is something that can be enjoyed.  WebQuests, along with the type of assignment I attempted to design, facilitate independent learning processes that are fundamental to developing critical thinking skills, research skills, and just maybe an appreciation for learning.

This is my journey,

Eric