Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Technology Nuggets For Teachers - Episode 1
This podcast provides teachers with practical technology instruction that they can apply in the classroom tomorrow. Episode 1 provides you with the link to, step-by-step instructions for, and examples of using PowerPoint games that look like the game shows that students watch on television (like Jeopardy and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire).
Post a comment after you have listened to the Podcast. I have also included the show transcript for you to review. Thanks for listening.
Episode 1 Script
Show Intro:
Technology Nuggets for Teachers Episode 1 – Game Show style games with PowerPoint.
Intro:
This is Technology Nuggets for Teachers (TNT) because this show is dynamite. <<Explosion Sound FX>> This is your host Bruce Wayne Basinger, the batman, with this week’s technology nugget.
Introductory Story:
It’s the day of the test. As you hand it out, you see the dread in the faces of most of your students. A few students look hopeful, and you know they will finish within 15 minutes, get As, and begin talking so that you have to threaten them with a lower grade to keep them quiet. Your reviews have been less than spectacular. A few kids work hard to understand the concepts of the chapter while the remainder could care less. Threatening these students with bad grades has no effect at all, and you have no idea how to reach or motivate these students.
Does this story sound familiar? If it does you are not alone. Most of the teachers who have attended my professional development seminars have a similar story to tell. The focus of the podcast today is how to turn those reviews in to exciting and dynamic activities that engage all of the students in your class. Today I will be discussing the use of game show style PowerPoint games to excite your class about the concepts you are reviewing. I have used these games in my own classroom and professional development seminars that I have conducted. They electrify the room, and the scores on the tests jump dramatically. I hope that in the next few minutes, you will be inspired to use these games in your classroom.
Website and Short Description
I need to tell you before we begin that I did not invent these games. In fact I stumbled upon them by accident while I was doing research for my clear credential. Whenever I demonstrate the games at a professional development workshop, most teachers had no idea these games were available. I am guessing that most listeners had no idea about them either.
The website where you can find these games is http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/PPT-games/. I will post this link on my blog along with the transcript of the show. When you get to the website, there are nine different games to choose from, including: Jeopardy, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, 20 questions and others. There is also a link to make your own bingo cards and a timer program if you are having the students create the questions for the game within a certain time limit.
Step-By-Step Instructions
First, go to the PowerPoint games link and download the game of your choice. The game I will discuss in today’s lesson is Jeopardy.
Second, you will need to open the game using PowerPoint. When you first open the game, it will contain fifty three (53) slides. All of the slides have place holder text. This text tells you where to place each question and answer. On page one, you will need to put the category names at the top of column of questions. On each following page, you will need to write question or answer for each category and value ($100 through $500). I put pictures in the blog to make this easier to follow.
Time Saving Tips
It really is that easy. Mark Damon, the person who designed these games created all of the links within the PowerPoint slides to ensure they work properly. Although the game is easy to create, it is not quick. If you were to write the questions, design the board and test everything, you would spend a couple of hours that I know you just don’t have. Here are a couple of suggestions to create these games with little or no preparation time on your part.
First, have the students create the questions as a review activity. Assign the students in each row of your room to a different topic. Have the students write the question and the correct answer on a note card and have them assign a dollar value. This process should not take more than 15 minutes, and it is a great review a day or two before the test.
Second, you can get a cheap thumb drive at Wal-Mart, Target or Staples for around $10. Have one of your students, who is a good typist, type up the questions and answers for extra credit. I nice way to do this is if you have a techie, who does not like oral presentations, in you class do the job. I trade the typing and testing of the questions for oral reports (that he hates). So that he is not cheated on giving a presentation in front of the class, I have him give a short speech on how he helps create the games. He enjoys talking about the technical process of creating the game, and I get a great review activity with little to no work. I would encourage you to do a quick test of the questions and answers to ensure they work properly before the first couple of review games, but once you and your techie work out the details of what you want, this check is usually not even necessary.
Additional Ways To Use The Games
I showed these games to a teacher at my school, and she developed an inventive way to use the 20 questions game. She uses the 20 questions as a way to get students to investigate their new chapters in Biology. She writes 20 questions using the main concepts, charts and graphs, and section headings. She then puts the students into teams and has them compete against one another to find the answers. Each member of the team gets bonus points based on how quickly their team answers the questions. The teacher retains the questions and answers for a review game at the end of the chapter (i.e. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire). These questions appear on the end of the chapter test, and the retention is much higher because the questions were used in two review games.
Thought of the Day:
This week’s inspiration thought is from William James, he said, “Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.”
Outro:
My belief is that through the use of technology, teachers can make more dynamic classrooms that better prepare our students for the world they will face after graduation. I know I am not perfect, and I certainly don’t know about all of the technology that can be used in the classroom. If you have a suggestion or your own nugget or a question, post it to my blog. Go to www.freewebs.com/wbasinger. That is www.freewebs.com/wbasinger. Follow the link to my dot mac site, and then click the blog. You will find the transcript of this show, and a link for you to post a comment. Until next week, this is the batman reminding you that you are making a difference in kid’s lives. I am simply giving you some strategies to make that process more enjoyable and memorable. Have fun and tune in next week for another technology nugget!
