Day 22 - PowerPoint Game 6

By then, you should have finished the following slides for your game: copyright notice, credits, educational objectives, cover (first), story, game directions, and game rules. You should start your question slides, game pieces, and game board slides. For those who decided to draw your gameboard with Firework, make sure that you have ideas on your gamebaord design and have collected some images for your game baord. In today's class, we will mainly walk you through the instruction for using Macromedia Firework. If you need to work at home but you don't have Macromedia Fireworks, you can download it here.
In addition, when you worked on your 25 questions slides, don't forget that eight of 25 questions should reach at least application level, which can assure the instructional value of your game.

For Friday's class:
10:10 - Friday will mainly be your in-class independent working day. I will answer your question while you are working on the PowerPoint Game.
11:15 - Friday will be your optional work day. You can choose to come to lab or work at home. However, if you have any problems with creating your game, make sure that you take advantage of Friday's class to meet me. Don't e-mail me for questions that I can answer you f2f. Also, please be reminded that you need to complete at least 90% of your game. We will have peer review on next Monday's

Day 21 - PowerPoint Game 5

As you continue working on your PowerPoint games -- it is important to focus on the instructional value of your game -- and value is added through good questions. What makes a good question?

Bloom's Taxonomy is an easy way to learn more about various levels of questioning. Even young children can use Bloom's Taxonomy to improve their work.Here's a video of a class of children who use it to design literature units. After the presentation, you are going to take your three questions "up a level" on Bloom's Taxonomy. Use these improved questions as a model for all 25 questions to be included in your game. Don't forget that you can checkout textbooks from the Curriculum Materials Center in rm 207 for more ideas for questions (just make sure you're not plagiarizing!) Continue working on your game outside of class (it is due Wednesday,March 7)-- you have a handout on scanning in gameboards if you choose to draw yours by hand. As you work -- review student samples and the PowerPoint Games Project Rubric to ensure that you are meeting the expectations of the assignment. You can earn additional "wow" points by packaging your game. This would include a professional-looking game box with all of the materials necessary to play the game included in the box (The package is due Monday, March 19).

For Wednesday's class:
1. All text-based slides should be completed (i.e. story, game directions, etc.)
2. 1/2 of your question slides should be completed
3. If you are drawing a board with using Firework, make sure you have an idea for your game design and collect all the images that you need. We will have a mini-lesson on Wednesday.

Day 20 - PowerPoint Game 4

After demonstrating how to make action buttons, let's talk about your game board. There are two ways to make the game board. One is to use your hand, the other is to use computer to draw a game board. If you choose to use your hand, you will need to scan your game board. The instruction will give it to you next week. If you want to draw the game board with computer, you can draw it in PowerPoint (one letter size) or your can draw it in Firework (as large as you want). This is your option to learn to use Firework to draw the board. There are two parts of your game that ensure students will want to use it for learning: the story and the level of questions. You want to make sure that you have an engaging story - and you also want to make sure that your game is the right level of challenge. Factual level questions are too easy (and boring) regardless of the grade level you are targeting. We'll spend time in class on Monday learning how to write good questions.

For Next Monday's class:
1. By now, you should have finished the basic slides, including first slide, story, objectives, credits, copyright notice.
2. Begin creating the game board
3. Write 3 questions to use in your game, print it out, and bring it to the class.

Day 19 - PowerPoint Game 3

By now you should have your first draft of the story and select the curriculum standards to address your game. Your game should be designed to introduce content or to provide practice for students' understanding. If your game is designed around basic factual recall -- think of another game!
After sharing your story and game ideas, we will go through the project description and begin to download the template. Most of the technical skills you need to create the game were acquired when you created the seating chart for Productivity Tool Project. Using the drawing toolbar in PowerPoint will allow you to customize your game template.
Action buttons are easier than they seem. Being slow and methodical makes it easier to create action buttons. Here are the tutorials for the action buttons:
Creating Headquarters to Access Your Questions Slides
Creating Question Slides

Before Friday's class:
1. Begin to customize your PowerPoint game
2. Write your game directions
3. Finish the basic slides: objectives, game pieces, copyright notice, credits.

Day 18 - PowerPoint Game 2

Story time for Power Point Game
It's time to get started on our second project - PowerPoint Game. From last class, we learned what constructionism is from Dr. Rieber's article. Also, we discussed what the important factors to appeal your audiences in the game design. It will be very helpful to share the story of your PowerPoint Game to other classmates and collect feedback/suggestions from them. In today's class, each one of you will need to present your curriculum standards and the story for your PowerPoint Game. This presentation will be part of your participation performance, which is part of your grade for PowerPoint Game project. So, make sure that you are well-prepared.

Grade for Autobiography page and Productivity Tool Project
On Sunday, each of you should've received your score for autobiography page and productivity tool project. For Some of you, as I indicated in your evaluation form, you have an opportunity to resubmit. Please be aware that the resubmit due day will be Wednesday before class. Make sure that you send me the URL for the work that you resubmit to yichunhong@gmail.com with subject as resubmit_projectname_yourname.

Day 17 - PowerPoint Game 1

Happy Chinese New Year!! This coming weekend is Chinese New Year. It will be year of a pig. Wish all of you joy, harmony and good luck.

Part I. Submit Productivity Tool project
Before class starts today, please e-mail me the hyperlink of your Productivity Tool project to yichunhong@gmail.com with subject as productivity tool_yourname.

Part II. Introduction to PowerPoint Game
Technology allows educators to respond to various learning theories - from behaviorism to constructionism. Today we'll talk about PowerPoint games: what they are and how they help students construct their own knowledge by building the artifacts while learning-- constructionism.
What were your favorite games? What characteristics made them your favorite? What experience do you have with instructional games? Are the characteristics of your favorite games found in most instructional games? How can PowerPoint be used to create an instructional game for your subject area?
It's important to know a little bit of background on the PowerPoint games project before we begin. Dr. Lloyd Rieber - a professor in my department - wrote a paper on this very topic. Many EDIT 2000 students have created their own games and more and more K-12 classrooms are using PowerPoint games as a way to address contentstandards through constructionism.
You'll want to view some sample games from the Homemade PowerPoint Games website and from student sample and student examples from last summer. After viewing several, you'll want to get started on your game. You'll need to look over the project assignment and use learning puzzle chart to organize the content that you are going to present with PowerPoint Game.

For Next Monday:
In the learning puzzle chart, fill out the curriculum standard section with curriculum standard(s) that you are going to address in your PowerPoint Game. In the story section, come up a story for your game. On Monday and Wednesday’s class, each one of you will have four minutes presentation on your story and the curriculum standards. You can create a short PowerPoint slide or use Microsoft Word to provide visual cues for your classmates.

Day 16 - Productivity Tool 7

Today, you are going to put everything together. By now, you should have nine PDF files, at least three screen shots, and three lesson plans that you found from the provided websites. Before you start to work on your productivity tool page, make sure that you have carefully read the information from our class blog in Day 15. Also, don’t forget to revisit the rubrics for productivity tool project. Besides, the link to sample projects is a great place to make sure that you are on the right track.

Just a few more reminder:
1. In your worksheet, please include the instructions and assigned place for them to write down their name.
2. In your pictography, please include a short description about the survey that you are going to present.

For Friday’s Class:
1. Send your productivity tool link to yichunhong@gmail.com with subject titled as “productivity tool_yourname” before Friday's class starts.
2. Prepare next project – PowerPoint Game.
Read Homemade PowerPoint Games: A Constructionist Alternative to WebQuests by Dr. Lloyd P. Rieber in Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology here at UGA.This article will prepare us for the next project. Also, four people in a group. Each group bring one board game to the class.

Day 15 - Productivity Tool 6

According to our schedule, you should have finished your nine objects, including brochure/newsletter, seating chart, calendar, grade sheet, attendance sheet, pictograph, hall pass/certificate, business card/students’ name tag, and worksheet. Today our two main goals are converting files to PDF format, and capturing screen shots of your completed objects.

Part I. Capture the screen shots
Showing images is a good way to decorate your web pages. It also provides your readers a big picture of what your web page is about. In your productivity tool, you need to include at least three screen shots of your objects. You can also include all of them to make your web page even easier to understand.

Part II. Convert your files to PDF format
We have used various programs to create nine objects for productivity tool project. Imaging that your reader will need to run their computers with different programs at the same time, how much time it will take them to finish viewing all your objects? Therefore, we want to provide them a more efficient way to see your works by converting all the files into PDF format.

Part III. Lesson plan with technology integration
In order to learn more about use of technology into classroom, we are going to explore how other teachers integrate technology into teaching. Now, we need to find three lesson plans where productivity tool is integrated and see how they assist their teaching.
1. Georgia Learning Connections
Select your grade level, select "technology integration" for the subject.Click the "Search QCC button". Then click the "Productivity" link
2. Microsoft Lesson Plans
Remember that lower grade levels may use tools like Graph Club(for spreadsheets/graphing) and KidPix (for multimedia presentations)instead of Excel and PowerPoint - but you can use these as examplesfor your reflection. Don't forget that all of this goes onto theProductivity Tool page with links to the objects you created.
3. iWork in the classroomThis website provides the lesson plan ideas for using keynote andpages in Macintosh computer.

Part IV. Writing reflection
If you have completed nine projects and found three lesson plans, you can go ahead to write your reflection for productivity tool in Google Page Creator. First of all, include links for the nine objects and give an explanation for each of the object. You need to talk about what you learned in the development of the artifact, and how it could be used in a classroom. Next, include at least three screen shots that you captured for your objects. Then, include three lesson plans that you found which use productivity tools in teaching, and explain in detail the types of activities students can do using productivity tools. Your discussion and specific descriptions should focus on activities at a LoTi level of 2 or higher.

For Wednesday’s Class:
You should complete nine objects, capture at least three screen shots of your artifacts, and convert files into PDF format. Again, the due day for productivity tool project will be on Friday at beginning of our class.

Day 14 - Productivity Tool 5

Independent Working Day
Today is your independent working day. You can choose to work at our lab or work at home by yourself. I will be at our lab to assist you for your project. For those who decide to work independently, please make sure that you will need to complete nine objects by next Monday. Nine objects include: (1) brochure/newsletter, (2) one month of calender, (3) seating chart, (4) grade sheet, (5) attendance sheet, (6) pictograph, (7) business card/students name tag, (8) Certificate/Hall passes, (9) worksheet.

Enjoy your independent working time!!

For Next Monday:
1. Nine objects are ready for convertion to PDF format.
2. Nine objects are ready for capturing screen shots.

Day 13 - Productivity Tool 4

Creating Pictograph with Microsoft Excel
In Monday's class, we learned to use Excel to create students' attendance and grade record. Now, do you feel more comfortable with using Excel to make your administration works even more efficient? After we completed grade and attendance record, today we will be again using Excel to create pictograph.
Pictograph is a symbol representing a concept, object, activity, place, or event by using illustration. Often times, we see people using bar chart in their powerpoint presentation. In order to better attract your students' attention and use graphics to get your points across, we will be creating pictograph for "your future class". Besides walking you through, you can also go to Microsoft website for the tutorial of creating pictograph.

For Friday's Class:
You should complete the following objects: brochure/newsletter, seating chart, calendar, attendance and grade sheet, and pictograph by Friday. Friday's will be your individual working day. It's your choice to come to our lab or work at home by yourself on students' name tag/teachers' name card, certificate/hall passes, and worksheet. I will be in lab for your questions regarding the productivity tool. On next Monday, we will convert all your files to pdf files. Please make sure your nine objects ready for convertion on Monday.

Day 12 - Productivity Tool 3

Are you on the right track?
By today, you should have your newsletter/brochure, seating chart,
and calendar ready to ensure that you will be able to complete the
project by February 5.

Creating a grade book/attendance record in Excel
MS Excel is the final tool we will take a look at in the MS Office Suite
of applications. Excel is a spreadsheet application that is used by
accountants, office managers, and small businesses. It allows you
to create tabular data, work with numbers and charts in a variety
of manners. As educators, there are number of ways we can use
Excel: as a record keeping tool (attendance), grades, gather and
display data (graphs and charts), etc.
Classroom Excel Resources
MS Excel Modules
Microsoft Excel Training Course
Today I will walk you through how to create an grade/attendance
record for your assignments in productivity tools project.

For Wednesday:
Continue working on your Productivity Tools project. Always check
the project description to ensure that you are completing all of the
required components. In Wednesday's class you will be shown how
to create pictograph.

Day 11 - Productivity Tool 2

Create Newsletter/Brochure, Calender, and Seating Chart
Now you should be clear on the requirements for our first project - productivity tool. There are many objects to complete and details to remember. I will help you step by step. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions regarding the project. Today we will be mainly working on two programs: Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Since some of you need the instruction for inserting clip art and creating word art in Word and PowerPoint. I will give you a mini-lesson on that. For those of you who have good computer skills for this project, you can go ahead and work on your project. One thing I would like to bring your attention is the nine objects should address your chosen grade level and subject area.

For Next Monday:
1. I strongly recommended you to complete newsletter/brochure, calender and seating chart before class on next Monday.
2. For those who would like to take chance to resubmit your responses to curriculum standard, please be informed the deadline will be next Monday before our class starts. The highest score of resubmittal will be 8 out of 10.