Week of September 21, 2015

During our ARTED 308 class this week, we presented either a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation to our peers as if we were introducing ourselves to our students on the first day of school.  We were also asked to include topics in the presentation such as teacher expectations, procedures regarding bathroom/hall passes, how to properly enter the classroom, and homework policies.  

Overall, I felt that my Prezi presentation was successful, but I know that it would not hurt to make some adjustments to make my presentation a little more engaging with my students.  One way I tried to make it more engaging was to include more pictures than words, especially if I am going to be presenting this presentation at the K-5 level.  It felt a little awkward placing homework/late work policies into the presentation when I was originally planning this presentation for a K-5 age group.  I specifically chose to make a Prezi presentation over a PowerPoint because I feel the way the slides transition in Prezi are more dynamic and engaging than PowerPoint.  I have seen how children react to Prezis during my times volunteering at Children's Art Club here at UW Stout, and they seem to be more engaged and focused on the task at hand than with a PowerPoint presentation.  

One thing I would like to include into my presentation would be a reward system for good behavior, where the students would earn points as a class.  When the class would earn enough points, they would be rewarded an activity, such as watching a movie related to what they are currently studying, a popcorn party, or an extra day to work on their projects.  I believe this type of reward system would help students be consistently engaged in their classroom, as well as teaching them responsibility for their behavior.   

During the presentation, I felt a little nervous presenting because a few of my peers presented before me and I felt that how they presented certain topics was more successful than how I presented them, but I told myself, "If you presented something differently, it doesn't mean that it is bad." Students learn differently from one another, and that includes learning about the classroom on the first day of school.  Initially when I presented in front of my peers, I felt that I appeared frazzled and anxious, but I soon began to relax and by the end of the presentation I felt confident about the information I was presenting.