Post #7

I feel like the biggest advantage of using presentation software in a K-12 classroom setting is that the instructor has a clear view of want they're going to teach for that day and they have a plan. Once you've started a presentation, it's very hard to stray away from the lesson which is guaranteeing that you guys get through all the information that you're supposed. However, a disadvantage would be that a presentation doesn't leave much room for discussions or questions. So it kind of silences any possible questions that may need answering. Another disadvantage is that students may get caught up in jotting down notes instead of actually listening to what the professor is saying throughout the lecture and possibly missing alot of information.

I think that a teacher teaching any subject will benefit from teaching a power point lesson. It's straight to the point and it leaves a little room for a deeper explanation if needed. Like I mentioned before, it's a surefire way to make sure that you discuss everything that you plan to talk about for the day. I remember when I was in my social studies class, my teacher was great at using power points for his daily lessons. We as a clas understood evreything and it was really easy to follow him and ask questions if we needed to. In powerpoints you can add pictures or even hyperlinks to anything that you want to. For example, if I wanted to show my students a clip of last nights' news explaining something that we were discussing along with a chapter lesson, it's very easy to do! http://www.cnn.com/

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le700.htm
In this article, it discusses the importance of using technology in the classrooms. But then, it discusses how some school leaders may feel uncomfortable with an influx of technology in the schools. I can see that because adding technology means more responsibilty and lots of money that most schools don't have and can't afford. Research indicates that while there are poor uses of technology in education, appropriate technology use can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity (Byrom & Bingham, 2001; Clements & Sarama, 2003; Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker, & Kottkamp, 1999; Valdez, McNabb, Foertsch, Anderson, Hawkes, & Raack, 2000; Wenglinsky, 1998). I think that if research proves that technology is beneficial to the learning enviroment, then the people should support anything that's beneficial for the future leaders of the world.