The Value of Office Software in Teaching/Learning Process

In my teaching and learning I use the following office programmes because of the importance attached to them in my subjects (physics and mathematics). The sample pics are shown below.

Office programme

Special comments

Microsoft Word document

The word document processor is infact the programme I use on daily basis or even hourly basis because I find it as one of the simplest, the fastest and user friendly programme for any beginner in the computer field besides it allows you to save it, edit the content, save again, add more content save again and again! One wod doc can allow you to carry thousands of pages which even a pickup truck would not carry if such pages were printed on hard copies. Thanks to Microsoft word doc!

 

Office programme

Special comments

Microsoft XL

This is indeed a great computer programme that I normally use when tallying, plotting graphs like the bar chart, histogram, pie chart and make some automations in summations and setting an equations to automatically solve some simple problems on this sheet. At the beginning, it may not necessarily be user friendly but with constant practise, it become evident that it is a powerful programme in the teacher’s daily lessons.

 

Office programme	Special comments
Microsoft PPT	The power point is a presentation that involves giving precise idea about the content structure, it gives the main bullets of the topic and the emphasis is left for the teacher to explain during presentation in the class.

 ciao!

Where In Tech Are We?

Each time you are introduced to a new Module in CCTI, you find new things interestingly beautiful and yet again challenges the traditional methods where most systems have adopted for quite a long period of time. This time it is all about establishing on how far we have integrated technology in learning using integration models like the SAMR which offers a method of how Tech might impact teaching and learning.

I have learnt for example a teacher may use SAMR model  by simply doing any or a combination of the following (i) allowing a learner to print out his/her worksheet (Substitution) (ii) learner are allowed to take question answers for example using Google doc in place of pen and paper (Augmentation); (iii) subject students to open writing of some essay with a given theme in which it is recorded and may be presented in an audience such as parents (Modification) or (iv) I would take a class to create a video documentary responding to some class assignments after contacting some various outside sources (Redefinition).

Another beautiful model during this course is the TPACK model which consists of seven (7) different knowledge areas the CK, PK, TK, PCK, TCK, TPK and TPCK. All of which are considered within a particular contextual framework. Within the context of technology integration in schools, it appears to me most often it refer to digital technologies such as laptops, the Internet, and software applications. I have also realized that in this model, the knowledge of concepts, theories, as well as knowledge about accepted ways of designing knowledge is very significant in achieving the learning process. However, it is also prominent that the knowledge of pedagogy alone is necessary but not sufficient enough for teaching purposes, it doesn’t work in isolation.

Besides, the best approach to me is the use of a combination of TPACK.

Ciao!

Measuring the Density of Regular and Irregular Objects: Sweet Spot

It was on Wednesday 1^st April 2015, that I finally got to organize a group of only a sample of 7 students  to watch an off line  video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jB84Sq6Ygg) that I had saved in my hard drive to see the impact it would have created if the whole class was taken online to view. I gave the students the chance and went out for like 8 minutes on coming back I replayed the clip again. I asked them on anyone who would explain what they watched, here is the explanation:

1.    That the first thing the teacher got a coin and showed us how to determine the thickness of the coin using micrometer screw gauge

2.    Then he brought in another instrument which was used to measure the diameter of the coin.

3.    The mass of the coin was measured using a balance which gave the reading on the top.

4.    Then the volume of a stone was measured using a measuring cylinder

The major challenge cited was that some of the instruments though they had seen them previously but did not know how well they can be used for measurements. And that the teacher was very fast in his demonstration besides, the video had a background music which they thought also took partly their attention.

Some of the instruments that can possibly be used in this demo

Infact the major goal of this virtual class was to only realize if learners can discover things on their own without the help of a teacher when they are left alone and this goal was actually achieved because they would finally get to use the formula for finding density which was taught in class i.e

 

 Ciao!