Reflection #10

What?
Last week, I had a presentation coming up in my Reading Methods classes for which I decided to create my own SMART board presentation covering a children's book. The tricky thing about this project, however, was that I wanted to communicate the information in the book while still making the presentation novel and exciting. I planned to show the SMART board presentation following the reading of the book, but I didn't want the presenation to simply repeat the content in the book and nothing more. Ultimately, I wanted it to re-cap the story while at the same time solidifying the word identification skill I was teaching within my lesson (the skill of rhyming). Therefore, I decided to turn the SMART board presentation into a brief, fill-in-the-blank quiz regarding the words that rhymed within the story. In this way, I was able to cover the book's content while still helping the class understand the concept of rhyming words that have the same sounds.

So What?
As a result of planning and putting together this presenation, I realized how open-ended teaching can be. I was not following any curriculum, I simply found a book with a word identification skill and brainstormed how I could create a lesson out of it. I had to ask myself, "What would be the most effective way to help children understand rhymes, based upon the content of the story?" "How can I use technology to create an effective lesson?" As I put the SMART board presentation together, I took the liberty to make it whichever way I wanted to- I got to choose the quiz questions, the clipart, etc., while at the same time focusing on how to get my content across in a technological and effective manner.

Now What?
Through this final project lesson in my Reading Methods class, I gained skills that I know I will be able to use as I step into the world of teaching. I also became more familiar with the tricks of the trade regarding how to use technology to put together a lesson and a SMART board presentation. I found content and pictures online and used tools within the SMART board program to make my presentation the best it could be. As I become more comfortable with incorporating technology and my teaching skills, I am continuing to learn just how versatile and creative teaching can be.