Internet+Safety+Night+-+Reflection

Reflection I "organized" an Internet Safety Night to be put on at the school I hope to teach at, Knights Ferry Elementary School in Knights Ferry, California. The reason I chose this school, other than my longheld desire to teach there once I'm credentialed, is that I was a student there from 1994 to 1997 when the Internet first rose to prominance. When our school bought its first Internet-compatible computer, students were taken in small groups to the principal's office to "surf" the Internet, under the supervision of the principal, Mr. Waggoner, and a woman they referred to as an "Internet Expert". I recall sitting in that small office one afternoon, listening to a presentation from the woman on the wonders of the World Wide Web when she accidentally stumbled onto an inappropriate image. At that moment, everyone in the room became aware of the inherent dangers in untrained use of the Internet. For this project, I decided to retroactively take steps to avoid such missteps. The PowerPoint is a companion piece to the brochure, flyer, and actual "event" advertised in the 3. Some of the slides in the PowerPoint are designed to be used prior to the evening as a visual aid when explaining the event to my students. I would also make it available via email to the parents of my students as a refresher on the points covered at the event as well as supplementally, using the videos and going over the Safety Rules listed in the PowerPoint. Through the presentation, viewers will learn what might seem to be obvious guidelines to keep themselves safe while wandering the Internet, especially with regards to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. An interactive PowerPoint is useful in its ability to engage the viewer more than a lecture might. Even a verbal presentation aided by pictures or visual cues lacks the intrigue of an interactive presentation of the same material. Students can also be encouraged to add to the PowerPoint as they become familiar with the technology. A concept I learned that will help incorporate PowerPoint into my teaching was the type of wording that is most appropriate when typing captions on the presentation. I found that a slide can easily start to look cluttered and convoluted if you use too many words, so it's better to condense your messages as much as possible. What worked well: I finally got a handle on the "import photo" trick after a while. I feel I was able to successfully incorporate graphics and pictures into the PowerPoint to make them more visually appealing. What did not work well: I really struggled with adding videos and other interactive features to the PowerPoint. I wrestled with this for a long time and am still left wondering if they will work on a different computer than the one I made the PowerPoint on. I had very limited experience with PowerPoint prior to this activity, so I learned several techniques that others might consider basic or obvious. Even the "trick" of creating a new slide and importing photos to the slides were new to me. Another thing I learned that made a world of difference to the finished product was the use of different fonts, colors, and shapes in "glamming" up the PowerPoint.