Prezi

In this assignment I used Prezi to integrate architecture into a much broader understanding. Since my goal is to become a professor of design, I can use this tool to show first year students that architecture is way more than it seems. This will ultimately help me in the classroom present ideas, new projects or teach about the history of what we are studying.

ARCHITECTURE on Prezi

Both Prezi and PowerPoint have good and bad qualities. They both offer a way to present a student’s work, a new assignment, and/or a lecture, but other than that they are pretty different. PowerPoint can be very blah if not used correctly and some people might fall asleep during a presentation. On the other hand, Prezi can be just to opposite it can move too much and cause “motion sickness” if not done properly. Also PowerPoint has an organization system that can be of good use to students whereas in Prezi you can put all of the ideas in and then organize by the order of your path. When giving a presentation Prezi offers an easier way to go back by scrolling in and out, but in PowerPoint you have to exit out and choose the slide you want (I have found this to be a hassle sometimes). Prezi’s advantage is that it is easier to share than PowerPoint because it is online; this is especially true if the PowerPoint has transitions, sound, and animation. That is where PowerPoint has an advantage, the ability it add sound and animation. Overall, I do not think that one is better than the other as long as they are done right.
I found that it was fairly easy to create once I did the tutorial and played around with it myself. I am normally a pretty organized person and for some reason I found it hard to organize my thoughts while making the presentation, so I had to stop and write down some organizational method in order to finish. The hardest part about the YouTube video was actually finding something that related to my topic. I considered changing my topic because of what I was able to find. Most videos of architecture either consist of pictures or other college kids that are presenting some of their projects. Sometimes it is harder than it seems to find something that relates. I applaud teachers who find videos and implement them in the classroom. It is fun and a nice break from listen to the same person day after day.
Prezi can be used in so many ISTE NETS T standards. It can inspire student learning and creativity by allowing students to use explore issues and present (using thinking skills, planning strategies, and creativeness). Teachers can use this to create presentations for parents, faculty, community members, and so many more while using digital age technology to support the topic at hand. This also will engage in professional growth and leadership. I found while doing this assignment that I was thinking through a process and developing critical thinking skills to create my presentation. By sharing presentations like this it allows for others to also engage in the technology.
Prezi is a very good way to present information! Will I do it all the time? (Probability not) I would need to become more familiar with it first. As for right now, I know PowerPoint inside and out and it is what is familiar and it is what I have always used, so I will stick with it.

Power Point

I have to say that I love making power points! However, I did find it hard not to include transitions because I have been taught over and over to use them in my presentations. When I started planning what I was going to include in my PowerPoint I found that it was boring and not the direction I wanted to go with the presentation. Instead of educating you I would have put you to sleep, so I changed a little bit of my format to encompass a common misconception about Architecture. Having an architecture background and a love for education, I feel that the two can work together through ideas and concepts. Like architecture that is the essence of life and an idea that fixes a need, teachers can do the same thing. If a teacher understands the students then the teacher can creatively come up with a new strategy to evoke the students to learn. This would fall under Standard 3: Teaching (Function 3F: Flexibility and Responsiveness). Power Points can be very powerful in the classroom by allowing students to interact and ask questions in a way other than on the board (Standard 3: Function 3A: Importance of Content and Function 3C: Questioning and Discussion Techniques). They can also be used in presentations to the board, parents, faculty, and staff as a different approach to reach out and to allow yourself to demonstrate your ideas, thoughts, and class activities.

What is Architecture?

View more presentations from Marsha Benson

Action Research Report

I personally found this a little changeling because I have never used APA formatting before. This type of formatting makes a document/paper easier to read. This paper allowed me to breakdown the information that I obtained that I would have never done before. I usually look at charts and understand them without having to break things down into components or even put it in words. I feel that teachers can meet the standard of student assessments under Curriculum and Planning with this because they can look at statistics of students and  evaluate the class accordingly.
I have submitted my Action research Paper.

Personality Test 2

After taking the Personality Test, I was right that I am an Idealist! I think that understanding who you are is a big part of the learning process. If you learn who you are and what you like then your career will follow. If you are doing things that exemplify who you are then you are more likely to like the job that you are in. This will show in your attitude in and outside of the classroom and it will also help others to find the same inner development that you found. I would teach in ways that I am comfortable with, however that does not go to say that everyone I would teach would become idealist. Rather they would gain an understanding of that temperament apply it as part of their life experiences. I feel that I am well rounded due to the people I have meet, but because of my background I am drawn to more of an idealist point of view.  This personality test can help a teacher develop the standard in personal growth and development.

Personality Test 1

I have not had much experience with personality tests other then little quizzes from magazines or facebook. These are more or less made up and I am guessing that not much studying about the human development takes place before they are made.
According to this Personality Test there are four different temperaments guardian, idealist, artisan, and rational.

• As Concrete Cooperators, Guardians speak mostly of their duties and responsibilities, of what they can keep an eye on and take good care of, and they're careful to obey the laws, follow the rules, and respect the rights of others.
  
• As Abstract Cooperators, Idealists speak mostly of what they hope for and imagine might be possible for people, and they want to act in good conscience, always trying to reach their goals without compromising their personal code of ethics.
  
• As Concrete Utilitarians, Artisans speak mostly about what they see right in front of them, about what they can get their hands on, and they will do whatever works, whatever gives them a quick, effective payoff, even if they have to bend the rules.
  
• As Abstract Utilitarians, Rationals speak mostly of what new problems intrigue them and what new solutions they envision, and always pragmatic, they act as efficiently as possible to achieve their objectives, ignoring arbitrary rules and conventions if need be. 

Finding a ranking that suits me is hard because I can see bits and pieces of me in all of these temperaments. As a guardian, I strongly believe in tradition and that change is needed but it will not happen with the snap of your fingers:it will take time. I also feel that I am a trustworthy dependable and hard working person, however I am comfortable winging it  and I don't like being bogged down all the time. With that said, I portray some of the characteristics of an artisan but not to the same extent. I am normally pretty optimistic about things and I love working with my hands to create new things, but I like to plan them out and not rush to get it finished. Even though I like to be spontaneous and like an adventure from time to time it is not something I live for. The next two temperaments are where I am focusing my life: teaching and architecture. The idealist in me is enthusiastic about life and the place that I can go and who I can help along the way. I have always been known as Switzerland in that I typically stay in the middle of thing so that I help others get along with each other and that I try to be the glue in the group that bonds everyone together. I hate for people to be mad or upset with me so I tend to avoid confrontation by giving more of myself for the wants and needs of others. I also am a firm believer in the Lord and know that material things are not what is important in life, but a relationship with the Lord, family, and friends are. Last but not least is the rational in me. I love to use problem solving to figure things out and analysis things in order to get the best result. Education is the key to understanding and only way to accomplish our goals in life. I feel t hat we are constantly learning. By learning I can develop ideas and use my problem solving skills to come up with the best solution. However I do regard authority because if I disagree on something I tend hold it in due to the fact that I do not like confrontation. Thus, I feel that my ranking would be as followed: idealist, rational, guardian, and then artisan.

AR Spreadsheet

This assignment was a challenging one that made me realize that there is a lot more to Excel than what I had previously thought. It was a great way to learn some new things however it took me a lot longer than an Excel spreadsheet should take. I had to watch several you tube videos and read several explanations to try to figure things out but I still do not feel like I understand it the best. I think that spreadsheets like these would be great to use so that you can track you progress as a teacher by the progress that students making in the classroom. While I am not a firm believer in standardized testing and judging a student by their scores, I think that this can encourage a teacher to try harder or to develop new ways to teach based on the data that he/she receives. This could fall under the ISTE NETS for Engaging in Professional Growth and Leadership. According to the spreadsheet created through an action research process teaching can make a difference big or small it is still a difference!
One big problem I have with this assignment was the fact that Google Docs. is not completely compatible with Excel 2007. Functions that I used while creating my Excel file was the AVERAGEIF function. When I put the Excel file in Google Docs. it came up with errors in each of the cells that contained that function. I was highly disappointed and ended up going back into Excel and used the SUMIF and COUNTIF to complete my function. While these functions work just as well it took more time to do it this way. A second thing that I was disappointed about was that my graphs that I had previously done in Excel would not show up in Google Docs. so I would have to create them again in Docs. to shoe up in the document. Instead I decided to use JING to create two images of my charts (Chart A, Chart B). While looking at the data there were some things that it helped to have these charts and then sometimes it was easier to look at the facts within the numbers. While answering the three questions about the action research I did both. I feel that both are equally important in conveying certain aspects of the research and accomplishments.