EDM 310 Blog Post 14

This week in EDM 310 my group had to pick a lesson plan using ALEX, the Alabama Learning Exchange. This lesson plan will be featured in our end of semester capstone project. We chose a lesson plan titled The Study of Human Geography.  This lesson plan is designed for grades 6-8. It will utilize technology to improve the student’s understanding of Human Geography.

            Everyone in our group has a focus in social sciences, so this lesson plan is a perfect fit. The goal of The Study of Human Geography is to teach the students about population distribution, cultural landscapes, and cultural change. Then we will relate and compare this knowledge to modern trends. This will be the culmination of everything we have learned in EDM 310 this semester. I am excited to begin this final project. 

This week in EDM 310, we designed an interactive PowerPoint for use in a classroom lesson. I wanted this interactive PowerPoint to be something I could use in a future classroom. The concept I chose was a game based on the popular television show, Jeopardy. My version would feature questions relevant to a typical middle-school World Geography class.

Deciding on the form of the interactive PowerPoint was the easy part of the assignment, but assembling the PowerPoint was the most challenging. Designing the interactive main screen was time-consuming, but not difficult. I spent most of my time choosing questions and assembling the question and answer slides. PowerPoint is easy to use with even the most basic computer skills.

          There are many Jeopardy templates available online that are far more professional than my amateurish attempt. But I wanted to completely design my own version of the game to improve my PowerPoint skills.  This project was similar to other PowerPoints I have created in the past, except this one was far more comprehensive. This project was educational and functional. But more importantly, it boosted my confidence in my ability to create interactive PowerPoints. It’s a skill that will be quite useful in a future classroom.