Webquest #2 and We Can't Start the Fire Video

This week we learned how to actually make the power point slides for the webquest. It was really interesting because I thought a webquest should be on the web not on powerpoint. But Doc. Waters explained this week why we had to do the webquest on the powerpoint because eventually we have to put it on a cd. It is fun to work in a group because we use all our brains and come up with a better product. For example, I wanted to put little bullet points made of fruit. Bonnie liked the bullet point idea but thought it would be better to put little magnifying glasses instead. We all loved the idea. It is great to use everyone's ideas and expound on them. It was a fun class this week because we could use a lot of creativity. When class was over I didn't want to leave because we were on a role.

I am glad we are learning more about powerpoint. Last year in 2200 we learned a little. There are many fun things about powerpoint. There are so many background ideas. You could spend all day trying to decide which one to use. The hyperlink feature is very useful, it looks so professional. I know there are many more things I don't know about it, but as my pod works on our assignment we discover new things. One new thing I learned was how to insert a picture in the background.

There are so many ways I could utilize powerpoints and webquests in my classroom. I think I will leave webquests to talk about next time. So I will discuss using powerpoint in the class room. I could use power point to teach a new subject or concept. When students can see it visually on a screen it will help them understand it better. I could use powerpoint for a picture slide show of my students at the end of the year with music in the background. I could use power point to give my students instructions. Power point is a tool all teachers should know!

What a fun video. I like the song. I remember when I first heard this song in the late 80's, it has a catchy, fun beat. When this song came out I had no idea what it was talking about. I didn't know it was a history lesson. The song is so fast with so many words, I didn't catch all of them years ago. In fact when the song says "Trouble in the Suez", I thought it said , "Trouble in the sewers. " This video would be a blast to show to a upper elementary or secondary class for history or social studies. It is eye catching and nicely done. I wonder if Billy Joel knew his song would be used for educational purposes. I can't imagine writing the song. They did a fantastic job with it!