Competency 006 The Master Technology Teacher demonstrates knowledge of how to communicate in different formats for diverse audiences. by Conrado Gonzalez for 6343.60 taken Spring 2013

Competency 006 Knows how to use productivity tools (e.g., spreadsheets, databases, word processors, graphics applications) to communicate effectively. Knows how to select and use various presentation formats (e.g., slide shows, posters, multimedia presentations, newsletters, brochures, reports) to communicate effectively.

Productivity Tools

Productivity Tools Spreadsheets: Lotus 1-2-3 (old school) Excel (Mac, PC) Numbers (Mac) Google Products (Cloud-based, browser) LibreOffice or Open Office(Multi-platform and Open Source, which in layman’s terms means legally free).

Productivity Tools Spreadsheets (Continued): Recommend these tools when dealing with numbers, calculations, such as budgets, fund-raisers, or dealing with statistics, such as that prevalent in administrative work in schools. Keep in mind the equipment available, in order to recommend a tool that makes sense and will be useful.

Hopefully, you won’t recommend this! J/K...no really don’t recommend this.

Productivity Tools Databases: Access (PC). Filemaker Pro and the friendlier Bento (Mac). Google Products (Cloud-based, browser) LibreOffice or Open Office(Multi-platform and Open Source, which in layman’s terms means legally free...[I should probably drop this silly comment by now]). Recommend this tool when quick access (no pun intended) to specific files will be primordial in the future.

This is how Bento looks on the Mac. Kinda cute yet very powerful.

Productivity Tools Word Processors: Probably the most familiar and useful for educators. Word (PC and Mac). Pages (Mac). Google Products (Cloud-based, browser)

Productivity Tools Word Processors (continued): LibreOffice or Open Office(Multi-platform and Open Source...(there I dropped that previous nonsensical comment). Recommend this tool when the written word the most important thing that you need communicate (papers, letters, proposals, and so on).

Hopefully, you’ll be more useful than this guy when recommending a word processor

Productivity Tools Graphics Applications: Adobe Photoshop (Mac, PC) Gimp (OpenSource Mac, PC, Linux). Photoshop Elements (Mac, PC) iPhoto (Mac) Consider your audience when recommending the appropriate tool.

And please don’t leave out Web 2.0 www.pixlr.com

Presentation Formats

Presentation Formats Slideshows: If your presentation is rich in media, such as pictures and short films, then slideshows make sense. If you need to present online as part of a college course online,then perhaps a slideshow would make sense too as it is easy to share via a service such as Blackboard.

Presentation Formats Slideshows (continued): Please recommend that creators of slideshows have a consistency in their use of a format to assure compatibility regardless of platform use to present it. I, for instance, create a pdf version of my slideshows...just in case.

And please don’t leave out Web 2.0 http://www.slideshare.net/

But be careful and keep current Things change very rapidly online. One service you rely on today could be gone tomorrow l But be careful and keep current http://www.sliderocket.com/

Presentation Formats Posters, newsletters, etc: If you need to present and your ideas are better convey through the display of words then choose posters, brochures, reports, newsletters and the likes. As a Master Technology Teacher you will recommend one of the above mentioned as you weight the pros and cons that each has and how these fit better with the intentions of the presenter. Remember that the incorporation of technology in the production of text can encourage some reluctant writers (teachers or students) to GTD (get things done).

Don’t forget about good ol‘ Wordle http://www.wordle.net/

Or http://www.glogster.com/ /

Final Points Please expect things to continue to change, perhaps at a faster rate than ever before, as the emergence of mobile computing starts to proliferate and become the de facto form of technology for the newer generations. Even as we speak, children are starting to see the mouse and keyboard as “My dad’s computer”. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the “newer generations” know it all in technology just because they feel so comfortable using it.

Final Points Normally that could mean that they know how to use technology for consumption. It is our jobs as Master Technology Teachers to spread the use of technology for the creation of new and original content in whatever form this takes.

Appendix

Screencast Tutorial The link in this page will take you to https://vimeo.com/64264445 and from there you can play the video that shows the screencast.

Online study index cards Clicking on the link will take you to online index cards made for this competency. Found on http://www.flashcardmachine.com/2544511/1d2i

Disclaimer All images where taken from wikipedia.org and or were screenshots of websites on 04012013.