Enlivening that first day

NEA Today, Sep 1998

I teach a unified arts course to different sections of students as their schedules change during the school year. To enliven that first day of class when I have to present what might be some "deadly" housekeeping and introductory information, I use presentation software like PowerPoint and hardware that allows me to connect one computer to a large-screen TV.

With PowerPoint, I create a slide presentation that includes a description of the course, the expectations that I have for students, school and classroom rules, and any other information that a teacher would typically present on the first day of class.

PowerPoint allows me to pick various backgrounds and fonts, animate the slides, add graphics, and even throw in sound effects. I can also easily produce a student handout from the slides.

Using my computer's mouse, I am able to control the slides, deliver a running commentary while the slides are displayed on the TV screen, answer any questions-and start each class term with an informative and exciting lesson. Jon-Paul Roden

Computer science department chair Vernon, Connecticut

E-Mail Exchange

To build global understanding and improve writing skills, my high schoolers exchange E-mail with peers in other countries.

We begin by identifying a partner classroom and matching each of our students with a student in the other class. In weekly E-mails, students discuss stereotypes about life in each others' countries-and the reality that contradicts those stereotypes. They choose three aspects of teen life-such as dating, school, work, the environment, and drugs-and write a shared paper about the similarities and differences between their countries, to be submitted to both teachers for credit.

My students markedly improve their use of standard English, because they know that their E-mail partners-who aren't native English speakers-will not be able to understand incorrect English. For many of my students, this is the first time they've seen a valid reason to use proper English.

Each semester, we inevitably have misunderstandings caused by different cultural contexts. We learn about the effects of an unintended insult-and about the difficulties of keeping peace in a diverse world.

For step-by-step procedures and student handouts, go to www. messalonskee.sad47.k12.me.us/ lessplan.htm. Intercultural E-mail Classroom Connections-at www. stolaf.edu/network/iecc/-will help you find a partner classroom. Stan Davis

High school technology teacher Oakland, Maine

Surfing ABCs

I taught an introduction to the Internet to kindergarten through third grade children over the summer. By using poster board, magazines, and yam, I turned my classroom into a hands-on example of a computer, file server, intranet, and the Internet.

This lesson plan has been used to teach high school students-and even other educators-what the Internet is and how information is shared globally. For more on this lesson, go to www.siec.kl2.in.us/~west/slides/abc. Tammy Pay ton

First grade teacher and Web editor Loogootee, Indiana

Beta Testing Games

My tenth graders hooked up, via the Web, with Arizona State professor Stephen Hustedde to help test his educational game programs, such as The Wheel, Crossword Creator, Quiz Show, and Educational Squares.

These are gems every classroom should have. Teachers can even inject their own content into the programs.

Testing Crossword Creator gave students a great way to review vocabulary terms. I created questions for Quiz Show, and students tested their knowledge of class material while testing the program.

For more on these games, go to www.tricalico.com.

Bill Burton

High school history teacher Calhoun, Georgia

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