Teacher: Is a blog the right vehicle to accomplish my goals?

Should I experiment with this medium? What are my objectives? Why would a blog accomplish my goals? Do I want my content available on the Internet?
These are just some of the pertinent questions that will be answered by using a blog. As education is always, "a work in progress," it makes sense to try any medium that can assist your teaching. Here a few suggestions as you begin your experiment.

I. Students
Who are the students that your blog will address? Knowing the class will help you decide how simple, or complex, your blog should be. Knowledge of your students determines the complexity of the written text and the graphics necessary for them to grasp your content. Remember, you need to make things as simple as possible, but not too simple.
In choosing the vehicle for presentation consider the different learning styles in your audience and attempt to address them.

II. The Content
What is the nature of your content? Are there difficult concepts to explain, or are you delivering information that can be understood by most students. You have to understand the content before you can present it. You can't teach what you don't know! Decide what it would take for your audience to understand the meaning of your content , so that you can meet your objectives.

1. What are the main points that you want to get across?
2. What are the objectives of your presentation?
3. What resources did you use to gain the knowledge that you are going to transmit? Were the resources good enough to be models for you to use in building your presentation?
4. Do you need to create new resources, or would links to web sites be the most effective way to deliver the content?
5. Is the presentation self-teaching, or an outline to learning.

III. The Medium
Once you have answered the questions above, then you are ready to decide which format you want to use as your presentation medium.

1. Website/Blog
2. Audio/Video
http://www.wikiupload.com/download_page.php?id=68790
http://www.wikiupload.com/file_store/upload_1/82882582945c2476421bf4.mpg
Do you want accompanying handouts, or will everything be online?

There is obviously much to think about as you develop your presentation. Below are some examples of possible formats that might be used to deliver your content.
If any one of them looks appealing, then the next step is to learn how to use them. More on that later. Let's take it a step at a time. Which format looks reasonable to you?

Students: What do you need to think about before creating the presentation?

What are the objectives of your presentation?
What do you want your audience to walk away knowing?
Are you planning on measuring what they have learned?
What instrument will you use to test their knowledge?

These and other questions should be answered before a presentation is planned.
Knowing who your audience is, what you want to say to them and how your message was received, are all components of any successful presentation.

I. The Audience
Who are the people that your presentation will address? Knowing the audience will help you decide how simple, or complex, your presentation should be. Knowledge of the people you are addressing determines the complexity of your written text and the graphics necessary for them to understand your content. Remember, you need to make things as simple as possible, but not too simple.
In choosing the vehicle for presentation consider the different learning styles in your audience and attempt to address them.

II. The Content
What is the nature of your content? Are there difficult concepts to explain, or are you delivering information that can be understood by most folks. You have to understand the content before you can present it. You can't teach what you don't know! Decide what it would take for your audience to grasp the meaning of your content , so that you can meet your objectives.

1. What are the main points that you want to get across?
2. What are the objectives of your presentation?
3. What resources did you use to gain the knowledge that you are going to transmit? Were the resources good enough to be models for you to use in building your presentation?
4. Do you need to create new resources, or would links to web sites be the most effective way to deliver the content?

III. The Medium
Once you have answered the questions above, then you are ready to decide which format you want to use as your presentation medium.

1. Website/Blog
2. Audio/Video
http://www.wikiupload.com/download_page.php?id=68790
http://www.wikiupload.com/file_store/upload_1/82882582945c2476421bf4.mpg
Do you want accompanying handouts, or will everything be online?

There is obviously much to think about as you develop your presentation. Below are some examples of possible formats that might be used to deliver your content. I'm sure you are familiar with most of them, but have not thought about using them for your own purposes. If any one of them looks appealing, then the next step is to learn how to use them. More on that later. Let's take it a step at a time. Which format looks reasonable to you?