no need for paragraphs on powerpoints. let the students do their homework & reading assignments. use 3-5 bullet points and elaborate verbally on each.

being organized helps for a smooth class, and for setting a good example.

I try to integrate technology into my classroom, but sometimes all of the technology overwhelms the computer system and it just shuts down or takes forever to load the next slide in a powerpoint. So I have found that some times less is more.

I am rarely unprepared for class. Recently our campus has had some issues with equipment such as our only printer not working or projectors not working for power point presentations. I try to do the best I can to continue but it is frustrating and I know the students feel it.

Recently I had a night class with just one student. It was much more difficult to keep him interested in the class because all the responses fell on him and there was no one else to bounce ideas off of. Towards the end of the term, I started having him browse through the chapter we were discussing first so he could be more engaged in the lesson as we talked about it. This helped, but it was definitely more difficult than a group atmosphere.

On the first day of class for all my classes, I introduce myself first and provide a brief professional background. Once I go over my background, I explain why I teach, and how important helping them succeed in the class. I've found that students feel more comfortable asking questions and confident that teaching is not just a job for me. Then depending on the class size I have them introduce themselves individually, give a quick background, and what they would like to learn from the class. After that what I usually do for an assessment is to provide the students with a fun exercise that will allow me to see where they are with understanding and use of the software course I instruct. Since its a fun exercise it takes the pressure of being write or wrong.

Since I started teaching, I found out that displaying various quote of the day on the board about success, wisdom, dream, purpose, seem to motivate students. My students show more respect than before.

The lecture notes has been a new experience for me in the sense of adding new expriences to lectures that has been used multile times

In some classes the goal,objective are outlined for Instructous,but with this new information some adjestment can be made .Example pretesting

In part some material has been used multiple times due to standards ,my physical lecture materials change with each new group of students

Students know when their instructors are prepared and they appreciate organization. They find comfort in knowing that their instructor is organized and prepared. I have found that having very detailed syllabi and weekly instructions really help students to stay on track. Students like to know what is expected of them.

I often find that the same individuals dominate discussions and often find myself moving toward a roster approach; calling on students in order that they sign-in to online Webinar sessions.

I think it is significant to encourage field trips for those learners of online environments. I recommend my students to visit libraries in person to examine dissertations on the shelves and gain a visual of the expectations for writing.

I find that if I grade the test right away and revew that day the student gets more out of the test to see were thay went wrong.

Has anyone used Prezi instead of Power-Point? I made two and would like to use them more.

I often find some discussion between instructors as to what to cover in a specific class. How do you correlate your own goals with that of the institution and other instructors to create a cohesive learning situation?

I usually have the students introduce themselves on the first day of class. I feel it is important to develop a sense of community in the classroom and it allows me to get an idea of their career goals and experience. I tend to ask them near the end of the term how their goals or expectations have changed after studying the subject in depth. This can actively guide me in my teaching presentation, or allow me to give individual attention to those in need. I am interested in how other instructors deal with this topic.

I really like the field trip idea. When I was a Medical Assistant student the field trips that we went on were very helpful. How would I go about setting one up for my students.

I always over plan my lesson plans with activities so my class don't end until its over. After ever section i.e., 204 I will have and activity if the students shows difficulties with the section taught, If they don't show difficulties then I move on to the next section and have the activity after ever two hours. I read in one of my psychology books that the mind can retain 2 to 2 1/2 hours of information at a time; so I turn work into play to give the mind a thought break.

As teachers, we constantly and consistently need to update our course material and lesson plans to adapt to a changing world. Particularly if you are teaching technology-oriented subjects like I do. For the last 2 years I have kept an SD card with every single lesson plan for every class, and all of the course documents. (I'm not a big fan of paper). So my "folder" is my SD card. Because most of my classes are technology related, the market is constantly changing my classes. Software changes, new gear gets purchased, operating systems change, and some material become obsolete. I can only think of maybe 2-3 times where a class I taught did not change at all from one term to the next. I keep digital copies of everything because: (1) I can update the material whenever I need to, without retooling the lesson plan, (2) it saves paper [I just load the lesson plan on my laptop], (3) I can easily copy/paste material into an email or onto our student portal for students who missed class, and (4) it just makes my life because I save time on prep. However, at times I find myself falling into the trap of running on "auto-pilot." It's very easy to just work off of previous lesson plans and not incorporate anything new into my lessons. If I'm using a lesson plan that is 2 years old in a technology program, I'm not helping my students succeed the best I can. Fortunately, I have a day off every week so cab I devote time to update my lesson plans with new material every term -- even if updating a lesson is just looking it over, and making sure all the material is still relevant.