Your Name: Shelby
MS Office Application: Publisher
Level: All (Elementary, Middle, and High School)
Content Area: All
Type of Application: Teacher/Student (depending)
Time: A good chunk of time
Summary: Something I haven’t actually done, but played around with and plan to do by the end of the year is make certificates for my students. Things like “Most Improved” and “Best Penmanship” and other goofy categories I have yet to make up can be made into pretty official looking documents with the use of Publisher. There are quite a few templates/designs to choose from, and you simply have to fill in the blanks. Another idea would be to have the students make the certificates themselves, either for themselves (self-evaluation!) or for a classmate.
Name: Susan
MS Office Pubication: Publisher/ Brochure
Level: Middle and High Schools
Content: All
Type of Application: Students
Time: 1 to 2 classes
Summary: Research assignments can be easily transferred to brochures which helps students be more concise and direct with the information they need to present. For example, I have students research George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Once they have found the research they create a brochure called "The Greatest Presidents." The first page is a title page, and then each president gets one inside page. Each group must explain the historical background of the presidency and then explain why each president is considered "great." Then they must choose which President they think is truly the greatest in US History, explain why they chose him, and a short comparison and contrast with the other presidents. They must also include a visual for each.
The projects promote critical thinking and the brochure format gives them a clearly defined area to post the information they find.
Name : Cean
MS Office Application: Publisher
Level: Middle & High School
Content Area: Math
Type of Application: Students
Time: 5-20 minutes
Summary: Microsoft Publisher is a great software tool that students can use in the classroom for a number of different things. For example, students can create newsletters, web pages, posters, charts, and certificates. Students can even use it to make a calendar that is based on a math lesson. For example, students can create a fractal calendar using Publisher and some fractal pitures that they discover and download from the web. Here's how:
First, launch Publisher, Click the Publications by Wizard tab, then click Calendars. Then select one of the Full Page Calendar templates that provides space to insert your own graphic. Art Left Calendar and Art Right Calendar are good choices. Next, When the Calendar Wizard appears, click Next to begin the process of customizing your calendar. Choose a color scheme that will complement the colors of the fractal image you've chosen. Select Portrait orientation to give your image more room at the top of the page. Select Yearly so that your calendar will span twelve months. Click the Change Dates button to change the year your calendar spans (January to December 2008, for example). Click Finish when you're done. Then choose Hide Wizard from the View menu to give yourself more room to work. Insert the fractal image you've chosen in a picture box at the top of the calendar.Note: The text and picture boxes may be grouped. To alter or delete them separately, you will need to select Ungroup Objects from the Arrange menu. Select the existing picture box, or create a new one. Select Picture/From File... from the Insert menu to locate your saved fractal file and insert it into the picture box. Restore the image's original colors, if necessary, by selecting the image and then selecting Recolor Picture/Restore Original Colors from the Format menu. Be sure to credit the source of your fractal in a text box beneath the image.
Genesis, from the online fractal gallery of Uwe Krueger adn Heinz Wolf.
Susan's Class 3 entry
It sounds silly, but I really like using Microsoft Publisher for notes, awards and certificates in my classroom. Since I teach seniors, they don't really expect any of the touch-feely interactions they had when they were younger, so I try to acknowledge outstanding work as often as I can. For example, at the end of the semester I calculate the highest grade and the students who had perfect attendance. I create a really nice certificate of achievement, print it out (in color) and have our department head sign it. We have a little ceremony on the last day and I distribute the awards. It never fails to pleasantly surprise them. And even though it's not an "official" award, I often see the awards in student portfolios! I also make sure to print out "thank you" cards for students who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. On the one hand, I really do want to thank them, but on the other hand, I hope it models positive ways to express gratitude.
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