EPS+-+Thoughts+&+Ideas

**Databases**

I am looking at giving my Year 7/8 ICT students a quick sampler of Database theory (microsoft access). The students seemed to cope with microsoft excel and this would be a perfect extention for them to get a taster of setting up a database and understanding its many applications. Feel free to discuss or add to this insight - the approach I should use ,etc

**Naplan**

For those who are Currently participating in Naplan and still cant believe its still so manual I understand changes are in the air. From 2012 the testing will be online (similar to ondemand tests) which should streamline the process and reduce costs.

=** Powerpoint **=

Teaching the Year 7/8 students Microsoft Powerpoint with a view that the students will then choose an area on Technology to perform a powerpoint presentation.
==== Most of the students are coping well with the intuitive nature of the program and others are opting to use the online tutorials to help them establish more specific skills required for the project such as importing and incorporating sounds, etc. ==== ==== Most students prefer to be hands on to explore the programs characteristics as opposed to hand outs or literature explaining the mechanics of the program. It was interesting to see how the students share with each other some of their findings and this has helped propel their individual learning much more quickly. ==== ==== From a teaching perspective is it very important that students gain a good understanding on how to use Powerpoint due to its importance and dominance in the marketplace with respect to presentation software. ====

=Windows Movie Maker=

I have started to introduce my Year 7/8 Multimedia students to the above program. Effectively this program is as follows
====The initial difficulty I had using the schools flip top video camera is converting the video file from MPG (which wasnt supported by movie maker) to a WMV file. This was relatively easy though using codec changing programs.==== ====Once the video is in the correct format, it is very easy to drop video into Movie Maker. Basically the software program allows students to intuitively make a movie using various clips. The software also allows for "titles to be added"as well as including sound and transitioning from scene to scene.====
 * Windows Movie Maker** is a video creating/editing software application, included in Microsoft Windows Me, XP, and Vista. It contains features such as effects, transitions, titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration, and //Auto Movie//. New effects and transitions can be made and existing ones can be modified using XML code. Windows Movie Maker is also a basic audio track editing program. It can apply basic effects to audio tracks such as fade in or fade out. The audio tracks can then be exported in the form of a sound file instead of a video file.

Students have really started to embrace this software program due to its ease of use and also its end results are really impressive.
====From a teaching perspective, the learning from this was that the students were engaged in the creative aspects of the activity which enabled there learning the program much easier. Engagement is really the best way to ensure the students take ownership so the trick is to find ways to do this within the curriculum framework. ====