Who Wants to Be a TechKnow Genius? A PowerPoint Game for Kids

Teacher Jennifer Wagner talks about how she got hooked on technology and shares the lessons she's learned -- and the lessons she's created -- with you. Included: Two terrific PowerPoint activities to use in your classroom!

"My first memory of being fascinated with computers came in 1969, at an Alumni Day tour at the University of Southern California," teacher Jennifer Wagner told Education World. "I spent more than three hours in the computer lab, just watching the computer play tic-tac-toe. I was nine years old and I was hooked."

Wagner, who grew up in Southern California, received her degree in early childhood education from Pacific Christian College. "I never thought of being anything but a teacher," Wagner said. "I've always enjoyed working with children, and I've always enjoyed sharing the things I love with others. The two just seem to go together naturally."

Wagner taught preschool for a number of years, then, in 1992, she taught seventh grade in Hawaii. "It was there," Wagner recalled, "that I first had a computer in my classroom. A couple of years later, a friend who was an administrator at a private school needed a computer teacher. I've always been comfortable around computers and had helped her with her first Mac, so she thought of me, and I jumped at the chance. It was a small lab -- four PCs and four Macs -- but I had a blast!

"People are always asking me if I went to school to learn about computers," Wagner noted. "In fact, although I'm currently taking classes toward a media specialist degree, most of what I know is self-taught. And most of it I learned in my job as computer coordinator at Crossroads Christian School in Corona, California. I don't know how to explain it, but computers just make sense to me. I just seem to be able to figure them out."

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

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At Crossroads Christian, Wagner teaches students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Her commonsense approach to computers has allowed her to create a number of games to use with those students. "I learn best when I play," Wagner said. "I remember most when I have fun. So I decided I would make tests fun for my students as well." The games she's created include one based on TV's Jeopardy game and another, TechKnow Genius, based on the TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? So far, the students' favorite is TechKnow Genius. "Mostly, I think," said Wagner, "because they can create their own games for other students to play." (The template for creating that game is featured today on Education World's Teacher Submitted Lessons page.)

In addition, Wagner has created several PowerPoint presentations about computers and computer history. Her personal favorite, Computer Parts, contains videos that show how each computer part works. Another, Computer History, leads students through centuries of technological development -- from the abacus to fifth-generation computers of the future.

WINDOWS TO THE WORLD

"Technology offers students possibilities," Wagner told Education World. "It offers a wealth of information 24 hours a day, and it offers a variety of ways for students to express themselves. It's my belief that technology bridges all sorts of gaps in learning skills and learning styles, allowing students to dream, to achieve those dreams, and then to dream beyond what they originally thought was possible."

"Technology," Wagner continued, "offers teachers the world! With the Internet, they can take their students on virtual field trips to places they could never actually visit. With digital cameras, they can capture a moment in time and save it forever. With video equipment they can record reactions, experiments, experiences, and more. With computers, they can offer learning opportunities to each student -- no matter how that student learns best. But, most important, technology offers teachers the opportunity to always learn more! With technology, it's almost impossible to become stagnant!"

Wagner, who has also tutored in AOL's Academic Assistance Center, will be leading two seminars -- Kid Pix in the Classroom and Teachers and the Internet -- at the upcoming Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) convention in Anaheim, California.

For other teachers who would like to create multimedia programs, presentations, or games but are not sure how to begin, Wagner offers these suggestions:

Don't be intimated by a presentation program. Most are so simple to use that once you make your first slide, the rest are pretty easy.
Don't limit yourself by worrying about what you think you can't do. Start with what you can do.
Ask for help from teachers who have already created presentations. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Who Wants to Be a TechKnow Genius? A PowerPoint Game for Kids

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

Teacher Submitted Lessons and You !

WINDOWS TO THE WORLD

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