Multimedia Slideshow Student Sample

Here is a recent example of a 7th grade student's interest in Fortune Telling:

Overall, she did a great job for her first Interest Project.  Her oral presentation was not recorded, but she gave many additional facts and possible fortune outcomes for each type of fortune telling.  Her self-evaluation revealed that she would like to add more pictures and graphics to her next interest project.

Stay interested!

Sample Documentary Interest Project

Created by 5th grade student

NAGC Presentation - Teaching Technology through Interest Project

Click to view my slideshow presentation from the NAGC Convention 2011 in New Orleans.

Sample Animation Presentation

EDITING MY FIRST BOOK

My first book is finally in the editing stages and I am so excited!  My publisher sent me the first layout and asked me to go through it and mark up any changes I see.  How great is that!

Three days later...  I have gone through the book and have made too many changes to count.  Editing is hard work, but worth it.  I know this is my one chance and I want it to be perfect.  Of course, I can't remember ever reading a book that didn't have one mistake somewhere.

The book is scheduled to be in the Critical Thinking Company's 2012 catalog.  I can't wait to see it in print!

Sample Projects

This interest project on D-Day is a documentary film by a fifth grade student.  He used information and pictures from the internet to create the documentary with Photo Story 3 for Windows.

What are Interest Projects?

What are your interests?  What inspires you?  What do you do when your work is done?  What gets you excited about learning?  Is it something old, something new, hands-on, visual, or auditory?  The answers to these questions make life worth living and can make school an exciting place to be.  Rarely do we ask these questions to students, but the answers can be used to guide our instruction and influence the learning capacity of our students. 

In my book, Teaching Technology through Interest Projects available at The Critical Thinking Company(http://www.criticalthinking.com/), students will have the freedom of choice to explore their personal interests and learn correct uses of technology for research and presentations.  Their interests may be life-long or only for a fleeting moment, but the introspective experience of making their own choices on which to base their learning will allow the students to grow not only intellectually, but also, emotionally and socially as they share their interests with others.