Hi! Diane asked me to share a bit about the Constructivist Consortium, so here goes!

Back in 2007, Gary (Stager) came up to David and I at an educational technology conference lamenting the lack of exciting, engaging, and constructivist tools. After thanking us for doing good things we kids, we started talking about getting together with a small group of publishers to support each other and promote open-ended, creative, student-centered work with technology. He talked the Peter (Reynolds) at Fablevision and a few other vendors, and the Constructivist Consortium was started.

Members of the Consortium include Tech4Learning, Generation YES, LCSI, SchoolKit, Inspiration, and Fablevision. We have been working as a team to raise awareness about constructivist uses of technology and have sponsored events like the Constructivist Celebration and Constructing Modern Knowledge to foster this type of learning environment.

Constructivist Consortium companies believe:

• the learner should be at the center of the educational process
• students need to be empowered to succeed
• computers and technology provide new ways for children to learn
• educational technology should be creative, open-ended, and flexible
• students must be given opportunities to collaborate, communicate, create, and publish

To get a feel for the learning environment the Consortium is trying to foster, I encourage you to join us at a Constructivist Celebration. We will once again have a Celebration the Sunday before NECC in Washington DC. Last year, the event sold out in less than 35 hours, so be sure to get on the mailing list, so that you are one of the first to hear about the event and register! The cost is usually minimal and you get lots of free software that more than makes up for your registration cost.

You can find out more about the Constructivist Consortium at our website: www.constructivistconsortium.org

To sign up for our mailing list, visit:
http://constructivistconsortium.org/signup

Have a great week! Lindie
 

Jerry Weissman, in his book Presenting To Win: The Art of Telling Your Story, shares seven ways to capture the attention of your audience. While not specifically mentioning using PowerPoint, many of his suggestions can be incorporating into the opening slide of a PowerPoint presentation. The author identifies these ideas for engaging your audience (in our case, students): 

The Question
A well-written and relevant question involves the audience, and gets the audience thinking about how the topic applies to them. Because you are using the question to engage students, think primarily of open-ended questions that are not easily answered with yes or no, true or false. 

The Factoid
A simple, impressive statistic or factual statement that most in the audience would not yet know. The more unusual, striking and surprising, the more effective it will be. And it can be more than just words. Consider using a picture, or graph to illustrate the fact. 
 
Retrospective/Prospective
Think of this approach as “that was then, this is now”. One example would be sharing how something used to be done, the way it is currently done, and perhaps how it may be done in the future. This empowers you to move someone from one point to another.
 
Anecdote
A very short story coming from the human interest angle. The bottom line is, people like stories about other people. Obviously, you don’t want to print the story word-for-word on a PowerPoint screen, but you could include pictures and key quotes. A digital story may be an effective way to telling an anecdote. 
 
Quotation
If you can find a source that is recognized as authoritative to students, a quote can leave a lasting impression. Keep in mind that the goal of the quote is to bring credibility to what you are presenting.
 
Aphorism
A familiar saying – also known as a aphorism, can capture attention because people can relate to it. Putting a twist on a familiar saying can capture attention. Consider these ideas: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” (working together to accomplish goal); “Seeing is believing.” (pictures telling a story); or “Easier said than done.” (explaining a difficult concept).Analogy
An analogy is a comparison between two seemingly unrelated items. A well-designed analogy is a fantastic way of explaining anything that may be confusing or unclear.Just keep in mind that the purpose of the first slide is to draw your students into the topic! The opening slide is designed to be a means to the end. Use it to engage your students.