Week 2 - Publisher

Publisher

Week 2 involved me reacquainting my self with Microsoft publisher.  During a different life, long, long ago I used publisher to make brochures for small businesses.  My memory of Publisher back then was that it was not very user friendly and it could be a bit clumsy.  10 years later my opinion has not really changed, but my skills in using publisher certainly have!  I was once quite skilled and I could whip up business cards, stationary, brochures and invitations, today I stumbled through the software and the result is below.  It is a brochure on my home town Maryborough.

Although my experience today was a bit frustrating, I will persevere with this software and I am sure with more practise my skills will come back.  I remember enjoying the process of designing the products and of course the finished product.  i imagine children would enjoy the same experience, especially those in the upper primary years.

Brochure - Maryborough 3465

There are many different templates you can use within this software.  I have noticed that in just about every VELS English level there is a reference to producing text for relevant audiences.  This could be incorporated into an English lesson.  For example, create a brochure on skiing targeted at adults and create another brochure for children.  What would the design differences be?  The language differences??

Web Page

Uses for web pages created by the class or for the class are endless.  Obviously through creating my own  WebQuests I have discovered they are a great way to introduce and expand on a topic.  I would also love for children to create their own web page to display their work, their evaluation of their work and the units of study.  It would be a great reflection tool and would be invaluable come assessment time.

Obviously security and safety is a minefield and the safety of the children should be always be a priority when designing or developing websites or other online activities.   I would almost be inclined to include it in the lesson plans.  Knowledge is power.

E Portfolio 

I will be using Publisher to create my portfolio unless I can find something else I love in the next couple of weeks.  The only issue for me is I don't own a copy of publisher.  The alternatives are Word or PowerPoint.  I think Publisher is far more creative than Word and will give me more space than PowerPoint.

I am very anxious regarding my portfolio.  I am not the worlds most creative person.  My goal is to develop a portfolio which contains:

My teaching pedagogy

• 
  
  CV details
• 
  
  Professional development I have undertaken this year
• 
  
  Lesson Plans
• 
  
  References

My very basic start on this task can be seen below:

My final attempt looked a little like this

Alternative

During my search for a free alternative to Publisher I was recommend this by wiki answers, http://www.scribus.net/ however, my virus protector would not allow me to download it.