Back in February, I shared a video on my Instagram page about how I planned out my week in the classroom using slides. Little did I know, that was soon to spiral into many questions asked and ultimately, the Slides Made Simple digital course!
The Start of Something…
All the offers surrounding slides that I have today started from that one Instagram post (shown above.) Specifically, they started from a comment that was left on that post (shown below.)
Would you be willing to do a summer seminar or something prerecorded like a module on how to create slides and lesson plans like these? So many teachers like myself could learn a lot from you regarding technology in the classroom.”
The comment blew me away. I knew exactly what this comment could mean-a slides course! Now, mind you, doing a course was on my radar….but more on the “later” radar. It was definitely not anything I planned to create in the current year. Plus, I didn’t even know what topic I would teach on! If anything, I would have guessed “music in the classroom.”
But the responses led me to believe I was on to something. This was the first time I had shared about my weekly process of setting up my slides as a lesson plan. For there so many educators asking questions; it was clear there was a need for this information.
The Backstory of Slides Made Simple
Long before I was on Instagram, I was creating slides for the classroom.
In fact, my first ever slide set was made for my 8th grade science classroom. We were given a choice board of assignments to do regarding rocks and minerals.
Consequently, I chose to create a lengthy PowerPoint Slideshow detailing dozens of rocks and minerals and their properties. In spite of having a very unlikeable 8th grade science experience (the teacher was not a fan of mine,) the slideshow was a highlight.
To this day, I can recall how proud I felt about my slideshow. Even the teacher who was not a fan of mine agreed. I had a knack for creating slideshows.
Fast forward to student teaching, and to my delight, slides are a big part of the classroom. At this point, my mentor teacher is using them on the board all day, every day. She is displaying learning content, reading group rotations, and more. So naturally, I do the same.
Mrs. Martin’s Slides
If you’ve yet to read my journey to teaching, you can do so here.
In short, my mentor teacher, Mrs. Martin, opened my eyes to what teaching could look like for me. Her ways made it seem joyous and doable. Hard, yes, but doable.
Mrs. Martin used a slides program embedded with the new interactive whiteboard program the school had. She worked with another team member to batch reading and math slides littered with visuals. I saw how they elevated her lessons and were helpful for her students throughout the day.
When my turn came to take over the class, I undoubtedly wanted to do the same. The program Mrs. Martin used was only available on her classroom computer, therefore I worked on the slides at school. Many late nights and weekends passed as I made my slides. Though time consuming, they were easily worth it to me.
My First Year of Teaching
Jumping to my first year of teaching, I knew slides would remain a part of my classroom. My new school did not use the same whiteboard program we had in Mrs. Martin’s room. Thus, I reigned in those 8th grade PowerPoint skills and began my own slide sets.
There was a slide for everything (and there still is.) They became my anchor, my roadmap to take me through the day. Clearly, there was no turning back. The benefits were too steep (if you missed my past blog post on their benefits, read that here.) But there was room for getting better.
At first, I spent an atrocious amount of time creating slides outside of school. Though I didn’t mind, I later found more streamlined ways to make them. I also learned far better ways to organize slide sets to make them easier to find and share with others in the years to come.
Full Circle…
So here we are now. Just a day away from the launch of Slides Made Simple. After 8 years of teaching with slides, I get to pass on my knowledge to other educators. Over 300 educators have already joined our first launch. I’m so excited!
I decided to chase after creating this course, even though I had no idea how it would all come together. When a way of doing things becomes second nature, its hard to distill it back into bite sized steps.
Yet, that’s exactly what we did. We transformed over 5 hours of content into 50 mini lessons. Created to be self paced, yet with structure, so that anyone can participate.
Is Slides Made Simple right for you?
Without a doubt, Slides Made Simple will transform your teaching for the better if you apply the concepts taught. However, the course isn’t for everyone.
Slides Made Simple is not for those who are closed off to technology. You must have a willingness to grapple with Google Slides (or PowerPoint if preferred.)
Students of Slides Made Simple will need a desire to learn and discipline. This self paced course will be most valuable to those who follow the suggested pacing guide and submit questions prior to the live video calls.
The First of Many
Currently, we are launching the first round of Slides Made Simple. There will be more in the future. As we learn from our group of students, we will improve the course even more.
If you find yourself ready to join, but the course is not open for enrollment, hop on the Waitlist so you know as soon as doors open.
While you Wait…
Slide Templates are also available in my TPT Store. These are a great way to get started with slides!
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I would love to buy your recorded seminar or join live. Thanks
– Ashley