Never seems to fail: the new semester has started and on the third day, you get a new student. Followed by another on the fourth day and two more on the fifth. After a thorough introduction to the first assignment on day two, the class is underway--except, of course, for new students. You find yourself redoing the introduction on day three and day four time taken away from the other students in the class.

I teach junior-high photography and the problem of "catching students up" was a challenge for me, as it is for any visual arts teacher. Specific instructions of complicated processes are essential for these adolescents. Invariably, at least one student is absent for each new introduction. Stacy was gone the day I demonstrated using the enlarger, Tom and Bill left early for a football game when film-developing was covered, and one thorough introduction on anything is seldom enough for special-needs students.

That first year, I was engulfed in repetition as I desperately tried to bring everyone up to speed. Things are easier now I've discovered a straightforward way to cover all the bases, and I would like to share with you my solution.

During my second junior high, I reached the saturation point and finally figured out a good solution. Now, all my basic instructions are documented on a computer as PowerPoint presentations. These presentations are stored in a student-accessible file on our school server.

Students can use any computer in the school to view the presentation. Each presentation is self-directed and includes animated arrows or pictures to clarify important points. An introductory page tells students how to use the tutorial. These presentations serve as an introduction for students who were absent and as a refresher for students needing additional exposure to the information.

Now, when a student misses an important introduction day, I don't have to neglect the rest of my class while I cater to the needs of a single student. Using the PowerPoint tutorial, a student can sit at a computer and get caught up while I help the rest of the class get settled and on task. By the time the class is focused and working, the errant student has watched the tutorial and is ready to go. Most students are able to jump right into the assignment. Sometimes a student will need additional one-on-one support from me, but invariably that student would have needed extra help even if he or she had seen the original introduction.

Although my original intent for the PowerPoint presentations was to catch-up absent students, they have proved useful for my special-needs students as well. Each instructional step includes pictures that help students follow along. These tutorials are an easy review for tests. Since students can access them from any computer, they can use these tutorials in the resource classroom to study for a test. Now the resource teacher has step-by-step instructions in a content area they are not familiar with. Not only is this a tool for my classroom, now it becomes a tool for the special-education teacher!

PowerPoint instructions also work well for substitute assignments. I found that by creating a companion worksheet, a substitute is able to introduce an important assignment. Designing a presentation that covers the project requirements, complete with picture examples, is a good solution for an unexpected absence that might otherwise throw your curriculum off schedule. Outlining the steps for finding and showing a tutorial and filing it in the "sub folder" is a great help to a substitute. Having a clearly articulated presentation such as this (with a worksheet) eliminates the concern that students would be confused between my requirements and what a sub might tell students.

PowerPoint is a very "user-friendly" program. Once I became familiar with the software, creating a presentation was easy. I already have a basic outline for my instruction. As I'm giving a demonstration, I'll ask a student to use a digital camera to take photos of the various steps. (Most schools have digital cameras; ff yours doesn't already have one, this might be good incentive to acquire one.) This is a good activity for a high-energy student who is often has a problem being off task. Once you have the outline and photos, the rest is easy. My introduction to film development was completed during a single planning period.

Currently, I have numerous tutorials designed for different purposes. Several feature basic instruction such as: Setting up the Darkroom; Making a Photogram; Developing Film; and Making a Contact Sheet and Enlargement. Four were created for special projects. Two presentations are overviews of my classes created for parents to watch during back-to-school night. And, of course, that invaluable first PowerPoint that covers the "Six Guidelines to Good Photography" and outlines our first assignment.

One last note: If you decide to use this as an instructional aide, share the information with your building administrator. When I completed three tutorials and had placed them in the on-line folder, I e-mailed my principal, explaining the purpose of the tutorials and instructed him on how to access the information. He sent an enthusiastic note in return. Now he knows that I utilize technology for instruction. He also knows that I'm making serious efforts to meet the special needs of my resource students by providing an easy way for them to access basic information. In a changing world, it's time to embrace the new technology.