When it comes to presenting information, there are countless ways that we can communicate what we know including: slideshows, poems, skits, demonstrations, discussions, debates, essays, art, songwriting, and much much more. However, even with all of these methods at our disposal, it seems that most often we find ourselves returning time and time again to the tools and methods that we feel most comfortable with. Having previously discussed what it means to be a 21st century educator, we know that it is our responsibility to do our research and provide students with up to date skills and tools that will ensure enriched learning and increased opportunity. Thus we should ask ourselves: are the presentation methods that I use, and have my students use, enhancing their learning, or hindering it? I believe that presentation software has the ability to both enhance and hinder student learning, depending on how it is presented and applied. This being said, I think that as educators we must first consider what we are hoping to achieve within our presentation or by assigning a presentation task. Once we determine our success criteria, we can then conclude whether the use of presentation software will add to the desired effect or diminish it, and what other tools might compliment the intended learning goal. The use of presentation software in the classroom proves to be helpful for teaching students how to organize and prioritize important information, guiding verbal sharing of information, strengthening basic presentation confidence, and highlighting key information for the audience. I think that basic slideshows are a good starting point for first presentations, however as students progress through school and collect more methods of communication, they should branch out at consider other options based on their suitability and relation to the subject being presented.
While investigating various presentation tools, I found the term “death by powerpoint” came up frequently, referring to the repetitive and predictable nature of slideshow presentations that leads audiences lose of focus and become overwhelmed with boredom. This is not what we want our students to do, so why model such actions? I am not saying that as educators we need to ditch our PowerPoints, lectures and SmartNotes, but I do recommend trying to mix it up, trying different methods for communicating ideas and encouraging our students to do the same. Model your expectations, and remember, before you begin, ask yourself, what am I hoping to achieve from this task and which tools or methods will provide the best results. If you do feel that presentation software is what is needed to achieve your desired results, the slideshow below compares a few options you may wish to consider.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Candace BlackA story of my transition into teaching, and the educational tools and life lessons collected along the way. Archives
April 2016
Categories
All
![]() This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. |