Digital Badge #H

Using presentation tools in the classroom is a wonderful technique for teaching.  Not only are the students reading and seeing the presentation, but they are also listening to the teacher as she explains the concepts.  Children are better learners when they can use all of their senses for learning.   They become more interested in the subject because of the different elements the presentation offers.  This type of production is a wonderful way of summarizing facts, presenting graphs or diagrams, and can be visually appealing.  We are all very familiar with the PowerPoint software program, but as the book states, there are other programs that provide a variety of presentation options.      

You can be creative with your presentation tool by inserting clip art, pictures, animations, and videos.  For the teacher part of the fun is producing one of a kind presentation for the class.  Some of the strategies involved in creating a presentation include using images to stimulate your perception of the topic.  They provide a platform for discussion for the whole class to evaluate as a whole and ask questions.  Assigning short writing assignments prompted by questions displayed on the screen is another method to get students to think about an assignment or a topic using presentation tools.  Having a variety of visual diversity like using slides as attention-getters, generates attentiveness with students and keeps them focus on the topic.  

I was most intrigued with the Prezi presentation program. I had seen it before but never done one of my own.  This will be my opportunity to try my hands on it.  As a future educator and current student, I know I need to acquire new techniques and methods for my education.  Developing a Prezi on my own will be educational and fun. I hope to continue advancing with each new technique I learn and teach others in the process. 

Presentation programs are a trendy way to exhibit information to an audience that captivates and keeps them wondering.  Just like any other program, they get easier with practice, and most have templates and custom layouts to the users’ advantage.  By adding multimedia components to the presentation, the production becomes more engaging.  The presenter is continuously engrossing, because they are interacting with the audience through the presentation, instead of just speaking from a bunch of notes.  The audience can follow along with handouts for writing notes, and the presentation can also be downloaded or stored in a USB for future usage.  This is another beneficial technology tool that not only teachers but anybody can use to present information in a revolutionary way.             

Resources

Maloy, R.W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R.E., Edwards, S.A., Woolf, B.P. (2014) Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Upper Saddle River: Pearson