I'm pleased with the powerpoint i put together in class today. I played around with graphics and animations. I've never been a big fan of the latter because I believe it to be overkill at times. It worked appropriately in this presentation though. I chose to upload it on google docs and embed it instead of simply posting a link. I LOVE embedded content! It makes information seamless.
I use powerpoint pretty often in class. I used to have incredibly detailed and complete presentations, which effectively became a transcript of the textbook - bad idea. I realized my mistake when students resorted to the powerpoints I posted on my website as opposed to coming to class.
Since then, I've streamlined my presentations to only include examples and very brief points on the topic of the day. I like to keep powerpoint as an option in the classroom but not as my sole method of imparting information.
I find powerpoint useful to illustrate points or to present examples to the class. It shouldn't replace the instructor or the textbook. It is best used as an auxiliary device in the classroom. The computer here must work as slave and not master. Students become apathetic when all they have to look forward to is a series of slides (God knows I've done that in the accounting and economics classes I took).
I think the sociocultural perspective on CALL is interesting in this discussion. We cannot evaluate simply what powerpoint can bring to the class, but what the instructor can do with powerpoint.
On another note, I tried embedding a youtube video onto my presentation, with the 'live' method that requires you to set up an ActiveX object on the slide. This method hasn't worked. I might try the other method in the future, which requires you to download a player that essentially rips the file from youtube and saves it under a .flv extension. From there, you use a simple encoder to save the file as an mpeg or any of the other extensions powerpoint recognizes. It annoys me a bit that Microsoft has such control over what we can and cannot do - they intentionally force us to use formats compliant with their systems and standards in our work (re: the use of wma and wmv files).
I like using powerpoint in the classroom.
I do wish however that a third party program with comparable if not better capabilities were available to the general public (Open Office is a possibility, but I've had some problems showing Open Office presentations on Powerpoint PCs, even if the file is saved as a .ppt format).
Love, Hugs, Kisses, and a nice firm Handshake.
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4 comments:
I think that your PP is a great example of what you wrote about in your post--short main points, images, and access to seamless content with the embedding. I imagine that your students do not fall asleep in class!
I found your advice on limiting your PP content helpful. Students benefit from classroom experiences and interaction, so we don't want to make it easy for them to skip class and view the PP at their convenience. Also when PP presentations are extremely detailed, students begin to lose their concentration and focus.
I also think that PP is a great way to illustrate the material or to pay students' attention to the main points. It should be a brief overview of the most important points rather than a long story about everything on the topic.
I have to agree with you when you said that detailed powerpoints are a big mistake. I made that same mistake, you've probably used my powerpoints in the past. All the students will just tune out because everything you tell them on the screen is already in the book. Using it as an auxiliary device is your best advice, to me anyhow. And it shouldn’t replace the teacher, but I would have to say that it helps a lot when people don’t have their books. As for animation and effects, it may be overkill at times, but at other times it is helpful and keeps the class alive, helpful in the sense that not everything is presented all at once on the screen, but one point at a time.
A nice firm handshake back to you chief.
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