Week 5 - Digital Technologies 3 & 4

Week 5

Reflection on PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an ICT tool that encourages creativity through presentation. The options for PowerPoint are limitless, whilst students learn and explore meaningfully. PowerPoint is not only an effective tool for students but is becoming a popular tool in classrooms to present information or  aid in learning. The University of Central Florida (2014) believes that this ICT tool is beneficial in a variety of ways:

• Can be used as a resource for different learning styles
• Keeps students engaged and active in the task through images and and visual impact
• Can enrich the curriculum and the way students process new knowledge.

Using an ICT tool such as PowerPoint breaks the traditional mold of students copying information out of books or off the black/whiteboard. Students are now learning to actively engage with the information presented in front of them. Their learning is clearly scaffolded through the use of text, images, videos, sounds, charts and tables. By effectively scaffolding learning to keep the learner motivated and processing knowledge, it could be suggested that some students will excel further in learning than they would with 'traditional methods'.  The functions that allow PowerPoint to become more visually appealing also allow students to interpret information in a different way. For example, instead of reading a description about a jungle, they can look at the pictures or videos a learning manager has added to the presentation for ample experience. The University of Minnesota (2013) believes that teachers can capitalize on PowerPoint's strength as an actively engaging tool to promote learning in the classroom. 

Methods to use PowerPoint in the classroom through SAMR are: 

Substitution 

• Students use PowerPoint as a tool to insert images or text onto, for a title page 

Augmentation 

• Display tool for students work at school events such as teacher/parent information nights, school fates or teacher interview nights. 
• Learning managers can use PowerPoint as a tool to revisit information presented earlier in the term, either for pre-assessment use or just concluding a topic in the classroom. 
• Videos or tables are presented in a a slide by slide format with the adjoining information (rather than teachers using individual websites or programs). 
• Used as a tool to create a class brainstorm, KWL or PMI chart. 

Modification 

• Students use PowerPoint as an interactive tool as a presentation method
• Students can create a visual scrapbook, uploading their own work and including it in the PowerPoint or using images, sounds or videos from other sources and embedding them in the PowerPoint. 

Redefinition

• PowerPoint is used as a worksheet or template (instead of a paper version) 
• Used as a presentation tool for presenting information (learning managers), assignments or using as a visual aid in oral presentations. 

References: 

University of Central Florida. (2014). Effective use of power point. Retrieved from http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/teachingandlearningresources/Technology/PowerPoint/index.php 

University of Minnesota. (2013). Active lecturing: the potential of powerpoint. Retrieved from http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/lecturing/ 

Prezi 

Here is my Prezi that I have created with the program. 

http://prezi.com/ecl3gzry2qmd/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share 

Prezi is a fun and engaging tool that students can get actively involved in, whilst presenting different types of information with the different layouts. The type of Prezi that I have created could be used in a class argument to present for or against type of information. 


Glogster

Here is the link to my Glogster.

http://melhull.edu.glogster.com/new-york-cqu-glogst/ 


Glogster is an excellent tool for learning and presentation. The learning benefits can be seen below: 

• Students learn how to present assignments, information and everyday activities using a multitude of tools
• Students can learn how to socially and collaboratively work with peers by using a classroom website or by creating glogs.
• Students can learn to reflect, analyse and evaluate about their day or activities undertaken and post a summary on a glog. Students can also create a glog to show what they have learnt.
• Learn to search and analyse others glogsters (perhaps for the use of finding primary and secondary sources or evaluating the quality of information). 

Glogster is an excellent tool for firing the creativity inside a student!