From past knowledge of computers I believed that I knew the ins and outs of the power point (ppt) program until I was presented with steps for PowerPoint with an edge. I found it very practical designing a PowerPoint in a word document and being able to transfer this information directly to ppt program. Being able to see the whole layout of design rather than going through each slide was a better process. I was able to cross reference information between each slide to ensure everything linked and kept on a flow.
On a different view I would like to reflect on ppt use in classrooms of today. Is it the new chalk and talk? So far out of my degree I have attended two schools one only very new and being classed as ICT inclined and the other is where my parents went to school and not one teacher would use a ppt presentation to teach a class.
Walking into my first school I was very excited to write on the board as it can be a very hard skill to master. To my disappointment I hardly wrote on the board and was encourage heavily to use ppt presentation as this was the way teachers taught the class. I did enjoy designing presentations but I was concerned that slides may not be effective to my learners. From what I observed I felt that ppt could be really effective towards the learning however they need to be created in a format that does not reflect the chalk and talk process. The article "PowerPoint in the classroom" highlights some important points about the use of ppt.
Spending my second year at a less ICT inclined school was very intersting to observed. A lot more practical activities where happening in the classroom but the amount of content that was delivered was at minimal level. I did discuss with a lot of the teachers of how they felt about ICT usage and majority replied that they are not educated enough and lack facilities.
I believe there are advantages and disadvantages to using ppt and as our digital world evolves I feel teachers will no longer have the choice to resort to the board but be required to implement a lesson via a digital presentation.
Hi Ash,
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of power point, but I too think there are advantages and disadvantages there. What is the use of a flash power point presentation if there is no real content to enagge the learners? The same goes for a more traditional method of writing on the board. I was at a school where I did get to write on the board and found that if the content was there and the lesson designed to engage the learner, it wouldn't have made any difference whether I wrote it on the board or if it was a power point presentation.
:) April