Nowadays, Power Point presentations are considered one of the most effective pedagogical tools in the classroom. This is because they can be used for a number of classroom objectives, for example, teachers can create a power point presentation to introduce a new topic in their initial teaching, or they may want to use power points for student projects and tasks, or even to practice and revise for tests.
Another important characteristic of power
point is that they allow teachers to accommodate their teaching to cover all
possible learner’s needs and learning styles. This means that when using Power Point
presentations we have not only the opportunity to engage multiple learning
styles, such as visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic by employing multimedia methods like sounds, images,
color, action, videos, but we also have the possibility to adapt these
resources depending our students’ current level of English and the aims that
drove them to take up the course.
I’ve chosen three adjectives to describe
power points presentations:
-They are FUN not only to
make, but also to watch.
- They are CREATIVE because they involved
the teacher and the student’s imagination to create new things. In any creative
task the learner is actively involved in the process of learning; they are
constantly revising what they already know, as well as assessing themselves and
reflecting upon their own learning. This empowers student’s independence, and offers them opportunities to
demonstrate their work
- They are MOTIVATING. Teachers and
students feel they can work with any subject because Power Point presentations
make them attractive, interesting and easy to learn. When using technology in
the classroom the whole atmosphere changes, the learners predispose themselves
to a different kind of learning. This is because PowerPoint presentations can
enrich the information presented in the students’ book making it more flexible
and aye-catching.
When using PowerPoint presentations it is
not only important to think about “what” to teach, but also “how” to teach. PowerPoint presentations can be a highly
effective tool to aid learning, but if not used carefully, may instead
disengage students and actually hinder learning. There are a number of
challenges teaches face when using power point presentations properly.
One of them is that the classroom may
become a teacher-centered one. As a result, the learners may become too passive
or reactive. Luckily, we can avoid these designing tasks that involve greater
classroom interaction and critical engagement, as well as group work and peer
correction.
We should also be careful when designing a
PowerPoint presentation so it is not merely a digital “lecture note”. There
should never be too much text nor too many images on a slide. PowerPoint
presentations should help students organize their notes, not just “be” the note
or a written summary of the subject.
Rocio Mounier is one of my partners in the
English Training Course and she has written a very useful and interesting
article called "Using PowerPoint Presentations Adequately" in her
blog "Teachnology". She listed the following five items which
teachers should bear in mind when designing and presenting power point
presentations.
1-Use readable font: make your slides easy to read from
anywhere in a room.
-Use bold font for all text on a slide.
-Do not rely on the default settings; they
may not be as legible when projected onto a large screen as they are on your
computer screen.
-Use contrasting colors for text and
background.
-Be consistent, use the same size and
color font throughout the whole presentation.
2-Use key words and phrases: be concise on slides.
-Use bullet points (phrases instead of
complete sentences)
-Your slides should guide the reader to
your main points: make only three or four points per slide.
-However, include enough information so
that the slide makes sense.
3-Use Charts and Figures: when it is difficult to describe
something briefly, display the information in another format.
4-Keep it simple: too much animation, color, or text
will be distracting.
-Use simple design templates or
backgrounds.
-Use animation sparingly.
-Keep text out of the slide design.
5-Talking with your Slides: remember that no matter how great
your slides look, content is the most important part of your presentation.
-Use your slides as your outline for the
presentation.
-Use the same words in your speech as
appear on the slide; this will help the audience follow along.
-Be sure to discuss the text on the slide;
try not to make the audience choose between reading the slide or listening to
you.
-Reference your information by including
citations on slides
-As a general rule, have one slide per
minute of presentation (e.g., for a 12 minute talk, have 12 slides)
-Practice
your talk so you stay within your allotted time.
You can read Rocio's entire article Here
The most important thing I’ve learnt
during my experience using power point presentations for a practical work in
the English Training Course was that planning and designing materials could be
fun. My partner and I used a power point presentation to revise a unit called
“Cappuccino and Chips”. I really enjoyed the experience because I felt
absolutely free to create a task using aye catching materials, such as colored
images. There is something in particular I want to share with you.
Although I was motivated to create a task for my “imaginary” learners and I
really liked working with power point presentations, I think I forgot the most
important thing in all this, the learners. The learners were supposed to be A1
level and some of the activities in the power point were far more advanced. I
believe that we, as teachers, can have many original ideas when using
technology but we shouldn’t forget that they are tools meant to enhance
teaching and learning. And we should always ask ourselves “is this empowering our
students understanding?” Our students’ aims and needs should be the basis for
any type of classroom activity. I don’t consider it to be a drawback since I’ve
learn so much about me and the profession I’ve chosen.
This is my Power Point presentation:
Eco's presentation ISPB Santa Fe from Sofi Gaite
3-Effective use of Power Point. University of Central
Florida
These are the sources from which I've gather useful imformation about Power
Points presentation in general:
