Part A, Blog 3: Incorporating Presentation Advancements in the Classroom

Incorporating Presentation Advancements in the Classroom

A presentation is a form of communication that usually accompanies a speech, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting, or briefing a team (Skills you need, 2021). A presentation tends to present a persuasive message where the images are merely an illustration that trigger responses. As educators we are given a bank of unlimited resources to incorporate digital media in the classroom and foster a more engaging environment. It is stated by James (2014), that students interact with their learning more when the learning is relevant to them and they are cognitively engaged.

Most educators are familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint and use this in most lessons with very basic slides, however; PowerPoint is so much more. It is a platform that supports the embedding of texts, linking and using interactivity, audio, video, and images and is underused in the classroom. There are so many more diverse and engaging platforms available to create presentations including:

-           Adobe Spark

-           Blog

-      Brochure

-          Collage

-          Kahoot!

-          iMovie

-          Prezi

-          Poster

-          Survey

In a previous blog post I spoke at Adobe Spark and its capability in the classroom, to read that post click on the link here.  Students are developing the capability to develop ICT skills and we need to show them how to use that technology effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information (Chalich, 2015). For this post, I will focus on the platform, Google Slides.

Google Slides is a presentation program that is included as part of free, web-based Google Document editor offered by Google. The terms of use require you to have a google account which is easy to set up. It offers various templates that make the creativity process easy. Below is a screenshot of the templates offered and the creativity page once selected template.

It functions the same as PowerPoint utilising slides but it an online platform that can embed as a slideshow in any document. It allows students to explore their creativity using online platforms that also allows them to share online with their peers. You can embed videos, images, and audio into this platform. In my google slide, I created a short presentation on basic First Aid and incorporated the Kahoot quiz I made from the previous blog post to test the students’ knowledge and to gauge engagement.

Google Slides - First Aid

Students can create google slides privately or choose to share them via email to their peers. This website is safe to use and, providing students quote their sources and reference correctly, it is legal and ethical. Students should be reminded of the repercussions of committing copyright and should be shown again how to probably reference a source.

Employing a wide range of digital media and presentations begins to provide a high possibility classroom and promotes higher order thinking skills in our students. There are no rules on how the curriculum must be taught and educators have the chance to be creative and incorporate digital presentations and move outside of their comfort zones with the generic PowerPoint. Presentation tools benefit all learning types including visual, auditory, verbal, and written learners as it allows them to retain information. There are various ways digital presentations can be incorporated into my subjects. This will be shown through using the SAMR model.

The SAMR model was as framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorised the four different degrees of technology integrations. SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition.

 

SAMR MODEL	Home Economics
Substitution	Students are to create a PowerPoint showcasing various cooking cultures. This simplifies the display of information and helps written and visual learner synthesis information.
Augmentation	Students are to incorporate videos and images into their cooking cultures PowerPoint by showcasing different cooking demonstrations or recipes. This allows students to present their work in an assessable manor and develop their higher order thinking skills.
Modification	Students are to use Adobe Spark or Google Slides to create on online recipe card for a recipe they have picked from their culture PowerPoint. This recipe card is to be interactive incorporating links to YouTube clips. Students have independence towards their learning and choose how to present this information.
Redefinition	The students are all given a topic to present to the class using Google Slides incorporating videos, images, maps, and timelines. This allows students to work at their own paces and develop their own content. These slides are shared to schools in the region and receive feedback from other students studying Home Economics.

All digital resources pose a risk and that is why they should be studied before being implemented into the classroom. Presentations provide a more visual and verbal avenue for students learning and accommodate for more learning styles than the traditional classroom. With the many resources out there for teachers to incorporate into their classroom there is no excuse for not developing your digital pedagogy.

 

References:

Chalich, Z. (2015). Integrating Technology with Classroom Pedagogy. Interactive Media Group. Retrieved from https://educationtechnologysolutions.com/2015/08/integrating-technology-with-classroom-pedagogy-accelerate-student-learning/

James, N. (2014). Golden Rules for Engaging Students in Learning Activities. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/golden-rules-for-engaging-students-nicolas-pino-james

Skills you need. (2021). What is a Presentation. Retrieved from https://www.skillsyouneed.com/present/what-is-a-presentation.html