Powerpoint - Valuable Tool
From Eduwiki
Powerpoint rocks..
that's all there's to it. PowerPoint can be a powerful tool in the classroom for instruction and for student class projects. PowerPoint also is easy for teachers and students to learn and to use. http://www.actden.com/pp/ One advantage of PowerPoint is that most computers come with Microsoft Office which includes PowerPoint making it widely available. PowerPoint appeals to different learning styles. Graphics and other media can be incorporated into a presentation making information more comprehensible for the visual and auditory learner as well as build background knowledge for the Second Language Learner. PowerPoint is a flexible tool which allows for a variety of classroom applications beyond displaying lecture content. Many creative instructors leverage PowerPoint's multimedia and hyperlinking capabilities to create games that they and their students play in class. Games motivate students, hold their attention, and introduce excitement, spontaneity, and fun into a class session. PowerPoint presentations are particularly useful for review or as a novel way to present course content. http://teach.fcps.net/trt10/PowerPoint.htm
Another advantage beyond the dynamic and colorful classroom presentations that help hold student attention during class is that PowerPoints can also be made available to students for subsequent review and study on their personal computers or in student labs. The ability to use this software to integrate outlines, existing slides, and various materials that previously required separate forms of delivery (e.g., chalkboard, whiteboard, overhead projector, 35mm slide projector) is a major convenience. By using a single format, your presentations are more seamless, and you are less dependent on the functioning of multiple devices. You also eliminate wasted time and student distraction by not having to shift from one mode to another.
PowerPoint can also be used to teach students about the concepts of graphics, animation and media without getting into the complexities of other programs due to its graphics capabilities. Other graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Flash take much longer to master and are not as accessible in the classrooms, making PowerPoint a good alternative. It even allows you to record your voice in the presentation. The fact that slides can be easily printed on paper and made available as handouts is also advantageous and saves students time from taking notes, helping them focus on the discussion.
PowerPoint is the presentation software of the business world, therefore it is necessary to familiarize our students with software they will be expected to know as they grow older. If students can learn to create relevant and effective presentations at a young age they will be more comfortable and marketable when they enter the "real world."
Teachers need to use some [guidelines]http://www.csun.edu/~ts657022/files/ppt/Presentations-Tips.ppt.htm when using PowerPoint while teaching. The key to successful presentations is to make certain your slide show is a visual aid and not a visual distraction. Keep colors, clip art, and templates consistent with your main objective. Screen captures can add realism when presenting information about a Website or computer program. Two popular screen capture programs are Snagit http://www.techsmith.com for Windows and Snapz Pro http://www.ambrosiasw.com for Macintosh. Both are available as shareware. (Macs and PCs also allow you to capture screenshots with a keystroke. For PCs, it is PrintScreen for the whole screen or Alt-PrintScreen for a single window.)
PowerPoint slides are a good medium for depicting an idea graphically or providing an overview but avoid paragraphs, quotations and even complete sentences. Limit your slides to five lines of text and use words and phrases to make your points. Your students will be able to digest and retain key points more easily. Avoid using your slides as speaker’s notes or to simply project an outline of your presentation. Suggested guidelines are at http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/management/qt/powerptpres.htm
As a tool for students, PowerPoint is a great way to express learning. Students working alone or collaboratively use PowerPoint to present findings for an assigned project. Teacher guidelines and a rubric can insure that the students organize information, gather or make illustrations, and produce a PowerPoint that is engaging to their peers. With planning a teacher can insure that the presentation's focus is on the topic and not the graphics. PowerPoint is a great teaching and learning tool! If used creativly and effeciently students can benefit from it greatly.
