Power Points
Power points are great at attracting the students' attention.
Hi Cheryl:
PP's or any presentation tool can be most effective if instructors are diligent in using a variety of teaching styles.
Regards, Barry
Power point presentations help keep the students engaged in lecture while drawing their eyes to key points.
Hi Tonya:
PPT: Good deal! Too much of anything usually isn't effective. PPT works bet when used with other media like whiteboard, discussion, posters, class worksheets, or text readings.
With variety, students will tend to retain more information and make class more interesting.
Regards, Barry
Powerpoints are great however; if used to much they can be to much and not be taken serious. I like to keep them short (10 slides or less).
Hi Marie:
One advantage PPT offers is it's ability to present information dramaiticly. Prepared, worked examples of math problems seems to one excellent example where PPT could be a great tool to supplement other instructioal strategies.
Regards, Barry
I use PPT for teaching math. My textbook does not offer publisher PPT notes thus I create my own to help give my students a guideline for solving problems.
Many of my students have stated that in prior math classes PPT were not used. I feel if I gave the major points in PPT students spend less time writing down information from the whiteboard but helps students on answering questions.
Hi Bertram:
PPT requires an LCD projector. Most newer LCD's allow the lights to on and still project a pretty decent image.
I have had my engineering department set up the flourescent lights on two circuits (swithches) so that the gront row of lights can be off, with the back row of light on, providing more than enough light to take notes. Might try that.
Regards, Barry
Hi Bryon:
I find the publisher PPT's are usually not too helpful, with the exception of some illustration, charts, or grapghs. It's like they're just summaries of the textbook chapter(s).
I much prefer to make my own slides. I might use a slide from the image library, but my lessons use the text as resource or reference, but I want to control the content and the sequence of topics and how they're delivered. And good PPT's take time to construct. So, It takes time to prepare them.
Regards, Barry
I have found using powerpoints difficult, difficult because in most cases the lights need to be dim, how do students take notes in these cases?
I have had thoughts about doing some upgrading to the ppt slides the publisher puts out. Need to change things up a bit and make it more interesting with the use of images and more color.
Hi Carmella:
PPT is good. I think the keys for good PPT is:
* colorful and interesting
* proper formatting
* brief, sumarrized point (vs lecture notes)
* great for charts, graphs, tables, illustrations
Things to avoid include making sure the PPT doesn't become the focus of the class, dominating. PPT is a tool. Emphasis should be on the information, not the tool providing it.
Regards, Barry
Hi Rick:
PPT can conisely zero in on a point, very true. I like PPT to give major bullet points, or as an outline of my discussion. Trying to put whole lecture condensed into slides ins't effective.
We also want to avoid PPT from dominating the focus of the lesson, PPT is just a tool. The information in the lesson is what is important, not the "tool" used to assist in it's delivery.
Regards, Barry
Hi Marsha:
Great. Photos' grapghs, charts, tables, figure, simplified schematics or illustrations of concepts do add a lot to a discussion, say along side a lecture with flip chart or whiteboard.
As interesting as this may be, care to not overdo it by filling too much time with the same activity, as students can begin to lose interest or attention. But as a tool, I think what you're doing is probably quite enjoyable.
Regards, Barry
Hi Eva:
I think one of the best uses for PPT is when photos's, charts, graphs, or diagrams are needed to enhance the content delivery of a lesson.
Keeping text to only essential points, for me, is better than lots of text that substitutes for lecture and discusssion. PPT should not dominate or be the focus of instruction, just a tool to enhance it.
Regards, Barry
I feel like power points can be a resource tool for students to take with them, but when they are used in classes, I find that they tend to stare at them but not soak in the information. Also, if the instructor just reads them, the students are getting any more than words
I enjoy power point presentations since it provides students with more material in a short time.
I use Power point presentations as an opportunity
to deliver daily content in a more diverse manor.
I love to use power points. I ad-lib much of my informaiton and use many photos which pertain to the subject at hand. The students enjoy the lecture more with visual pictures. It also opens the door for more group dicussions.
Powerpoint are great at capturing the student's attention. Having pictures & text on the slides,the student can have a better sence of the product & equipment they are going to be working with out in the field.
