Power Point
My school uses PPT presentations that are predictable, uniform from course to course and with few exceptions duotone. I believe that power Point can be an awesome tool and keep the attention of students who have grown up looking at a screen but it must authored in a way that the student doesn’t know what’s coming up next and must be full of color and when appropriate action. I can’t seem to make the case for change. Am I right in my thinking?
Ken
Yes you are! Keep the student on their toes is what I do. Same format but change around the content.
Hi Manuel, Do you have any suggestions about how to engage the kinesthetic learner during power point presentations? I was reviewing the module notes and suggestions were to encourage kinesthetic students to draw or doodle or have them highlight the printed text (I provide handouts of my power points, so this could be an option). Or have you tried providing background music (another suggestion from the module, but during study time)? BTW, thanks for the book reference, I'll try to get it from the local library.
I like your idea of adding something unpredictable to the ppt. I think this element of suprize would keep everyone interested to see what is next.
Combining PPT with training aids that students can touch( and in some cases take apart) and lecturing the PPT really helps cover at least 3 of the 4 bases, and borderline all 4!!!
Ken, I agree with your preception that our PPT can be predictable. One of the most effective methods I employee with our courses is to make my own copy of the presentation and then add a slide here and there with something unexpected. For instance, a photograph I took of a roaring lion. The image is a closeup of his open mouth full of large, sharp teeth. It diffinetly creates a "state change" when it suddenly appears during the lecture. Completely unexpected by the students, they are compelled to re-focus their attention. Have you tried any state changing tactics?
Too many people use Powerpoint as simply a way to put the printed page on the screen. Powerpoint's animation tool can be great for re-enforcing the printed material and emphsizing the most important parts.
Our school uses PPT also for most of our curriculum. I have created my own that I link to or open with the regular Presentation to re-inforce concepts or "re-vamp" the visual's.
There is actually plenty of research on power point and how to design a power point presentation. Which colors to use, what font, etc... There is a book called Brain Based Learning which is very helpful
PowerPoint should be a reinforcement and should be clear and inresting and captivating.
I think the PPT presentation should captivate the audience and should engage the student in some way, even be interactive. It should never be dull or predictable. Some subtle changes can be made from time to time to make it more interesting and different yet maintain the same impact.
