Presentation Tools in the Classroom: Part Deux

A variety of different presentations tools are becoming reasonably prevalent in the classroom. I see very few teachers using Powerpoint as their only tool, relying on several other types of software as well.

Naturally, presentation tools have their advantages and disadvantages when used as a teaching tool, both from a teaching perspective and from a student perspective.

Advantages:

From the teacher's perspective...

1) Presentations are easier to follow. If students are provided with a printout of slides, they can spend more time listening and less time writing - only writing key points or anecdotal information that they can reflect on later.

2) Increased student involvement and interaction. Since presentations often display a large amount of multimedia, including text, video, audio, and photos, it allows teachers to share the most recent information in a way that is more appealing to students.

3) Shared workload. Teachers can work together to create presentations, or use presentations that have already been created.This can allow students to be exposed to more than one point of view. Sometimes, a different voice or lens is all it takes to bridge the gap between not understanding and understanding. 

From the student's perspective...

1) Helps a variety of learners. Many of the tools make it relatively easy to record audio. This can help students who are auditory learners. As well, the incorporation of other media (video, photos, etc.) can help the visual learner, as they can see exemplars and worked examples that can help them through particularly difficult concepts.

2) Typically web based. This can be useful both when students are creating presentations, but also viewing them. When creating, presentations can now be cross-platform, which allows students to access their presentation from a variety of sources, including at school, at home, and potentially on their tablets/phones. When viewing, teachers can share lessons using a file-sharing system or website, which makes content available for students when they are away from class.

3) It can be purposeful for oral presentations. Students find, reflect, and interpret information, and use presentation tools to create something new. This allows for an opportunity for meaningful collaboration, as the finished product can be shared with others (social media, or in the classroom)

4) Teachers can share the workload of creating presentations, or use presentations that are already available. Teachers can share lessons and presentations simply using a file-sharing system or flash drive. Teachers can share the workload of creating presentations. Furthermore, a student seeing more than one teacher's presentations is exposed to more than one point of view.

Disadvantages:

From the teacher's perspective:


1) Neglect of interaction. If the teacher has not spent enough time learning the material in the presentation, they will spend more time looking at their presentation than they do engaging with the students. This can turn what was meant to be interative into more of a lecture.

2) High speed. If too much information is being conveyed, it can be difficult for students to keep up. Teachers will need to ensure they leave time for students to reflect, and time to gauge student understanding.

3) Not useful in many situations. When a subject is complex, it is difficult to summarize using 'bullet' points. Sometimes this is not enough to support their idea or demonstrate the complexity of what it is they are trying to convey.

From the student's perspective:

1) Clutter: A presentation that uses too many animations or visuals distracts the audience from the information that is being conveyed.

2) Focus on the medium: Sometimes, students spend too much time focusing on making it look 'cool'. They need to realize that presentations tools are just that - tools, and need to realize that the presentation, and not the visual, is what is the most important part of the task.

While there are certainly disadvantages, I think that many of them can be avoided with proper consideration when a teacher is presenting, and properly informing students of the purpose of presentations for when they are using presentation tools. If this is done, then presentation tools are an effective, engaging, visual, and often times fun way of presenting information.