As part of week 3 we had a look at power point. It is a program that allows you to share information with learners in interactive ways. The uses of power point are endless with being able to start at a word pad, move to power point to add a bit more then put it in a movie using movie maker a huge bonus. It is an exciting tool to use and can be used widely throughout all teaching disciplines. Another great aspect about power point is that you don't need a huge manual to work out how to use it. By simple getting on there and mucking around for a few hours you can work it all out.
Some of the uses that we can put power point to in the classroom include, having visual information to back up what you are saying (catering for students learning styles). We can also use it to show students figures on graphs and tables. It is a way to reach all of the students at the same time. Power point can also be used for a test (formative assessment). It works in such a way that, with a multiple choice test, the students can not move forwards to the next question until they click on the correct answer.
Power point can also be used by students as a way to present an assignment. If they went to a rock pool every Thursday for 3 weeks and had to have a look at the flora and fauna, water level and water temperature, they would be able to use voice recorders as well as writing down information and present it in a power point. Power point can allow those with artistic preferences to go ahead and make a vibrant, colourful show while the students who just like to put the information down and present it can do that also. It can cater to many different teaching and learning styles.
It works well on interactive white boards and allows students to feel confident that they can have a look at an assignment and change it if they don't think it fits. Students can cut and paste, use different colours and different sounds to get their target audience in the right mood for the information that they are giving. Gone are the days of doing a few word posters or drawings to help present data now the students can be as creative, loud, colourful and vibrant as they want. Its handing control to the students saying that we as teachers trust them to come back and give us the best work that they can.
I like the examples you have up here for using powerpoint in the classroom. I love using powerpoint, as a teacher and a student. There are so many different opportunities for powerpoint to be implemented in a class that it's a little dis-heartening to see that it's actually used so infrequently. I also really like your closing statement about handing the control to the students and I think this is exactly what a learning experience should be like for a student; having a feeling of trust, responsibility, and pride for their work.
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