PowerPoint

Image courtesy of www.presentationmagazine.com/

In the last few years I have noticed the use of PowerPoint more and more not only in educational settings but also in business and leisure. For example my friends and I are going on a trip to Indonesia at the end of the year, we want more of our friends to come so we are creating a PowerPoint that displays information, prices and pictures of the waves and places that we will be experiencing. This is much more exciting way to sell the trip rather than just telling them.

The problem that I have witnessed and most probably added to is the overuse of PowerPoint. During my practical block at school last year PowerPoint was used very regularly and almost to the point where students were sick of it. I am all for the use of this digital tool in classrooms but a teacher needs to make the PowerPoint as interactive as possible to stimulate students. This could be done by using pictures, audio clips, video clips and animations.

I believe that it is important to give students the opportunity to design their own PowerPoints when creating a presentation if it is suitable. This will give students another way to engage the audience but to also develop their own technological skills. Another benefit could be that the teacher may also learn something from the students.