This week for our blog assignment, I created a Powerpoint presentation. I have to admit this is the first time I have actually created one. I had to learn the program as I went, and I found it was fairly easy to figure out. There are a lot of different options for customizing the look of the presentation, which I found somewhat overwhelming at first. However, the more I explored the program options, the less intimidating it became. I graduated high school eleven years ago, so Powerpoint was not used that often, and in my early college years, I did not have to use it either. This is just one of the many ways that the use of technology in the classroom has changed over the last ten years.
One of the things that I seemed to have the most trouble with was deciding on colors. This probably seems silly, but I had a hard time trying to decide which font and background colors to use for each slide. I wanted to make sure that my presentation was easy to read, and would not pose difficulties for any viewers. I chose to keep the background plain, I used white, because the words and graphics stood out better against it, and I didn't have to worry about colors clashing. This probably sounds boring, but after trying out several different background colors, I decided that plain and simple was best for this presentation.
I utilized the online clipart feature throughout the presentation to find graphics that helped to illustrate the lesson I was wanting to teach. I found that the online clipart option gave a greater variety of graphics than the clipart that is already on the program. This feature made finding graphics for my presentation quick and easy, which I definitely appreciated.
Since I am not yet teaching, I did not have a group of students to create a presentation for, so I made one for my preschool age children. My presentation is about the letter "A." I kept it fairly short, 7 slides, considering the age group I was doing the presentation for. I explained that the letter "A" is the first letter of the alphabet, and also the two different "A" sounds, short "A" and long "A." Then, I included a list of examples of words that begin with the two different "A" sounds. I created a slide for each letter "A" word, and inserted a clipart graphic to illustrate the word. My oldest son's name is Aiden, so I used his name as one of the letter "A" words and included a picture of him in the presentation, which he was excited about.
What I am most proud of about this Powerpoint is the fact that I was able to use the Powerpoint software for the first time and create a presentation. I am probably more proud about being able to figure out how to use Powerpoint than the actual presentation itself.
One thing I would change about the presentation is that I would like to include media clips. This was one aspect of Powerpoint that I could not quite figure out, so as you can see, I still need a great deal of practice in order to become proficient at using this program. I want to learn how to use Powerpoint in an effective and creative manner in the classroom. My goal is to improve my presentation skills and learn how to use all the features of Powerpoint, not just a few of them.
Something I heard in the chapter 5 video we watched that stood out to me is that technology cannot replace the human element of teaching. In other words, technology cannot replace teachers. I thought about the use of technology, including Powerpoint, in the classroom, and thought about how a presentation, no matter how creative and visually appealing it may be, cannot replace the teacher giving it. Presentation software should be utilized as a means of enhancing the lesson the teacher is teaching. It should not be expected to do the teacher's job.
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