Power Point as an Educational Tool

Before this week’s lesson, I always thought of Power Point as a slide show with bells and whistles. Most of my experiences with PPT were fellow student presentations. The PPT presentations seemed to be more to show the professor, “I must have put some thought and effort into this project because I made a Power Point.” They did not add depth to the presentation.

However, after this week’s lesson, I realized the range of applications for Power Point. It is a great multimedia tool for educational purposes. Students can utilize Power Point as a tool to extend their learning. There is no denying the “fun factor” with Power Point. This can help engage students. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to find a way to assimilate the fun design aspects of PPT with a deeper understanding of the content of the lesson.

The article I cited during our discussion this week is a perfect example. In Engaging Older Students with Reading Disabilities: Multimedia Inquiry Projects Supported by Reading Assistive Technology, the authors detail how PowerPoint can be used to improve student engagement and comprehension. The tools the teachers used allowed the students to develop research questions, organize their thoughts, and synthesize their research into exciting and informative presentations. At the end of the summer session, the students presented their projects to parents and other classrooms.

Power Point should not be used as a crutch to make a lecture flashier in the classroom. It should be used thoughtfully and integrated into lesson plans to add to the student’s learning comprehension.

Works Cited

Michael W. Dunn, et al. "Engaging Older Students with Reading Disabilities: Multimedia Inquiry Projects Supported by Reading Assistive Technology." TEACHING Exceptional Children 39.1 (2006): 6-11. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 7 Apr. 2011

Design Principles Post

I really enjoyed learning about the principles of contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity in Williams’ book. Graphic design can be a daunting subject to break down for a greenhorn like me. The author has a straightforward, beginner friendly tone. The many visual examples were vital for grasping the concepts she described. As I read the book, I thought, “Of course, this is so easy!” However, actually applying the principles was not so easy. Like anything else, it will take practice, practice, practice. Getting away from center alignment will be the most difficult for me. Letting go of Times New Roman and Arial will also be tough.  As I practiced the concepts in the book, sometimes I couldn’t quite tell if my designs were more sophisticated or just kooky looking.

I have to admit I felt like my three year old daughter, ready to stomp my feet and pout, when I first started this assignment. Word for a design project, how gauche! I have always used Publisher for this type of project and I have always relied heavily on templates from Publisher and Word. I have always worried my flyers and newsletters look like everyone else’s because there are only so many templates available.  However, at the end of this assignment, I felt like I had created a more customized, personal newsletter than I have ever created before. Now I know how to step out of my comfort zone and I have much more respect for Word. Also, I have heard Publisher isn’t included in all Microsoft Office packages anymore. I may run into computers that don’t have it installed.

These basic principles of design can be very helpful for both the teacher and the student. Both need to understand how to make their projects pop in a visual culture. The current generation of students may be creating entirely digital projects in the future. These projects may include pictures, graphs, and screen shots. Students will have to understand how to organize this visual information and balance it with their text. Teachers are fighting for the attention of their students and parents in a media-saturated environment. If a teacher can create a visually dynamic flyer or newsletter, it is much more likely to be remembered.

All in all, I am excited to use the lessons from the past two weeks in my professional endeavors.