What makes a good presentation PP?

• originality
• content
• practice - always have to use it where used
• communication
• eye contact
• body language
• interactive
• peer share?
• linking

What makes a bad presentations?

• Distractions
• Animations
• Dragging on
• Sea sick visuals
• Too much Text
• Too many bullet points
• Design - unreadable

PP can be good for

• images - background
• simple slides
• knowledge base is person - not the slide

Good presenting

• link to quiz - video - others
• lecture is boring
• student can get info anywhere - teacher gives depth - solve a problem.

POWERPOINTLESSNESS

It's all meaningless! Vanities of Vanities! So says the the author of Ecclesiates (probably King Solomon). Solomon, however, ends that thought that it's all meaningless unless (something greater - God) is involved. In a different light, I think Jamie McKenzie is saying a similar thing about powerpoints in her article http://www.fno.org/sept00/powerpoints.html Here's why.

Miss Mckenzie makes a case that power points are tools that are used in a boring fashion. They are so common in meetings and boardrooms that they, in effect, immunize the listener from grasping real ideas. Critical thinking, which should play a significant role (80%), in presentations tend to be dumbed down in line item bullet points. People walk away from such meeting with glossed over concepts of what the author was really trying to say.

Having sat through seminar after seminar, I wholeheartedly agree with Miss McKenzie. Oh my goodness how there seems to be so much time spent in bullet points and blue screens. The funny thing is that I can remember the constant droning of the powerpoint but I can nary remember what any speaker or even the subject was saying. Bullet point power points scream techno unsavvy.

So how can we avoid the blue screen of death? Miss McKenzie is full of rich ideas. Many of which I had not considered. For instance, she speaks of stressing ideas and logic with a better multimedia emphasis. Give credence to critical review and thought by the listener. Instead of bullets, provide backup facts in an inviting way. We should strive for earnest, probing investigations. We must avoid Mentalsoftness. She also recommends the use of Rubrics. However, having just learned about rubrics only 2 months prior, my feelings about their use is still under consideration. They seem to be somewhat limiting.

Designing artfully, Miss McKenzie mentions avoiding distractions. This is a big issue with PP's. Just when you are getting sleepily comfortable with one monolithic bluescreen, the speaker interrupts your dozing by clicking to the next blue slide. I think Jamie would agree that distractions must be minimized but if necessary, made to emphasis deeper mateial.

Being an dramatist when delivering your PP goes without saying. Still, Miss Mckenzie makes a point worth mentioning in that we should NOT read the slides. I'm falling asleep thinking about all the times presenters do just that.

What then shall we take away from Powerpointlessness in relation to teaching in the classroom? 3 things: 1) Don't be boring 2) Be thoughtful 3) Use Technology to achieve the first two. Or as Solomon might have said. Power point is vanity - without something truly behind it.

(As a side note - I laughed when I saw Miss McKenzie's blue screen bullet point on the first page - exactly what she is telling us to avoid.)

How can technology help develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills?

Benjamin Bloom developed a classification for a cognitive domain of human learning that includes knowledge, comprehesion, application, analysis, synthethis, and evaluation. Of these six, analysis, synthesis and evaluation are higher order thinking skills (HOTS).

Critical and creative thinking are enhanced by the use technology in a number of ways. Some of these are:
1) Immediate information to inquiries allows faster thought progressions
2) Connectedness of multiple sources gives quicker feedback
3) Multiple sensory inputs provide enhanced learning
4 Backup material can be as indepth as the user decides allowing a more focused analysis
5) It becomes musch easier to "stand on the shoulders" of others and look further
6) Technology allows for a "putting together" of information and sources which enables the user to take a step back and do a recursive review and ask critcal questions
7) A full use of technology sysnthesizes the users point of view and makes the ideas easily transferable to others.

Integral with Technology is change. On the positive side, better ways of transmitting and receiving information are constantly evolving. But technology must be integrated on an ongoing, learning basis. Technology changes rapidly and the tools must therefore be continually examined and refined. Professional development, classes, surfing, peer review all help to keep tech users up to date. Without a constant retooling, technology's ability to feed the user dulls. Users become desensitized to outmoded forms of communication.

Because technolgy helps to rapidly form, backup, alter, or invent new ideas, the more fully we use it (and keep up with it) the easier critical thinking becomes. Much of the time in grunt work of critical and creative thought is lessened enabling more time to be spent on the HOTS aspect of ideas.

Educational Technology Blog

I am a graduate student studying to be a teacher at TIU in Deerfield. I am also an Illinois registered architect. I am married, have 2 children, both in school, and live in the Far North Shore Suburbs of Chicago. I like sports, when it involves my family. I travel every other year to Europe as my spouse is from Germany.

I decided to become a teacher at this time in order to fufill a calling that I have had since highschool. When my daughter was in middle school, she had to overcome the negative influence of a teacher. This illustrated to me a need for more and better teachers of our youth. And what better way to influence the youth with strong Christian values to be good citizens than in teaching career?

In work I use compters daily to draw buildings, compute business models on spreadsheets, operate accounting functions, write letters, read news, and communicate through the internet. In addition, I download pictures from my camera both for building records and personal use. My home is networked with 5 computers, 2 for business, 1 for personal , 2 for children. We do not use facebook or other chat forums in our home.

I expect that I will become more proficient in publishing (personal and internet). I also expect to learn about a smattering of newer personal tools for communication. A huge concern is the outright availability of mine and my families personal information for easy viewing.

New President

Since we now our next president, I have 3 suggestions for you Mr. Obama.

1) Do not alienate half the electorate by mandating forced social reconstruction through executive orders like Bill Clinton did in his first month in office, (i.e. abortion rights, gay rights...). If you do, you will lose congress at the midterm election as Clinton did.

2) Balance the budget. Rampant abuse of spending over the last 6 years has swelled the deficit. I want the next generation to pay less for our mistakes.

3) The emotional "high" from the election will diminish within the next 6 months. Focus on real lasting positive change. Call the nation to develop good habits. Expect high acheivement. Lead us away from a victimized society.