Powerpoints

An educator in the 21st Century must be able to use a variety of teaching strategies to continually keep students engaged and interested. Long gone are the days where students 'learn' by listening to teachers regurgitate knowledge, fill in a couple of worksheets and copy writing tasks from the blackboard.

Powerpoint presentations are something we see both inside and outside the classroom. They are often used to back up one's argument, and are a great tool for those visual learners. They can however, be used incorrectly, with massive amounts of information written on each slide, and not easy to read. With the correct know-how, powerpoints are an advantageous teaching method.

So, what is the best way to do this? suggests that

• slides should be appealing and easy on the eye, that is, colours should match and not outdo each other, the automated colour scheme can help with this.
• keep the function in mind. What is it that you want the powerpoint to do?
• keep writing to a minimum. Powerpoints should be used as a backup to what you are teaching and allow the students to gain a better understanding through a visual representation.

Powerpoint presentations can be used in any subject area and for any purpose, the students can also create them individually for assessment purposes.

Regards,

Erin

Sources:

Microsoft Corporation. (2009). Powerpoint in the Classroom. ACT360 Media Ltd. [electronic resource]. (http://www.actden.com/pp/unit2/2_main.htm). Retrieved 14 August 2009.