PowerPoint is a popular kind
of presentation software, where you can use images, pictures and text with
different animation and sound. Why PowerPoint has become so popular is because
it comes with the Microsoft packages when buying a computer. When a work is
finished on PowerPoint it could easy be sent in a mail as an attachment. It is
also possible to post or download PowerPoint’s from different websites.
Nowadays are PowerPoint often produced and use in classrooms by the teacher or
the pupils themselves. Except a computer with the PowerPoint software it could
be suitable with a projector, so a bigger audience could watch the PowerPoint
presentation
How it could be used in the classroom:
The PowerPoint could be used in several different ways some of them are presentation, initial teaching, review, tests.
Initial teaching: When it does come to initial
drilling PowerPoint can be used to teach the pupils new ideas or concepts.
Firstly the teacher has to anticipate different misunderstandings or
difficulties pupils may face in the new teaching area. After the teacher has
found out where possible problems could be detected it is time to create a
suitable presentation to the pupils. Once the PowerPoint is finished and saved,
it could be used over and over again or be shared on the web with others.
Review: The pupils could on their
own or in smaller groups create a PowerPoint presentation in a topic which they
newly have learnt or practiced. In this way the pupils practice what they have
learned in the meanwhile they are acting, having conversations and producing a
piece of work together. In this way the pupils making something different and
meaningful of what they have learned.
Tests: PowerPoint could even be
used for test, for example you could have pictures of objects on separate
slides. When each pupil has written down the answer next slide will show. This
is a good way to test vocabulary. It is also possible to create other tests or
quizzes, only your imagination sets the limits.
Benefits:
Some of the benefits of using
PowerPoint are that it could interest pupils by its sound and visual effects.
PowerPoint could also by its performance keep the pupils focusing if it is a
lesson where the teacher has to talk a lot. By using hyperlinks they could be
used with other sites who is relating to the current topic. The biggest benefit
is that both teacher and pupils could use and produce PowerPoint in a
meaningful way. Pupils are practicing interaction, communication, written and
spoken language.
Negative Impact:
As well as two sides of the same
coin, there are not only advantages there are also disadvantages. Using
PowerPoint could appear distractive to the pupils and they could be focusing
more on the PowerPoint instead of the speaker.
Other thoughts:
I think that PowerPoint can be
a fantastic CTI-tool if it is used in a correct way, the PowerPoint
presentations are easy to use, produce and share. It is a software that could
be used and produced by both teacher and pupils, also it could be used both
individually, in smaller groups and in an entire class. The PowerPoint is
therefore a tool that easily could be used in English language teaching and also
in other topics.
I think Power point is a fantastic tool and I will say there are lots of possible "right ways" of using it. As you mentioned of course you could always find disadvantages but I will argue for that power point is a quit easy tool to adapt to suit different learners on different levels.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote about vocabulary test, I agree but I can also see a learning process takes place when giving learners opportunity to discover the program and its effects by giving them a task, to make a presentation of something they are interested in, and this will make them motivated to find out the functions of power point which easy could be used and the result can´t be bad!
By giving them a task, for example choose one animal to describe by using both text and pictures they will have to find out how to use the program and they will have to use as well their receptive skills when finding information, as their productive skills when writing.
I think we all know power point presentations in education which haven´t been to funny and I can just talk out from my own experience and say I don´t know how to use special effects which the program offers the opportunity to. Therefor I think it is important that we let learners experience different ways of how power point could be used and let them work with it yet they have get familiar with computers or Ipads. topics which motivate them.
Sometimes I think we see difficulties with ICT resources which learners may don´t and this fact could obstruct learners opportunity to be creative and see the possibilities with ICT.