Teaching with Technology: PowerPoint in the Classroom

This week's goal will be to use PowerPoint in a campus-based teaching environment.  You will walk through a PowerPoint tutorial and create an animated slide show for teaching. This could be on any lesson topic that you might want to use in your class.  Again, the purpose of this project is to learn and model the tools that you can use with your students.  Since this task is project-based, our readings this week will focus on the philosophies of project-based learning and constructivism.

TASKS

 

Moderating a discussion -- assignments:
     Week 2 Sharing what you learned Discussion Forum  Moderators:
     Week 2 Reading Discussion Forum                              Moderators:

Task 1: Creating a PowerPoint presentation for teaching using one of the tutorials (alternatives) below (of course you are welcome to try out the other ones, too!)
     Objective: the creation of a short (6-8 slides), slideshow on a lesson/theme of your choice (see comments on animation below!).  The slides should begin with a cover page with the title, your name, your institution, the date, and a footer (e.g. your email address). I would strongly recommend that you choose something practical, i.e. something for your current or future classroom, e.g. a lesson or instructional point to be presented to your students.

Task 2: Incorporating animations, AutoShapes, hyperlinks, and navigation/action buttons in a PowerPoint slideshow
     Objective: to add effective animations (transitions, navigation, effects) to the PowerPoint slides you created previously. 

***VERY IMPORTANT Notes about Animation--READ and CONSIDER CAREFULLY: Although animations are wonderful, they increase file size immensely.  Please use your best judgment as to what animations would look good and work well for pedagogical purposes.  Please review your slideshow from your audience's point of view (your classmates and I)--we have to download your PPT file and then view it--animating each letter to rotate or fly in individually is NOT appropriate in a technical or pedagogical sense!  Use the full slide show view to review your work, not just the View Slide Show in edit mode, as it does not reveal how the text animations work.
Please view this excellent example of purposeful animations, created by one of my CALL students for Teaching Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish.

Task 3: Review Christine's Tips for PowerPoint for creating effective slide shows (for teaching and Web viewing, links to effective presentations, free clipart/templates, and more)     
       Look through the information in items 1., 2., 3., and 4. and select at least one of the readings in 2.  Incorporate what you have learned into your slide show.

Task 4: Using PowerPoint for Student Projects in the CALL Classroom
 To see how a former CALL Online student (now teacher) incorporated PowerPoint into his curriculum, please visit my voice-narrated slide show, combined with Chris Dussault's Student Projects with PowerPoint slide show.  Please make sure you have your speakers on.
 Optional: Comment on it in the Sharing what you learned discussion forum.

Task 5: Capturing a screenshot
       To illustrate graphically an image in a PowerPoint slide show, e.g. a Web page, it is useful to learn how to do screenshots.  Click here to learn how to Capture a screen image.  Show that you have mastered this by adding a slide to your slideshow with a screenshot.

ASSIGNMENTS
Readings and Interaction to be completed this week :

READ: Choose one (or more) of the following articles on project-based learning (PBL) or constructivism
A.  project-based learning (PBL)
  1. San Mateo County Office of Education (1997-2001).  Why do Project-based Learning? <http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/WhyPBL.html>; after reading, click on Overview > Project Overview to see/hear the narrated PowerPoint presentation by Michael Simkins' on "Project-based Learning with Multimedia: An Overview" -- includes impressive statistics on the positive results of PBL in the K-12 classroom (student skills, transformed teaching and learning practices; standardized tests); also check out the resources for PBL, including assessment of student projects.
  2. Buck Institute of Education (2002).  Project Based Learning Handbook: Introduction to Project Based Learning (history, benefits, teacher styles and skills...) <http://www.bie.org/pbl/pblhandbook/intro.php>
  3. ALTec--the University of Kansas (2004).  Project-based learning: What is it?  <http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/> Building Motivation; Using Multiple Intelligences; Project-based Learning Checklists; Involving Students in Checklist Creation
  4. Solomon, Gwen (2003, January 15).  Project-based Learning: A Primer.  Technology & Learning Magazine.  <http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/01/project.html>.
  5. Toyoda, E. (2001).  Exercise of learner autonomy in project-oriented CALL.  CALL-EJ Online, 2 (2).
    6. <http://www.clec.ritsumei.ac.jp/english/callejonline/5-2/toyoda.html>
  6. Chard, Sylvia (2001).  The Project Approach in Early Childhood &Elementary Education (includes definition, description, purpose, foundation theory, examples, and more) <http://www.project-approach.com/>

B.  constructivism

  1. Meyer, Andrie (1998).  Constructivism and technology. <http://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/learner/ameyer/constructivismandtechnology.htm#Constructivism%20and%20technology>
  2. Adams, Sharon, & Burns, Mary (1999).  A brief introduction to constructivism.  Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL).  http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/intro2c.html (includes various articles on the topic).
  3. Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning.  <http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html>

INTERACTION:
 After reading, click on Discussions in the top tool bar and select the Reading Discussion Forum in Week 2. 

  • Post a brief (1 paragraph) summary of the article(s).  To identify the article you are summarizing and reacting to, use a heading for the
    posting that indicates the title of the article.     
  • Post a brief (1 paragraph) reaction to the article(s). 
Sharing what you learned: Hands-on links and Interaction to be completed this week:

Resources for .....            -- Christine's Compendium of Links

1.  Click on Christine's Useful Links to TESL/CALL Web Sites <http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/useful_sites.htm> or locate it in your Favorites. 
2.  Scroll to ESL Teaching and Learning Resources. 
3.  From the areas listed in the frame on the left (in alphabetical order), choose a new area to explore, e.g. e-mail, study skills, Grammar, Listening, Vocabulary, Reading, Speaking, Vocabulary, Writing. 
4. Click on the link and choose 2-3 links on that page to investigate further (remember, my favorite ones are at the top).

INTERACTION:
Go to the Discussions (top tool bar) and post reactions to any of the Tasks and the Hands-on Links you chose above.  Discuss how you would incorporate the presented technology(ies) into the ESL/EFL classroom.

1.  PowerPoint (PPT) slide show for teaching,
Create a short slide show on a lesson/theme of your choice (e.g. a grammar point) with 6-8 slides, including a Cover Page with your name, the title of the project, your institution, and the date.  The second slide should give a description of the class/audience and some comments on learning environment and purpose that you are trying to accomplish. Your slide show should contain a presentation style, background, colors, fonts, a header/footer, a screenshot, slide-to-slide transitions, optimized animation effects, timings (mouse click or timed advance of slides), action buttons or navigation links as necessary, effective WordArt, text boxes, and/or AutoShapes.  Please be sure you have read the comments in TASK 2 regarding animation effects.  Spell-check all slides.  Attach your file in Discussions -- Week 2--PowerPoint Slide Show.
 

©2006  Christine Bauer-Ramazani.  Last updated: July 09, 2017