Presentation Tools - Integrating Learning

When you hear the words "presentation software" what's the the first thing that pops into your mind?

PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, Adobe Spark or even Google Drive Presentation. 

I know as an up and coming teacher, PowerPoint is the first one that pops into my mind. Having completed 1 practicum in my current degree and 2 in a previous degree, I have delivered a number of lessons via a PowerPoint, mostly exported from a Keynote file. But, as teachers we also need to remember one thing: using a PowerPoint to deliver content does not equate to using digital technologies to improve our pedagogy or learning outcomes. 

This week has been all about analysing presentation software, and as in the past couple of weeks, I used the SAMR model to do this. Analysing presentation software using the SAMR model, we see that using a PowerPoint to teach the content as we would using notes on a whiteboard or via a handout falls into the lower "Enhancement" level, where we are either substituting or augmenting our current tools. Generally my lessons via PowerPoint would probably have fallen into the Augmentation area (technology is a substitute with some functional improvement). Using images and videos embedded into my PowerPoints has made lessons a more visual experience and allowed for quick access to content like videos, saving time in the classroom. 

Above is a PowerPoint presentation I created for delivery of a sensory evaluation lesson.


There are a large number of advantages to using presentation software to deliver information to students including; cost effectiveness (no printing visual aids), can return to a previous slide to answer questions posed by students and saves time. Gaining time is probably the best functional improvement I have in my classes, and while it is not much time, every little bit helps. There are also advantages for the students in that they can directly access teachers presentations in their student drives or class webpages, if they have been absent or need clarification on a topic. Teachers can also link from their presentations to the class work making easier for the students to access worksheets or activities.

From a student teacher viewpoint, I find having my higher-order thinking questions pre-written in my planning and on my presentation helps me reach the intended learning outcomes. I found that if I rely on my memory (even my memory of checking my lesson plan during the lesson) the questions did not get asked or were not asked well. I am sure other student teachers can attest to that. Having them pre-written in my presentation allows me to relax and not worry about forgetting anything during the lesson.

On more tip that I am going to give all you aspiring teachers out there, ALWAYS print your slides before your lesson and take them with you. To my absolute horror, at the beginning of my very first lesson (Grade 8 Business), in my very first practicum, the school I was at had a network problem. No computer could access the network from 5 minutes into my lesson. I had not even printed the lesson plan because I had sent a digital copy to the teacher and planned to open it on my laptop. My only saving grace was that I knew the plan and the content so well that I could wing a lesson and surprisingly, it went well. From that day on I have always printed the lesson plan and all the slides the night before. I also give a hard copy to the teacher unless they specifically request digital copies only.

While encountering my own technology issues this week (my old Mac is on it's last legs and had to be replaced) I came across an app that I had never heard of and could not locate a lot of information on the web for. To be honest, I am not sure why I can't find a lot of information about it because it is brilliant and I am going to give you an idea of why I think it would be great in the classroom. Before I start on my soapbox though, there is one major downside from an Education Queensland point of view; it is for Mac computers only. But I am not going to let that dampen my enthusiasm at the moment. If I get the opportunity to work in a school where I can use Mac computers (and they are out there) I will definitely be using this app heaps.

The application is called Curio by Zengobi. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. I found it while looking for a mind-mapping app to download onto my new Mac because I don't find the free web versions are as user friendly as downloaded apps. But, I digress, back to Curio. I have included some screenshots below to show how I have used it for note-taking this week.

Digital Pedagogy, Topic 5 notes. Green box = definitions, red box = assessment to remember. 

You will recall last week I talked about my research into study and note-taking methods. While I do not believe there is any such thing as a miracle cure for anxiety and study, sticking with this program is going to go a long way to solving my problem. Each separate box above is a different document type that has been added to what Curio calls their "Idea Spaces". They are free floating boxes that can be moved to any area of a space. I included a PDF copy of the first chapter of notes for this weeks lesson on the left. On the right is a white box for my personal notes, green box for definitions, red box for anything that I have to remember about the assessment.

The best part I have used so far is where I can drop and drag a PDF reading into an idea space. This can be from your desktop, laptop or even from an integrated Evernote account like I have in the screenshot below. Instead of including a long list of single items in the middle of this weeks notes, I selected the areas above and below the list and clipped them to Evernote. I then dragged them into my idea space from the Curio Library Shelf (right column below).

I think the best way for you to see what Curio could do for you would be to check out their own videos on Youtube by clicking here. The program also has a great user manual included with the trial download. I also recommend you click here to watch a tutorial recorded by a student that uses the program.

Now for the most important part of my post; how could I use Curio in my classroom to improve my pedagogy, improve learning outcomes and build confidence in my students when finding solutions or presenting information to stakeholders in their 21st Century classrooms or workplaces. The possibilities for this are immense with Curio, only limited by technology availability in our schools (which we as teachers deal with everyday anyway).

https://www.schoology.com/blog/samr-model-practical-guide-edtech-integration

I have a link above to an SAMR webpage example if you would like to read up further on how to analyse technology in the classroom. I am particularly discussing the top two levels of the model now, Modification and Redefinition, which are the most important for developing higher order thinking and skills in our classrooms.

Curio, being a multi-platform integrating software, lends itself well to implementing transformational pedagogy. I have started creating an "Idea Space" for an assessment I am doing for my Food Technology course which involves following a Design Brief to create a Food Fusion product.

You can see that in my idea space I have added screenshots with links to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) information. I am creating a mindmap of the nationalities and cultures in Chinchilla based on the ABS statistics. Chinchilla's main summer produce is watermelons as shown on our town name plaques. I have also included a web article about New Zealand's foods, which is the next biggest percentage of the population in Chinchilla after Australians. The idea space allows me to visualise the design process and by putting it all on one page it is easier to make decisions based on the information I gather.

The best part about Curio is that when a student has finished preparing their idea spaces, they can hit the Present button at the top and a slide show starts, which can be tailored to the students needs. Whether it be presenting a storyboard in English, design specifications in Manual Arts or drawing conclusions from information gathered during a research project; the opportunities for use in the classroom are many.