Having students use PowerPoint to create projects to present to the class is an interactive way for them to learn new material, and devolop technological, oral, and inquiry skills.
PowerPoint differentiates for each learning style. If students are doing a research project, students who are visual learners incorporate more pictures and words into their presentation. Their slides will give them something to look at. If students are auditory, they may listen to radio or sound clips to put into their slideshow. Kinesthetic students may learn from tutorials on PowerPoint and will enjoy actually learning on their own and creating their own presentations; rather than having a teacher lecture they have an opportunity to teach themselves.
This technology can open doors as students become more comfortable with the program, they can incorporate links, sound, time their presentations, put in extra graphics, and make their visual displays more interactive. The possibilities of the program are endless as students can explore new aspects of the program as they become more accustomed to using it.
PowerPoint reinforces student knowledge, because part of using the program is to have students present their information to the class. As a presentor, students must memorize and be comfortable with the material, making them the "experts", because of this the retention of knowledge and material is increased. Students may also delve into greater detail, or provide interesting facts as part of their presentations to the class. For example, if doing a history report, students might include a slide of fun facts or relatively unknown data to students to make it more interesting. Problem solving skills will be necessary because students will have to make executive decisions as to how to organize their presentation. The order, how much information is on a single slide, and where to include pictures and graphics are problems that each student will deal with individually.
Microsoft publishes PowerPoint, and it is easily accessible to students. Most school computers are equipped with PowerPoint, and it is incorporated with Microsoft Office.
In my English class, students will use PowerPoint in multiple ways. Students give two speeches per year, one on a famous author, and the other is a type of book report but it explains themes of the novel that they read. The first is mostly historical, however students may choose poets. Their presentations include graphics, video/audio interviews from the author, as well as important quotes or passages from their famous work. The second will be an in-depth analysis of a literary work. As an English teacher, it will be my responsibility to ensure that students have the ability to analyze work and communicate their ideas effectively to others. Using PowerPoint presentations will allow me as a teacher to combine both elements into one lesson to sharpen student skills.
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