Presentation Tools.

Assessment 1: Embedded Task 4 - Reflection on Presentation Tools.

This week I have realized that I have not used my wiki at all, this week I intend to by setting up a page to use with my presentation.

Presentation tools pull all the work together and is a great way for students to present their research and findings. It is important to understand all these different mediums and methods, so you can facilitate students in their choice of tool and consequently broaden their technology skills. (For teachers there are thousands of resources available).

As teachers we need to consider what our intention is, regarding the use of the digital tool, It is not just about what I like or know about but what is relevant to the subject matter and most importantly the students. It is important to remember the SAMR model and aim for the transformational level.

As a pre-service teacher of Health and physical education there are many apps and tools available that might help engage students and encourage movement and health lifestyle choices. 

One example i have come across a few times is gamification, this is an application of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage students. Yu-Kai Chou (2003) has termed as ‘human-focused design which is a design process that focuses on the human in the system as opposed to the efficiency of the system’.

One inspiring website for Physical Education teachers is www.thepegeek.com

I did some internet research to see what was out there to use as a presentation tool, there are lots on the market. Below is a table on a few discovered.

PowerPoint http://products.office.com/en-us/powerpoint	A popular tool to show your story
Prezi https://www.prezi.com	A zooming presentation tool.
Glogster http://edu.glogster.com/?ref=com	Canvas freedom to express your creation. Mix text, audio, video, images and graphics.
Thinglink https://www.thinglink.com	Discover, create and share interactive images and videos.
Keynote https://www.apple.com/au/mac/keynote/	Apples alternative to powerpoint. Simple to create and deliver stunning presentations. Works between Mac iOS devices.
Visme http://www.visme.co	A multi-tool to create any type of visual content.
Voiceboard https://www.voiceboard.co.uk	A presentation app, where can combine interactive media into your slides.
SlideDog http://slidedog.com	A multimedia presentation tool, you can combine powerpoint presentations, PDF files, prezi presentations, movie clips and web pages.
Sliderocket. http://www.sliderocket.com/product/	Labelled as a revoluntionary new approach to business communications
280slides http://280-slides.en.softonic.com/web-apps	Presentation creation app
Slideshare www.slideshare.net	Has stored presentations covering a wide range of topics.
Empressr www.empressr.com	Presentation features and allows video and audio
TimeGlider http://timeglider.com	Not a presentation tool but a timeline creator.
SlideBoom https://www.slideboom.com	Includes audio, video, animations and the ability to make graphical annotations on slides.
Powtoon http://www.powtoon.com	Animation Presentation Software.

My original idea was to use Slidedog, the reason being that it appealed with what it could do and the demonstration seemed simple in terms of how to use it. With my idea of what to do I began to sign up and download, unfortunately it is not yet compatible with mac computers. Slightly disappointed I tried one more Visme was my next vote, again it looked straight forward to use and there basic level is free, plus you can add audio and video. I think this is great for students and I believe it fits into the transformational levels of the SAMR model. It provides a lot more ownership on the work for students and it can be collaborative.

What my Visme presentation is about:

For this presentation I have put together information on the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. I am responsible for coordinating the Duke of Edinburgh award at the school I currently work at. One aspect of this is to advertise and market the award to students to get them involved and registered, one process available to me is through Connect this is the schools online management system to communicate with students and parents. 

I thought this presentation tool would work well, with the information, presented through audio and video to hopefully encourage participation.

My other thought was to link a wikispace to the presentation so that questions could be asked and all can see it to share the information etc.

Link to wikispace - http://lauram1.wikispaces.com/   Once you have clicked on this you will  need to enter a username and password they are: User - lauraKM1 and Password - Climbing76. This will take you to the home page, if you look to the left of the screen there is a box headed in blue, this will list the pages I have created, click on the Duke of Edinburgh at CGS page for questions students might want to ask.

Note 1.
Below are two presentations, this was not planned! however when i first embedded the presentation the PowToon animation I made on slide 5 did not work. I finally worked it out, i couldn't just embed the code I had to upload it to you tube and then embed that URL. Once this was done I republished it and added it to the blog and the animation now works. However I have not yet been able to delete the first one (Im working on it though). SO the presentation with the animation that works is the first one.
Note 2.
So I managed to work it out, sometime away form technology refreshed my mind to try again. I think leaving these notes in shows one of many processes, and that you need patience and flexibility when working with technology and new tools.

Reflection on Visme Presentation.

This presentation still needs some work, i.e the last two slides. Plus there is to much writing, more interactive animation could be added to make it more engaging. A link to the Duke of Edinburgh website needs to be added as well, and questions to make it more collaborative. This presentation just brushes the surface, with more skill and time it can and will progress.
 I found the Visme presentation tool quite intuitive and when adjusting the timings of when animations would come on to a slide it was straight forward to use and see the difference. I definatley need more practice with the audio and how to make that more of a 'wow' factor.
 Again, a lot of time could be used to experiment with this tool and I believe students would enjoy using it with the added outcome of learning technology.

SAMR Model

Modification and Redefinition.

It brings in new ways of thinking, critical and creative, it transforms the ordinary into something new and original, technology can help achieve this and empower students with there own learning.

There are various engaging ways information can be presented and the link to wiki spaces and web conferencing with other students and classes from around the world can enhance the learning.

Thus the range of digital tools used to collect and share information can be gathered in one place for a final product.

I think that presentation tools if used in the right manner meets the skills in the cognitive domain of Blooms taxonomy, particularly the higher order objectives of analysis, evaluate and create. As taken from the revised taxonomy of the cognitive domain by Anderson and Krathwonl (2001).

Analysis – Research needs to be done to find the content for the presentation  and meet the question set.

Evaluate – Make informed decisions about what information will be used.

Create – Thinking about the subject/question set from a different perspective, challenge there thoughts, this can lead to students thinking outside the box and creating a new meaning or thoughts on the subject matter – THIS IS TRANSFORMATIONAL and I think leads towards a more holistic form of learning.

Reflection on presentation tools.

In reflection I think these presentation tools provide a mechanism for students to explore their creativity and expand on what traditionally they might have done.

I believe it will engage students and enrich their learning and challenge those who require more complexity.

All the tools may be there, BUT it does come down to us as teachers to know how to facilitate the use of these tools to get the best learning for students and challenge them in their learning environment.

I am beginning to realise that you can be knowledgeable about a subject but if you cannot present the ideas, concepts and knowledge then it is not useful for the students or your educational philosophy.