PowerPoint, There’s More to It than You Think

Using technology in a lesson is engaging, interactive and can be fun for students. Students and teachers are familiar with the use of presentation software such as PowerPoint for lectures. This software can also be used to add a creative side or technology component to common tasks in the classroom. Yes, you guessed it. The tool that I am blogging about is PowerPoint by Microsoft. I know we have all had to use PowerPoint some time or another, and we have all probably been bored to death with this tool at some point in our educational careers. I am going to dig a little deeper and tell you some of the exciting and new things you can do in your classroom with this tool. PowerPoint has many uses, some are: creating slide presentations, movies, animation, games, reports, autobiographies, and interactive quizzes and test. PowerPoint can be used in many different ways but is most widely used to present information in some form or fashion.

PowerPoint is especially useful to teachers who want to present information to visual learners. Luckily for teachers, PowerPoint can appeal to all learners if they are engaged in this program and find out just what this tool has to offer. The following are some ideas that you as a teacher can use PowerPoint for in your classroom:

• PowerPoint can be used to create lesson plans
• PowerPoint can be used to present interactive quizzes, test or assessments
• Have students create a photomation project using nothing but pictures to describe themselves or any other subject
• Have students create a digital movie using PowerPoint and it’s animation and 3D tools
• Have students create a “How To” project where they should describe how to do something
• Have students create a PowerPoint Ebook
• Have students tell a story through PowerPoint
• Use PowerPoint as your hook; reveal pieces of a picture and see if the students can guess what it is
• Another way for students to interact with your Power Point presentation is by setting up textboxes for them to type information into.
• Students and teacher can also use the pen function as mentioned in the article I have hyperlinked below. The pen function allows students to circle right answers or most important information on a slide. They can even use this function to circle or write things on a picture.

Microsoft PowerPoint has many advantages. I think that PowerPoint is most effective when it is used with primary and elementary aged school children. Many school children at this age have probably had little exposure to PowerPoint so it becomes new, exciting, and attention grabbing. One of PowerPoint’s best advantages, in my opinion, is the animation and effects that can be added to each slide or video. PowerPoint can make things more interesting and attention grabbing if the creator takes time to add these touches. Some of Power Points other advantages are included below.

What's Good About PowerPoint?
1. PowerPoint is fun to watch and fun to make.
2. Used correctly, PowerPoint can accommodate all learners' needs.
3. It has a spell-check function! Something our boards lack.
4. It motivates students when used in moderation.
5. It motivates staff.
6. PowerPoint allows you to reflect on your lesson and correct any needed changes. Finally, you can create the perfect lesson!
7. Imagine to be able to print out what you did in class for students that were absent. Better yet, turn the accountability on to students and post your presentations on-line.
8. Easy to input images and add notes pages
9. Templates are built in for different appearances
10. Can easily add media and recordings, and it is more exciting than a word document or hand written document.

What's Bad About PowerPoint?
1. Some of the features can be complicated to use and even the simple features may require some getting use to.
2. Computers crash, networks go down, viruses can plague computers! Always have a back-up plan!
3. Overuse can bore learners and diminish PowerPoint's effectiveness.
4. Classrooms need large monitors or projectors to display presentations. Make sure your technology plan furnishes this.
5. It can take quite a bit of time to create a complete presentation.

The audience for PowerPoint can merely be anyone, but it is targeted towards educational and business use. PowerPoint is a tool that can be used by anyone which makes it very versatile.

I feel that PowerPoint is useful for teachers and students alike because it helps integrate literacy and technology into the classroom. Children love to use PowerPoint and explore its many uses. PowerPoint is an inexpensive technology tool, and for this reason it can be used in any classroom. This modern day projector should be embraced and taught in our classrooms, and it should be used in ways other than just lecturing. PowerPoint gets its reputation for being a presentation tool but I hope you take a deeper look at it, experiment with it, and explore to find more uses for it in your classroom. When used for things other than presenting, PowerPoint can be a very useful and valuable tool. I hope you take what you have learned about PowerPoint from my blog and use it in your classroom, and remember when it comes to enhancing learning, boards are good, overheads are better, but PowerPoint is the best. PowerPoint is a great tool for learning!

To learn more about PowerPoint I invite you to view the following links:

Videos:
• Microsoft Power Point 2010
Web Sites:
• PowerPoint Tutorials
• PowerPoint 2010
• Using PowerPoint In The Classroom