Powerpoint in Pedagogy

As I set out to begin this task, I was aghast to think that, as referred to by Scot Aldred, "PowerPoint is the most widley used presentation software in the world and this is due, in the main, to its ease of operation and simplicity'.  Why was I aghast?  Because I have NEVER MADE A POWERPOINT BEFORE.  There, I said it! I was not overreacting when I stated that my previous educational experiences were aligned directly  with Heath's (2001) description of Mode 1 knowledge (Objective knowledge as opposed to MODE 2 - Relative knowledge).

It was only last week that my Year 5 son called me over to the computer where he was working on a school project to proudly show me his PowerPoint presentation on snakes. I could see he was delighted at the way he could manipulate the words to move this way and that on the page, how he could make the pages move in and out,  and he loved the sound affects!  I remember thinking "Wow, I wish I knew how to do that".  Guess what, now I do! I now have an appreciation of his curiosity and sense of achievment.  A PowerPoint may  be an easy tool to manouvre, but I believe that achievements are not measured by the size of the tool, but what you gain from them - the way they make you feel!

The Task:
In this acitivity (of setting up a PowerPoint presentation  to be used for one of my classes), my first challenge was that I needed to find instruction on how to use the PowerPoint tool in version Microsoft Office 2007.  The easy to follow instructions of the coursework did not relate to my verion as it was aimed at the Microsoft Office 2003 version.  Of course, it was still relevent to me for the sake of my learners as Education Queensland operate on the 2003 version, as do many companies and private homes. It was not difficult to find what I needed due to the confidence I have gained through doing this course, and I sent out my request and waited for the information to come to me.  Ah!  The knowledge Economy in all its glory:  an economy of knowledge intensity and the instant availability and affordability of information from around the global (Houghton & Sheehan, 2000). 

I quickly settled on this insruction guide to PowerPoint 2007, which is a little long, but certainly thorough.



Having made it thus far, I moved on to putting together my creation.  Firstly, I chose a topic.  This was a little difficult as I have such a broad foucs at the moment.  I finally decided on "8 Easy Steps to Writing a Great Paper".  My reason for this choice was that I beleive this is something that all students will need to know during their course of study.  Also, if my experience is anything to go by, research based writing can seem very daunting, difficult, time consuming - but necessary. We all know the importance of Assessment and the role it plays in the learning process (QCAR Framework).   Because of this I thought a powerpoint would be an additional way to introduce this process to my learners to highligh the main points.  They don't have to get too involved in too much reading, just follow the steps, give examples and create discussion. 

The next step was to either design or somehow locate a template, which I did through Microsoft Office PowerPoint templates.  I then needed to source the academic information on which to base a properly informed delivery of information.  I had much of my own information on this topic, but it needed to be academically based.   So, once again I logged onto the internet and found what I was looking for by searching through academic works in our CQ University library.  And off I went.

The Product:
I feel that my PowerPoint presentation is simple in design but gets the message across.  It is directed at a Year 9 level and is based on how to write for research essays.  Creating this PowerPoint presentation was very engaging for me and it was fun!   It actually took quite a while and I could spend more time on it changing this and adding that, but I have to let go!. As a result, I also have gained confidence in using it.  I played around with the slides to jazz it up a bit but that is all.  

My final challenge will be how to share it with you ... and I did it!

8 Steps To Writing A Great Paper

View more presentations from c9602374.

As far as achievements go, well thats easy - I am no longer ashamed of never having create a PowerPoint presentation.  I can say that I have constructed a PowerPoint, am confident in how to set it up, the reason for it, how it fits into the pedagogical framework and theories of Engaged Learning, know how to show my learners how use it.  And, thanks to the wise guidance of Scot Aldred to this video, what not to do with one. (OK. Maybe I had to take out a few words and dot points after watching the video). But Wow! How cool am I!

I will be using PowerPoints as part of my pedagogy for a number of reasons.  Firstly, as described by Scot Aldred and outlined in my first paragraph, they are simply to use.  They are readily available, allow for creativity, they are user friendly, fun and they convey information.  PowerPoint presentations also offer a different way of sharing information, which takes into account the different learning styles of learners by the teacher, as described in Felder's Index of Learning Styles and the 8LMQ's (Lynch 2003).  Secondly, I beleive that if the students are invovled in creating their own, PowerPoint presentations are a great way of keeping on task with student-centredness as clearly defined by and the Engagementment Theory of CREATE-RELATE-DONATE (Kearsely & Shneiderman, 1999). 

Lynch (2003) gives 8 LMQs:

1. What do my learners already know?
2. Analyse the situation – where does my learner need/want to be?
3. Determine learning style – How does my learner learn best?
4. Judge the availability of resources and plan accordingly – What resources do I have at my disposal?
5. Design strategies to achieve learner outcomes –What is the learning journey? Planning stage
6. Implement strategies – Who will do what?
7. Evaluate their effectiveness – How will I check to see that the learner has arrived?
8. Use feedback to redesign – another cycle.- How will I inform the learner about their progress?
(Smith, R. et al. 2003, p.33).

Having been educated in the style of the Industrial Economy Education which was not student-centred, I understand that I must unlearn this part of my learning journey and look towards re-skilling myself so that I can be a professional in my field in today's workforce.  I like how Professor Richard Smith clearly outlines was teacher education was and what it needs to be if learners are to be successful in this rapid Economy of Knowledge.  Of course, the learner here is not just my potential learners, but my learning as well.  I certainly have become aware of the importance of my learning journey since starting this course of studyand how it will impact upon my Learning Manager style and my potential learners .  The skills I refer to relate to a workforce that needs to be skilled in broad-based problem solving skills, has the capacity to socially and inter-personally communicate skillfully for effective teamwork to take place and the skills and attitudes required for flexibility (Houghton & Sheehan. 2000, p.21). 
References:

Aldred, S. 2010. EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design: Week 7 2010 Courseworkd. Rockhampton, Qld, Australia: CQUniversity Australia.

Aldred, Scot: Managingelearningintro Wendy. http://www.slideshare.net/Scot.Aldred/managingelearningintro-wendy

Blum, Jonathan. Jan2008, Vol. 30 Issue 4, p12-15 8 Steps to Writing: A Good, Very Good, Excellent. Authors:  Source: Writing;

Felder, R. Index of Learning Styles (ILS) http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

Heath, G. (2001). Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment. Australian Association for Educational Research Conference. Fremantle. December.

Houghton, J., Sheehan, P. (2000). A primer on the Knowledge Economy. Melbourne. Victoria University

Kearsley, G., Shneiderman. B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning.

Smith, R., Lynch, D., Mienczakowski. J. (2003). The bachelor of Learning Management (BLM) and Education Capability, Change: Transformations in education (6) (2): 23-27