This week’s topic in our online course talks about using online presentations in the classroom. Dedicated blog followers (HI MOM!) will have seen that I posted an online presentation regarding the causes of World War One a couple of weeks ago. I received good feedback on it for most part from our professor, but one thing I lost marks for was my ability to engage students. This was interesting because, largely due to my personality, student engagement in the classroom has not been something I have struggled with. If you’re not sure what “engagement” might look like in the classroom I assure you I am not popping the question to any teenagers on a regular basis, rather, engagement in the classroom refers to how invested your students are in the lesson.
As I reflected on my online presentation, however, I tend to agree with my professor. My approach to the project was to treat the presentation as if I was in the classroom, but it comes through as a rather simple audio file recorded overtop of PowerPoint slides and comes off as slightly bland. I don’t think I did a bad job; I just think if I used a ‘sexier’ platform (Prezi for example) I could have had more tools and some “whizzy templates” to work with, which could have increased the engagement level naturally (Hall, 2014). I think this level of engagement would be especially true when we talk about the use of online presentations/lectures in the flipped classroom.
When we think of the conventional classroom I think many of us, me included, think of a big room full of whiteboards, desks, a teacher, and students. The teacher leads the instruction, the students kind of listen, and then attempt to put what they have just learned into practice. The flipped classroom turns this idea on its head. The students are expected to watch online presentations/lectures and come to school ready to apply their new knowledge. While I feel as though this idea could be very successful on many levels, I remain somewhat skeptical of certain students going home and viewing the necessary materials for class the following day. This would also put a lot of pressure on the teacher to ensure that these materials were engaging and succinct (it means brief, mom) enough for students to watch them after school. It also implies that the students would need a relatively strong WiFi or landline connection and not all children have access to these things in their homes. For more information on the Flipped classroom check out this infographic: http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/
One way I can absolutely see myself using online presentations in the classroom would be as a collaborative learning tool with students for class projects. I think it would be a great way for students to present their research to their classmates, or our class could even present an online presentation to the entire school. Either way I think that online presentations will have a place the classroom both flipped and the more traditional setting.
Reference:
Sharon Hurley Hall. 19 Free Presentation Tools to Wow your Audience. Retrieved April 4, 2014; From: http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/05/28/online-presentation-tools/
As I reflected on my online presentation, however, I tend to agree with my professor. My approach to the project was to treat the presentation as if I was in the classroom, but it comes through as a rather simple audio file recorded overtop of PowerPoint slides and comes off as slightly bland. I don’t think I did a bad job; I just think if I used a ‘sexier’ platform (Prezi for example) I could have had more tools and some “whizzy templates” to work with, which could have increased the engagement level naturally (Hall, 2014). I think this level of engagement would be especially true when we talk about the use of online presentations/lectures in the flipped classroom.
When we think of the conventional classroom I think many of us, me included, think of a big room full of whiteboards, desks, a teacher, and students. The teacher leads the instruction, the students kind of listen, and then attempt to put what they have just learned into practice. The flipped classroom turns this idea on its head. The students are expected to watch online presentations/lectures and come to school ready to apply their new knowledge. While I feel as though this idea could be very successful on many levels, I remain somewhat skeptical of certain students going home and viewing the necessary materials for class the following day. This would also put a lot of pressure on the teacher to ensure that these materials were engaging and succinct (it means brief, mom) enough for students to watch them after school. It also implies that the students would need a relatively strong WiFi or landline connection and not all children have access to these things in their homes. For more information on the Flipped classroom check out this infographic: http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/
One way I can absolutely see myself using online presentations in the classroom would be as a collaborative learning tool with students for class projects. I think it would be a great way for students to present their research to their classmates, or our class could even present an online presentation to the entire school. Either way I think that online presentations will have a place the classroom both flipped and the more traditional setting.
Reference:
Sharon Hurley Hall. 19 Free Presentation Tools to Wow your Audience. Retrieved April 4, 2014; From: http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/05/28/online-presentation-tools/