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For some time now my LinkedIn bio has started, “I am an educator, journalist, writer, and recovering PowerPoint consumer.”
It is true. A number of years in the past, I vowed by no means to make use of PowerPoint or any related slideshow for my displays and lectures. This was partially resulting from an trustworthy self-assessment: I used to be objectively unhealthy at creating any. Irrespective of how laborious I attempted to not, I violated each rule in the avoiding dying by PowerPoint handbook. My slides have been textual content heavy and visually unappealing, powered by equal elements insecurity and the self-aggrandizing worry that I would pass over one thing “essential.”
On prime of those private failings, I spotted that I disliked the overwhelming majority of slideshows I needed to sit via. Even the uncommon good ones I’ve seen nonetheless endure from near-constant technical difficulties. (I estimate that the fail charge of a slideshow offered in a brand new location is 90+ p.c.) We’ve all seen a annoyed presenter clicking in useless at a display screen frozen on one slide, or exhibiting as much as a lecture solely to seek out they didn’t have entry to the projector, although the organizer stated they’d.
Lastly, my sense is that slideshows can encourage individuals to be much less lively and engaged as they simply await the hyperlink to the slideshow or take images of the slides. This probably hurts studying as analysis exhibits that when college students take notes they be taught greater than once they {photograph} or revisit slides.
For all these causes, I’ve stopped utilizing PowerPoint and different slideshows. Listed here are the methods I take advantage of in my courses as options to slideshows. I discover these strategies not solely to be simpler and fascinating, they’re additionally simpler for me to place collectively. These additionally foster extra dialogue and permit for extra spontaneity than conventional slideshows.
1. Slideshow Alternate options: Handouts
It’s fundamental. It’s low-tech. However it works!
Whereas printing for giant teams isn’t sensible and a waste of paper, when presenting workshops for a small variety of individuals, I discover handing out a packet outlining the highlights and key parts of my presentation could be a nice technique. If I’m truly capable of acquire entry to the projector within the room, because the organizers advised me I’d be capable to, I’ll throw the presentation up on the display screen. If not, it’s no large deal.
An extra benefit is the handout offers individuals one thing tactile to carry onto and use to take notes. I’ve additionally discovered outdated handouts from displays I’ve lengthy since attended and that may be a pleasant reminder of a optimistic academic expertise.
2. QR Codes
The digital successor the print handout, QR codes let me rapidly create a handout in Google Docs, then generate a code for it, and share with college students or lecture individuals. I find yourself trying like a tech genius however that is simpler than connecting to WiFi at Starbucks!
Utilizing QR codes has a lot of the similar benefits of a print handout besides it saves paper and requires much less pre-planning on my half. I generate the QR code utilizing Google Chrome’s QR code generator, which is built-in into Chrome, however there are a lot of free QR code turbines out there.
As soon as the code is generated, if I’m truly capable of acquire entry to the projector within the room (because the organizers promised!), I can share it on the display screen. If not — as you could be starting to suspect has occurred to me greater than as soon as — I can share it from my telephone, my laptop computer, or if I actually need to get fancy, from a printed flyer.
3. Surveys and Quizzes
Producing a fast survey concerning the matter you might be talking of will be an fascinating manner for college kids or individuals in a workshop to be taught from each other. It additionally helps you establish the place your viewers is coming from, and will get them actively concerned within the dialogue. Brief quizzes present related advantages and, as well as, pre-testing and quizzing has been proven to assist individuals be taught extra.
In my case, when educating college students in an introductory course about journalism, I would begin with a fast quiz on journalism jargon phrases such because the inverted pyramid, the nut graph, and lead. College students gained’t know what these imply and lots of will do poorly on the pre-test, but it surely doesn’t depend towards their grade and analysis exhibits taking the take a look at will assist them focus after I clarify the phrases.
I’ve additionally polled college students about subjects corresponding to their opinions on bias within the media and whether or not goal reporting is even potential. The digital survey will get them interested by these points and helps jumpstart the dialogue.
4. Objects, Giveaways, and Enjoyable Issues Individuals Can Contact IRL
Whether or not you’re presenting to younger college students or seasoned colleagues, all of us wish to play. Offering individuals with one thing they will maintain of their hand can improve studying and enliven the presentation. This may very well be an object associated to science or historical past that you simply hand round, enjoyable and never too costly giveaways, or some sort of artwork and craft associated to the subject at hand.
A professor good friend of mine has his journalism college students discover precise bodily newspapers as one class exercise, and since a lot of them are digital natives, it may be a novel expertise for them. I as soon as gave a workshop on writing about meals and the spotlight was not the slideshow that took me eight hours to place collectively on a Sunday that I ought to have been spending outdoors. As an alternative it was the pastries from a neighborhood bakery I picked up on the best way to the workshop on a whim. I requested individuals to strive the pastries after which write about their flavors. They began writing like seasoned meals critics. Every chew was value a thousand slides!
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