Thing 5 : Presentation Tools

                                                      photo from openclipart

I have used the traditional PowerPoint often over the years. I also use Google slides on a regular basis. Although both of these forums are easy to use and very powerful tools I really enjoyed exploring new forums.. 

Buncee brought new life to an old presentation that I use with my students annually. Buncee was fun. Also, having the backgrounds and items (clip art)  built in made the experience timely and entertaining.

I also really enjoyed Tellegami and HaikuDeck. Each of these sites are sites that I could see my students enjoying both as the participant and the creator. 

Below is a presentation I use for students who are struggling remembering what they have read. It is an introduction to a problem solving challenge that my students participate in. They are assigned the presentation in their google classroom and then they are invited to brainstorm on a shared google doc. The questions posed to them are : What helps you remember? What is something new you would like to try?

This presentation in it's original format was a PowerPoint with text and clip art. They clip art had not been searched for with creative commons searches. Each piece of clip art was not related to or connected to the one before it. There was only solid color backgrounds. There was not a read to me option for my struggling readers. Buncee brought this presentation to a new level. It became a presentation that will promote engagement, learning, and creativity.

Buncee Struggles to Remember

Other presentation tools that our district is regularly using are :  Flipgrid, VoiceThred, Wevideo, Nearpod, and Edpuzzle. All of these tools are wonderful instructional tools. These are tools that prepare our students for their digital future. However, Buncee, Telligami, and HauikuDeck made me feel engaged in a creative process that was not bogged down by multiple searches for graphics and backgrounds. I felt empowered. I wanted to continue creating far past the completion of my presentation. I also began planning future challenges that I would like to present to my students.

By putting presentation tools in students hands, not only will they become engaged learners but they also can become the creator and teacher sharing their knowledge with their peers.