Job Discussion Forums

[TeresaLopez]

Does anyone here use Power Point presentations for classes? We have just been given two computers to use for presentations, so I would like to make use of them. Can you recommend a Website to learn to use Power Point?

[Guy Courchesne]

My answer is not much help, sorry. Just wanted to say how much I hate Powerpoint...I find it too much work in creating presentations for the value I get out of using it in class. I'd rather have an affordable and appropriate digital projector to show my laptop screen on other applications, such as plain old word, photos, you tube and the like.

[Phil_K]

... but if you insist,

http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/powerpoint/powerpoint.html

[TeresaLopez]

No, actually that response was very help, as I was wondering the same thing. Is there some other way you would recommend of getting stuff from the computer into a white board? I like the idea of slick presentations, but not if they take forever to create.

[Guy Courchesne]

Without a digital projector, I guess the only thing you could use is a tv. We have smallish tvs at the school mounted on the wall and raised but I've never bothered with them. If you have something in place then hooking up your computer to a tv would work easily enough, though I wouldn't do it unless I had a good sized flat screen.

I suppose if you get to be good at using PP, then making slick presentations wouldn't take too long. Just not my cup of tea.

[MotherF]

I don't use powerpoint all that often either--though the publisher of the textbook we use, created some powerpoint presentations that line up with lessons in their coursebook and gave them to us for free as part of the package of telling our students that they have to buy their books. I guess I should start advertising that we have that as an exclusive.

I wasn't clear if you have the projector or not? or how big our your classes, in a small group the students could just look at the screen. Projecting images is a huge advantage over the teacher holding up a picture cut out from a magazine and glued onto a piece of poster board!

[TeresaLopez]

[Enchilada Potosina]

Powerpoint is annoying... more annoying when students bring in their projects as powerpoint presentations and 2003 isn't compatible with 2007 and vice versa... nothing will open etc. I give it a miss. I find a projector is great for saving on photocopying - just scan it and project it. Students come ready programmed to copy anything they see in front of them.

[mejms]

And now we get to the big difference between what I do now on my own and what I did when was language schools.

Now I walk in with my laptop to nearly every class. Videos, interactive activities, and sometimes games. But primarily videos. My clients either have purchased big screen TVs or projectors and nice speakers, so we set up a office theater center every class.

Before with the language schools, it was book in one hand and CD player in the other. The only videos were the ones the sometimes accompanied the generic text book.

Schools are just lazy. At least all of the ones I've seen.

In my opinion, a computer and big screen are tantamount to an up-to-date, mature, relevant English communicative environment. Flashcards and CDs are a bit old-fashioned, don't ya think?

[TeresaLopez]

[Guy Courchesne]

[Enchilada Potosina]

[FreddyM]

You know I like working with technology, and with a computer and a projector, there are many things you can do to make the lesson far more interesting and interactive. And yet, I've never really used Powerpoint (unless someone else made a presentation and I displayed it), nor felt the need for it. There are several programs that come along with interactive boards that you can download and use for (ahem) "free" to make just about anything you see on your computer 'interactive'.

Teresa, if you're using Interchange, I downloaded a 3 level series of the books and associated audio and video files. I can pass along a copy if you want.

[leslie]

I just used powerpoint to do a vocabuary quiz.

Vocabulary of things in the house.

so... 1. a picture of a sofa.... 2. a picture of a faucet... etc.

Saved on photocopying too because each student just had half a sheet with the numbers 1 to 10 on it.