Section Five: Teaching Technologies
Sketch ideas out first. Start with a large piece of blank paper and a pen rather than using the software straight away. Sketching helps you think about the shape and structure of your presentation and how you will use metaphor and visuals.
Think differently. Begin your presentation from scratch; don‟t just convert your PowerPoint into a Prezi. This software requires you to think visually while considering the overall message of the presentation and the relationship between the various elements. You will find the process quite different from that of creating slides.
Allow time for learning the software. Using Prezi for the first time entails grappling using an unfamiliar interface and menus so make sure you have time available.
Include an overview. Presentations work well if the canvas shows an overview of the structure of the whole presentation, which can be returned to during the presentation.
Use scale. Whether zooming in on the details of a diagram or zooming out to a large image, good presentations will often use massive changes of scale both for dramatic effect and increased understanding.
Don’t make your audience sick! Audience members can experience motion sickness if there are lots of quick transitions from one end of the canvas to another. Group similar ideas to avoid moving around the canvas too much.
Be flexible. It is possible to create a presentation path around the canvas, but it is also possible to deviate from the path in response to your audience (e.g. zooming in on a particular section in response to a question from a student), or even not to have a path at all.
Sign up for an educational licence. This will provide more space for storing Prezis and also offer the option of making a presentation private.
PowerPoint revisited PowerPoint is suited to a wide range of teaching environments, but be sure to mix it up with other teaching techniques within your session to maximise variety and enhance student concentration. You could break up your presentation with buzz groups, question and answer slots or other activities. An INSRV PowerPoint template is available at: S:\TEMPLATE\INSRV Templates\Presentation
Top 10 PowerPoint tips: 1. Limit the information on your slides to key points only. Steer clear of dense text and allow adequate spacing between points. 2. Limit the number of slides, e.g. to no more than eight or nine for a ten minute presentation, giving students time to absorb information on each slide. 3. Use clip art, pictures, charts, tables, diagrams, sound and video to enhance content. Ensure that you are complying with copyright law and generally limit to no more than two graphics per slide.
Handbook for Information Literacy Teaching: August 2011 update
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