I have one predominant thought concerning the first lesson in this class. I am cautiously optimistic that what we will be studying will help open my eyes about the power of presentation through the use of electronic tools. This might be the first opportunity to take theory and make practical applications for the classroom. In literature, I try to let the work speak for itself, and let students do most of the talking. As I reflect on this philosophy, I know that I am cheating the students out of some wonderful learning opportunities by avoiding power point, or in my case, keynote presentations. To this point in my career, I have avoided using these presentation tools with the exception of as a review before tests. My main excuse for this avoidance involves what was covered in our reading of Presentation Zen. I never wanted to torture students with nauseating amounts of slides filled with data, and I didn't feel confident enough to use the presentation tools to make slides that were really meaningful. This class will hopefully help me overcome my reluctance to use presentation tools and provide me with ideas on how to be a more successful presenter.
As indicated in our reading of Digitales, everyone has a story to tell, and the oral tradition has been around longer than any other form of communication. That being said, it behooves us to extract the richness of our stories through the use of digital tools, and allow our stories to be stored for future generations to enjoy. But not every storyteller is created equally, and the same story told by two different individuals can yield remarkably different outcomes. Imagine a popular joke that you have heard in the past and recall the delivery of the punchline. In one case, the mastery of the delivery makes the joke funny for one, while intolerable for another. I think that Digitales will provide the tools needed to be, at the very least, a better storyteller, and allow me to better share experiences with my students.
Having a good story is a great opportunity to enlighten others, but deciding what is necessary and what is superfluous is a challenge to be addressed. Presentation Zen seems to address this challenge by providing, as the author indicates, and approach, rather than a method for presentations. Reynolds discusses that there is not a one size fits all approach to presentations, and that each situation requires a unique perspective. But by using the approach discussed in the book, the presenter seems to have a better chance to have a positive impact on his/her audience. I like the idea of simplicity, but it also scares me. We all probably think that the information we present is important, so being willing to thin out our material can be a daunting task. Perhaps less is really more, as long as we are willing to objectively let go of some of our materials in order to extract what is really meaningful.
Between the two readings I think that I will have a great approach to presentations, as described in Presentation Zen, and quality tools to present a story, as provided in DigiTales. My hope is that I will challenge some of the ways that I currently deliver information, and in the process, find ways to create quality presentations that can be used, and continually improved, throughout the years.
I too think that narrowing down the concepts in classroom presentations is necessary based on what the research is saying, yet it will stand as one of the most difficult and challenging tasks before us. I’m somewhat exited to attempt this with a few of my lessons in an effort to see if it gets easier with practice. I think that practice in other presentations (non-school related) could also help in paring down all of the extraneous materials and “things” that can get in the way of sending a clear message to the audience.
ReplyDeleteI also feel this is a great way of reaching students. This is something I rarely used but now understand how much more I can get across to the kids. This will for me take a lot of practice and there might be a large learning curve. I'm sure if I explain to my students that I'm learning something new they will embrace it.
ReplyDeleteI think you've nailed the most important aspects of our material, Ryan. As a fellow english teacher, we understand the rich tradition of narration and storytelling, but as you point out here and in my blog, the challenge as a teacher is to provide meaningful and practical ways for students to improve upon their technique. This reminds me of my days of coaching forensics at the high school level. Storytelling was one area of competition, and it was always interesting how students at first assumed that it was the easiest until they tried it themselves. What I am hoping to discover is how to effectively get students to tell their digital stories as you pointed out. In other words, I want their stories to have that emotional impact and focus. My challenge is having younger students. I think they naturally are great storytellers when given the right prompts, but I tend to find that their creativity goes right out the window when given too many conditions. They end up losing interest.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I totally understand your dilemma about using powerpoint. It's difficult enough getting students to take notes because so many of them don't know how. If we use that minimalist approach that Presentation Zen seems to be suggesting, then I'm thinking the traditional use of powerpoint goes right out the window. Don't you think? Give them the packet of notes, instead, and use the slideshow as a way to deliver the metaphor and images. Like I've said, it really means a lot more work although ultimately, I think the discussions would be a hell of a lot better.