YOU are the presentation

I found excellent instruction in several presentations on Monday. Sarah's presentation, in particular, was exceptional. Her topic selection was appropriate for the time available, and the visuals supported the information she was sharing. I also liked that her presentation focused on something special that happens in Portland; it was easy to answer “why do we need to know this?” when listening to her presentation. In addition, the visuals were engaging and elegantly presented. In sales talk, her presentation “made the ask” at the end; it gave us motivation to do something extraordinary and the information necessary to make it happen. Marc's talk, too, was fantastic. His introduction about that morning's weather was an excellent opener and got the audience immediately involved. He asked questions of the audience during the presentation, and skillfully incorporated the responses into the remainder of his presentation. His enthusiasm was palpable and contagious. His presentation balanced entertainment and science; his visual aids and videos showed the humorous and serious sides of tornadoes and the science behind their creation. Sara had the best save when the technology failed; reciting her own version of Middle English turned a potential disaster into an epic win. I was sure of her expertise and confidence in her content. Erin did a great job making a personal connection to her topic (though I wish she had talked more about her experiences and mentioned her special connection earlier in the talk). Roger used Prezi to great effect; the integration of photos and videos with the map gave an excellent overview of his adventures. I think Roger's presentation best maximized Prezi's capabilities.

The least engaging parts of presentations resulted when people seemed uncertain, whether from technological error or poor preparation of content. When we use technology in the classroom, we have to assume it's going to fail and have a contingency plan. Ryan's presentation had a clear conception and was thoughtfully prepared, but there was no back-up plan. When we have a presentation using PowerPoint or Prezi or a SmartBoard, we can't rely on the technology to keep students engaged. Even with excellent presentation materials, the teacher is still the presentation. Adequate time must be spent preparing what will be said. A few people seemed to spend more time on their visual aids and not as much time preparing what was to be said. In particular, Jerry and Andy seemed to know their topics well but didn't spend enough time considering how to share the information. Using time well was a challenge for several presentations. Sara's interesting overview of the development of English was a bit long for 12 minutes, and Roger's presentation was disrespectful of other people's time because it went well beyond the ending time for class without prior permission or warning. Tim's 1909 World's Fair was a great topic and his expertise was clear, but he tackled too much during his time. It would have been more appropriate to select a more specific component of the fair; perhaps mistreatment of different cultures at the fair or how the fair helped the University of Washington develop would be potential ways to hone the talk.

In my presentation, I'd like to find a way to increase student involvement. I would have students take a brief mindset quiz to assess their mindset; I'd let them score their own and keep the information private. I also said “umm” several times, which made me sound less knowledgeable. In the future, I will pause silently instead of saying “umm”. I had to refer to my notes in the middle of the presentation—but I had left the notes on the other side of the room, which showed a lack of forethought. I would put my notes on a note card for easier portability. While I talked about the Michael Jordan video clip, I let the other video clip stand on it's own. When I do this presentation again, I will make explicit connections between the second video and my talk's content. I really like the graphic organizer with the brains that explains the different parts of fixed vs. growth mindset. When I redo this presentation, I will put stops on different parts of the graphic organizer. Students will have an incomplete copy of the organizer and will fill in missing information. I'd also like to work on my close; I didn't feel as compelling as I'd like be.

I liked using Prezi for my presentation because I could integrate text, images, and video. One potential disadvantage is the time investment; a good presentation can take a long time to prepare and a short time to present. I'd use it with students for my mindset talks at the beginning of the year. In general, though, I'd use a SmartBoard for teaching math concepts. I wouldn't change from Prezi if I could redo my presentation, but I will use a SmartBoard for our final project so I can develop that skill set.

Prior to this class, my primary in-class technology was an overhead. I occasionally used an LCD projector to project problems onto the board instead, especially during small group review. After this project, I want to learn how to incorporate more technology (especially the SmartBoard). How often I use such technology will depend on the resources of my school. I especially like interactive white board's ability to capture notes. Students often need to review material several times before they can move information from short term to long term memory. Being able to post the day's notes on the class website would increase accessibility of content for review. When presenting lecture material, it doesn't matter what visual method is used as long as the teacher remembers they are the presentation and students must be engaged. The most important question a teacher should ask themselves when preparing direct instruction is “What are the students doing when I'm _________?”