Powerpoint: A Different Whiteboard

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PowerpointA Different Whiteboard

• Dr. Thomas Douglas
• St. John Fisher College
• 01/09/2008

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PowerPoint A Different Whiteboard

• Do you use a whiteboard in your classroom
  presentations? Have you wondered whether it is
  worthwhile to translate those classroom
  presentations into PowerPoint? Would you like to
  use PowerPoint but dont think that the classroom
  presentations you currently use with a whiteboard
  can be translated to PowerPoint?
• This session
• will discuss what I feel are the good and bad
  points of using PowerPoint in my classes and
• will demonstrate some of the advanced techniques
  that I have used to keep students more actively
  involved in the classroom meeting using
  PowerPoint.
• Session participants who currently use PowerPoint
  will be encouraged to add their ideas or describe
  any techniques they use to make PowerPoint more
  effective in their classrooms.

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Powerpoint A Different Whiteboard

• Some good/bad ideas about using Powerpoint
• Demonstrating some ideas which can add
  spontaneity to the class
• Extra slides internally linked to a page
• Using shapes to hide and then reveal information
• Triggered events
• Overlaying figures
• Call outs
• Highlighting using partially transparent shapes

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Whiteboards

• Things for which I have used a whiteboard
  (chalkboard)
• Definitions
• Ideas concepts
• Discussion points
• Diagrams or sketches of important concepts
• Equations
• Important class activities/information

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Whiteboards the bad side

• Skipping lines in my notes (and then going back)
• Waiting for students to copy information into
  their notes
• Or students not listening as they copy the
  information
• Dealing with material copied erroneously
• Multiple sections forgetting to tell the second
  section something

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Using Powerpoint The good side

• Classes are more organized
• Multiple sections will have the same material
• Hard to forget to tell students important
  information
• The printed notes are neater (no copying
  mistakes)
• You dont have to wait for them to copy notes
  from the whiteboard to their papers
• Students can listen while you present the
  information rather than split their time between
  listening to you and trying to copy the
  information
• This leaves more time for discussion of the
  point(s) being presented
• After the notes are done, its only a matter of
  making minor changes to update them for future
  years

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Using Powerpoint The bad side

• To create an effective presentation, the class
  meeting needs to be generally well-planned ahead
  of time
• Appears to take away some spontaneity
• Might be difficult
• The materials have to be typed or inserted into a
  Powerpoint presentation
• Requires knowledge of how to use the software
• Might be difficult for some types of material
• Is not always easy!
• Takes time!
• Is very easy to overload a slide with too much
  information

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What about classroom spontaneity?

• When using a whiteboard, I have been known to
  deviate from my notes
• Custom Animations in Powerpoint can allow some
  spontaneity in the class
• Planned deviations!
• Extra slides are added to the end of the
  presentation and they are spontaneously shown
• These are not given in the version made available
  to students
• Do not have to be used in class (e.g. running out
  of time)
• Unplanned deviations can, of course, still be
  done

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Some spontaneous events

• Using shapes to hide and then reveal information
• The shape is created to hide information
• It is shown on the page when the page starts
• It is removed to reveal the information
• Accomplished by setting a Custom animation which
  makes it disappear
• It can be a special trigger for events in
  Powerpoint
• E.g. Presenting multiple answers out of
  sequence
• E.g. Showing step-wise processes from figures
• Can use overlayed figures or call outs
• Can also hide part of a figure and reveal parts

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Summary

• Some good/bad ideas about using Powerpoint
• Demonstrating some idea which can add spontaneity
  to the class
• Extra slides internally linked to a page
• Using shapes to hide and then reveal information
• Triggered events
• Overlapping figures
• Call outs
• Highlighting using partially transparent shapes

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Powerpoint A Different Whiteboard

• Questions?
• Comments from other Powerpoint users?

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Pop quiz!

• What are the most important uses of the
  whiteboard in a classroom setting?

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Pop quiz!

• What are the most important uses of the
  whiteboard in a classroom setting?
• Definitions
• Ideas concepts
• Discussion points
• Diagrams or sketches of important concepts
• Equations
• Important class activities/information

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Step-wise use of figures

• Adding a shape

Set the color to the background (white) to make
the shape hide things
Create a link to another slide in the presentation
Drawing toolbar oval shape
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Pop quiz! (redux)

• What are the most important uses of the
  whiteboard in a classroom setting?
• Definitions
• Ideas concepts
• Discussion points
• Diagrams or sketches of important concepts
• Equations
• Important class activities/information

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