Reflection Task 3: Presentations

Gone are the days when teachers depend on whiteboards, blackboards or overhead projectors to convey information. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers were routinely using presentation software, such as PowerPoint on a regular basis; however, with the move towards online learning, it was identified that presentations need to be more engaging and interactive. In today's post, I will look at some of the options available to teachers.

Image source: https://c.pxhere.com/images/07/b2/f8ed07d6f1a9c740e7703cbb99ee-1443423.jpg!d

Presentations can be seen as the focal point for many high school lessons as they serve as the tool to convey information, outline activities and share images or videos. I use PowerPoint presentations in all of my lessons as it allows me to follow the lesson plan without having to think about what comes next. This allows me more time for classroom and behaviour management as well. Although PowerPoint is very useful programme for teachers and has a number of features and tools so that it can be used in very creative ways, and shared in even more creative ways, I can't help but wonder what else is "out there". As such, I took a deep dive into the world of presentation tools! 

There are a number of options in the digital realm, below are just a few:

Prezi is a commonly used tool which has a number of advantages: it can be connected with other apps, such as Zoom and Google Meet, and the overview design feature allows the presenter to easily navigate the presentation. However, the layout of Prezi can be confusing and the free version requires internet access, meaning where there is no or slow internet, the possibility of presenting in Prezi is impossible (Velarde, 2022). I would have like to have played around with Prezi, but unfortunately the website wanted me to sign up for a free trial, following which they would charge me $3/month. Knowing my track record of forgetting which subscriptions or memberships I have signed up for, I was reluctant to go for the free trial.

Image source: Snip of Prezi alert limiting my access to all features

I could see that there was an option for a free membership with limited features available; however, for some reason, this was not available for me to select. Sorry, Prezi - you don't have my vote for being so difficult to get up and running!

Image source: Snip of Prezi website - unable to select the Free option membership

VisMe was the next tool I explored. This online tool is easy to use and has numerous templates available for users. However, it is more geared towards business rather than education and this means that the lower priced plans are very expensive, the free plan is very limited and the possibility of collaboration is limited (Duffy, 2021). 

I quite liked this platform - it was relatively easy to use, the graphics were eye catching and there are lots of options for creating a unique presentation. There is also a very easy share feature, where the completed presentation can be uploaded to video streaming platforms or clouds. Here is a quick screen recording of a few slides I put together:

Once the presentation is created, it can be shared or downloaded; however, this is where paid membership is required. If a plan is purchased, there are options to share a live link, create a social post, embed the presentation in a website and add a layer of security through a password protection.

There are many other presentation software available, each with their own pro's and con's and levels of access. However, for the sake of ease of access, familiar platforms and accessible software, I suggest looking into Google slides or Microsoft Sway as these are both available with accounts that most teachers will likely have access to and which many schools may have subscriptions for their students.

Google Slides is one of the many FREE apps available through an individuals Google account and is accessible through most operating systems. It almost looks and feels like PowerPoint. Presentations created in slides automatically save to the Google drive, so there is no risk of the work being lost. Sharing is easy, with numerous collaborators able to work on the document at once and it is easy to see who has done what. There is also an option for the document to be shared as "View Only" or to allow people to comment. 

Image source: Google Slides - author's screenshot

Google slides does not have the same fancy graphics or features as VisMe, or even the extensive transitions and animation options in PowerPoint, but it is a very easy to use and exists on a platform that is likely familiar to most students and teachers. Due to being part of the "Google family", there are options for embedding a Sheets document (equivalent of Excel) or YouTube videos, as well as thousands of free add-ons, ranging from GIF makers to typing maths equations

Image source: Snip of sample add-ons available to Google Slides

Microsoft Sway is the final option I want to share with you today. Sway is one of the many apps available through an Office 365 account and allows for the creation of interactive presentations, reports and personal stories. Existing PowerPoint presentations can be uploaded to Sway, making it easy to transition from one platform to the other.

I created my first Sway presentation today and was very impressed with the easy navigation, suggestions presented and options to add images. In particular, Sway picked up on key terms and words in my text and I could search through Creative Commons Licenced images, videos and audio files to add to my presentation. 

Sway also allows for the creation of a "stack" within the presentation so the students can "flip through" key information. When presenting, the view options are in slide format, vertical scrolling or horizontal scrolling. 

Below is a quick glance of a presentation I created using Sway:

When comparing Google Slides and Sway, there are some aspects where Sway doesn't quite match up, the major one being the inability to edit or present offline. Google Slides has this capacity and as such, may be more beneficial (SaasWorthy, 2022). However, the capacity for Sway to zoom and pan on certain aspects of the presentation (as seen in my video above) does give it an edge over slides. It is really dependent upon the user, their context and the intent.

Legal, Safety and Ethical Protocols

Although Google Slides does appear to come out on top of my brief review of four presentation software options, the security and privacy of Google users' data has come into question. There is a risk that personal and user information may be shared with third parties, personal information is displayed publicly and a great deal of data about users is collected, such as geolocation, biometric, behavioural and sensitive data (Common Sense Privacy Program, 2020). As such, schools and individual teachers should carefully consider whether the Google suite of applications are best for their students and community and ensuring legal requirements regarding privacy are met. 

Where students are collaborating with others online, whether it is via a Google app or other, the privacy settings must remain limited to those who have access to the specified link only. Where someone may change the privacy setting to public, it opens that document or sharing platform to search engines (Common Sense Privacy Program, 2020). Therefore, teachers must model and explicitly instruct students on these safe practices. 

In addition to this, there are a number of risks associated with children working online including, but not limited to, cyberbullying, accessing inappropriate content and participation in risky communication (eSafety Commissioner, 2019). The following recommendations should be considered when students are online:

• Clear ground rules are in place
• Implement consequences for those who violate the rules
• Make students are aware of safety features of online platforms
• Teachers supervise and moderate online collaborations
• Teachers support students to safely navigate the digital world
• Support students to set their privacy settings at the highest levels of protection

(eSafety Commissioner, 2019)

SAMR and Presentations

Now that we have covered the main aspects and features, let's look at how presentations could be used in Biology. 

In a traditional science lab, students would listen to the teacher presenting a PowerPoint and take their own notes on evolution. This may be accompanied by a research activity, whether individual or collaborative, and summates in an assessment of sorts where students may create and/or evaluate. In applying the SAMR model to integrate digital technology to a similar concept and where learning is transformed, the following activities may be followed:

Image source: Microsoft Word SmartArt, Author's own

Fun note to finish off this blog: Escape Rooms are not only popular out in the real world, but also in the digital world! Escape Room activities are also becoming more popular in classrooms as teachers seek unique and contemporary ways to engage students. A simple PowerPoint presentation can be used to create your own Escape Room, or in my example above, have students create their own Escape Room for others to decipher! If you would like to know how to set this up yourself, see this WikiHow.

References

Common Sense Privacy Program. (2020, December 16). Privacy evaluation for Google classroom. https://privacy.commonsense.org/evaluation/Google-Classroom

Duffy, J. (2021, September 30). Visme: A one-stop shop for creating branded assets. PCMag. https://au.pcmag.com/old-collaboration/86599/visme

eSafety Commissioner. (2019). Safety by Design. Australian Government. https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-10/LOG%207%20-Document8b.pdf

Velarde, O. (2022). Prezi vs PowerPoint: Which one should you use? (In 2022). https://visme.co/blog/prezi-vs-powerpoint/

Saasworthy. (2022). Compare Google Slides vs. Microsoft Sway. https://www.saasworthy.com/compare/google-slides-vs-microsoft-sway?pIds=4845,4846