Re: [LM_NET] TAR->TECH->SEC->Bored with PowerPoint/Searching for Alternatives

[Debbie Abilock <debbie@ABILOCK.NET>]

Hi Adam,
I am assuming that these Laureates have wide latitude on the selection of
the research topic and investigation.  Therefore, you might want to ask
yourself (and your students) what the "real-world" correlates might be for
their results - who might be their real audience if they were doing this
research outside of school.  Are these presentations:

- equivalent to defending a thesis in grad school?
- equivalent to providing information at a stockholder's meeting?
- equivalent to a campaign speech?
- equivalent to a proposal to the city council?

Each venue/context has its own most-effective form of rhetoric, medium, etc.
To treat all these final presentations as lock-step, equal products (i.e.
each student produces a PowerPoint, even if you teach them an enlightened
version of a PowerPoint) is to divest students of the opportunity to
creatively synthesize their work, to bypass their "aha" moment when they
realize that their essay could be something more than a school assignment,
and to miss their understanding how things really work in the world beyond
school.  I've team-taught a similar "end-game" research essay - we regarded
the essay itself as merely "prep" for the student's presentation which was
the summative product we assessed (the essay was also assessed but as an
interim product).  If your students are asked to think in this way about
product and presentation, it is more likely that your teaching will impact
their "lifelong learning." Although community members and educators are
their audience in the near-term, positioning them to think about their
genuine audience in the real-world is the key to transferability.

best,
debbie
  
Debbie Abilock
NoodleTools/NoodleTeach
http://www.NoodleTools.com
debbie@noodletools.com
 
"It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin barefoot
irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known,
but to question it." 
                                                 -- J.
Brownowski-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Joyce Valenza
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 9:03 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] TAR->TECH->SEC->Bored with PowerPoint/Searching for
Alternatives

Adam,
We suffered the same frustration and created a school- (almost
district-wide) PowerPoint reform effort.  We moved from bullet-laden
half hour snoozers back to traditional storytelling and engaging
rhetoric, as well as effective digital storytelling.

Here are some of the resources we used.
http://informationfluency.wikispaces.com/Digital+Storytelling+and+Reforming+
PowerPoint

joyce
Joyce Kasman Valenza, Ph.D.
Springfield Township HS Library
Phone: 215-233-6030 Ext. 2502                     Fax: 215-836-5237
Cell: 215-518-1846
Library website: http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/
NeverEndingSearch (School Library Journal)
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch
TeacherLibrarianNetwork http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com


On Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 7:12 PM, NHS Webmaster
<nhswebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us> wrote:
> Let me preface my request. I am dealing with 57 "Laureate" students,
> mostly seniors. Requirements for the Laureate program include having
> taken at least 4 Advanced Placement courses. I am dealing with very high
> level students who will be writing an in-depth research paper, which
> will conclude with an oral presentation (about 30 minutes) before a
> panel of educators and community members.
>
> We have always used PowerPoint for presentations, but I am looking for
> some alternatives. Any suggestions?
>
> TIA
>
> Adam
>
> Adam Janowski
> Library Media Specialist
> Naples High School
> 1100 Golden Eagle Circle
> Naples, FL 34102
> E-mail: NHSWebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us
> Phone: 239-377-2210
> Fax: 239-377-2370
> Library web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/lmc/
> School web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/
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