Alternative Presentation Approaches

Doing presentations are a common performance and assessment task in our classes. They are also an important skill to develop in our students, as well, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, especially when we have a large class of 15+ students, we get weary of the class time doing all the presentations will take and the management issues to facilitate with the student audience members. Though it is necessary to do the standard “stand & deliver” in front of the class presentation at times, there are other options, with the help of tech, where students can still do a presentation and develop the skills, but produce a video file for you that you can watch and assess at a later time. New skills are develop in the process, also. Here are some options.

VIDEO KILLED THE LIVE PRESENTATION STAR – This is where the students still stand in front of the room (or in a space), content and presentation skills well-rehearsed, but they video record themselves in an empty room (or with a partner who is running the camera). Visual support options are the same as in “stand & deliver” presentations: Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, or Prezi. Audio capture is important here, however, so it’s recommended the students don’t just use their laptop. When watching the videos, you don’t want to struggle to hear what they are saying. Laptops usually have to be set far away to fit the presenter and the screen, which means the presenter is further away from the microphone. Here are a couple of video recording equipment with better audio options

• Padcaster – iPad set into a frame with a tripod, high-quality shotgun mic, and high definition wide-angle lens.
• DSLR Camera – Can shoot video in HD and record audio with a high quality shotgun mic.
  

We will have some lavalier lapel mics soon, also, that can be used for even better audio with this equipment. Some light editing of the beginning and end of the video might be needed to cut out extraneous movements by the presenter to start and stop the recording.  

TED YOUR VIDEO – The students can step up their Video Killed the Live Presentation Star approach a couple of notches by cutting away to their slides for a few seconds as each new slide appears. This makes it easier for viewers to see the slides throughout the presentation. This what they do in TED Talks; thus, this adds a more professional-looking layer to video recorded presentations. Editing in iMovie will be needed (slides need to be converted to jpeg, then added in throughout the video, using the cutaway feature). Visual support and video/audio recording options are the same as above.

PRESENTATIONS WITH IPADS – Similar to the options above, students can video record each other doing presentations with an iPad. One student holds the iPad while the other(s) present. The nice thing about this option is that students can immediately upload the video file from the iPad to a shared Google Drive folder you have shared with them, making the collection of the videos quick, painless, and easy. All presentations can be done in one class period with this approach. Clare and Marty recently did this approach with Grade 9 Geography presentations about volcanos. Note that the iPads need to be booked.

CAST NO DOUBTS – Have your students increase their tech skills by creating a screencast presentation. This is how a lot of tutorial videos are done. Cast no doubts that it’s a great approach for presentations, also. After developing amazing content that will score high marks on that part of the rubric, the students create slides to support their ideas like they would for a standard presentation (any visual support option can be used). After rehearsing, they set up QuickTime to record their screen, bring slides full-screen, and narrate while advancing their slides. QuickTime records their voice through the built-in microphone. Using a USB microphone/headset is recommended for better audio quality. The video will need light editing to smooth out the beginning and end. These can then be easily shared through Google Drive or uploaded to YouTube for a larger audience to watch and learn from. Example.

NOT YOUR 4000 WORD EE – This EE is Explain Everything, the remarkable iPad app that gives a blank whiteboard/canvas on which to create an engaging presentation where the students, well, explain everything. Just like all other approaches, excellent content needs to be developed that they then rehearse. A little more planning is needed, however, to build the visual elements in the app effectively to support their ideas in the presentation. Since images and video clips can be inserted that the creator manually pops in and out; typed or handwritten text can be set up before recording, or even live-writing on the whiteboard/canvas while recording can occur, the sky’s the limit to the students’ creative approach with Explain Everything. They can set it up to feel like slides, or you can do everything on a single canvas. Up to their creativity. All they need is an iPad, script, and some creative ideas. Audio is recorded through the built-in mic on the iPad. Note that the iPads need to be booked. See this post for Explain Everything examples.

DON’T DREAD. THREAD. – As most of you are aware, we have a subscription to VoiceThread that is integrated into our Google Apps suite. All SSIS HS students and teachers have a VoiceThread account. VoiceThread is an online presentation tool that uses a slide-style format, so it’s an awesome alternative approach to doing presentations. The great thing about this tool is its collaborative possibilities. Students can easily build and record presentations together without having to be in the same room. The teacher and students can comment to the presenters easily through text, audio, or video comment options. And, the presentations can be easily shared and embedded since they web-based. Check out this post for more details about VoiceThread.

As you can see, there are many options for students to complete presentations in ways that save you classtime, build tech skills, and increase creative and collaborative processes. The next time you are planning presentations in your class, consider one of these options, or better yet, make your students aware of all of the options and let them choose one they feel will best help them successfully deliver their message.