53302_Hibbard_Blog04Powerpoint

One thing that I learned from this week’s lesson is that PowerPoint presentations can be converted in to web pages for students to view.  You just have to save the PowerPoint as HTML. 

Another thing that I learned is that some schools have been purchasing lesser-known presentation programs because they are cheaper.  Microsoft gives academic institutions discounts for using their products.  This usually makes the package as cheap as the others.

1. What was the PowerPoint presentation about and to whom did you present it?


The PowerPoint presentation that I created was about stress management.  This presentation was created for my eighth grade class.  In my presentations I highlight the information that will be presented in their assessment.  For my “individual education plan” students I print out the handout version of the PowerPoint presentation and have those students highlight the important information.  
Information that was in this PowerPoint presentation included: chapter presentations, images, bell ringers, and quotes about characters.  I do not have a smart board in my classroom or a projector screen.  I am currently using a white wall to present my information.  One issue that I ran into at the beginning of the year was the color of my text.  Red does not show up well on the wall.  The information that I highlighted I changed to yellow and all other text is in black. 
Next year I am supposed to be getting a smart board in my classroom.  This would be a great addition because I can spice up the PowerPoint presentation because of getting the students more involved with using the board. With the smart board you can touch the screen or use a pen that is included to control your computer. 

2. Of which item in your presentation are you the most proud?


The items that I am most proud of in the PowerPoint presentation are the design, pictures, tables, and graphs in the presentation.  I feel that students are more engaged into the lesson when you add media to the presentation.  At the end I add the pictures and graphs again so that they are easily accessed if I need to reiterate any information. 
The design included a background that was blue and green with a yellow boarder. The lesson title and chapter title are always at the top.  The tables that were included are: common stressors for teens, major life changes that can cause serious stress, long term effects of stress on the body, and common stress of distress.
Table one, common stressors for teens included information that let the students know of things that they deal with everyday in life.  Some students may not realize how some simple things can cause stress.  Some of the stressors in this table included: arguing with your brother or sister, moving to a new home, getting glasses or braces, and trying out for a sports team. 
Some of the other tables included information about how stress can cause the body harm and that you could develop diseases if you do not do something that will help you relax. 

3. What might you do differently if you could create the presentation again?


Something that I would like to do differently with this presentation is include some videos about stress and what to do if you become stressed out.  Some PowerPoint presentations that I have done in the past have included videos and the reaction was great.  Adding something different always helps grasp a student’s attention. 

4. How did your students respond to the presentation?


The students responded well to information included in the graphs, tables and pictures.  When I was describing the information in the tables about the causes of stress and how stress can affect the body.  The students asked more questions and became more involved.  I have also learned that if you include personal stories about events that have affected you, the students become more involved. 
In the presentation I included a picture about what happens to you if you were lost in the woods and a bear tried to attack you.  Beside the picture were steps of how your body responds when it becomes stressed.   The students enjoyed this pictures and had lots of comments.