Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

     This week was the turning point in the way I use PowerPoint. I had seen and used many interactive PowerPoint presentations, but I have never thought it would be so easy to create one myself. And once you start, there's no going back to the old ways. I was so happy when I saw the result of what I did. The youtube video caused me a little headache, as I didn't know how to download it and include it in the presentation, so I tried a few programmes, but unfortunately they didn't do what I wanted. Finally I found a surprisingly easy way of including youtube videos in the presentation, and it was there. What a nice feeling! Of course there are so many things I still need to learn, there are so many unexplored options, but now that I have seen and learned that we can make our presentations much better by including interactive features, I don't think that I will ever create another presentation without at least one interactive element. 

       Interactive PowerPoint presentations can be used with both small and large classes, which was the other issue we discussed this week. Although it is much easier to teach small classes, large classes are a reality in many contexts, so we need to find ways to teach them both successfully. Combining online learning tools and face-to-face teaching can help us cope with the large number of students better. Using different methods to cater for the many different styles in large classes is one way to help us reach every one of our students. Using pair/group work in class, engaging students in doing projects and other tasks that require communication and collaboration is another way to help build closeness between students and create a positive learning atmosphere. 

      There is solution for everything, we just need to be willing and prepared to look for them and to try them out in order to see what works best for our groups of students. Is there a better reward for a teacher than successful, happy and satisfied students? It is worth every effort and every minute spent on achieving that goal.