Pros and cons of presentation software - Discussion for Sept 14-27

I had alot of fun with the readings available for this discussion. I was able to share them also with my co-workers. I had no idea about the 10-20-30 rule for PowerPoint presentations until I was part of this discussion. I must admit, I have used PPt for several lessons and was forced to reflect on whether I used this technology appropriatley or not. The videos were very user friendly and provided a strong understanding of proper uses for PowerPoint producations.

It was refreshing to hear the various PowerPoint presentations, both positive and negative, that peers have attended and the reflections they added about their experience. This was one part of the discussion where I felt I was able to connect the most, especially since 1 month prior I was able to attend a professional development given my Marzano. He had a plethora of "best practice" materials to share in regards to assessments. His notes were very valuable in the understanding of all the information presented. While the rule is 10 slides, he just had so much awesome information to share. I know part of the discussion talked about when and if to give notes or printouts of the slides, but I don't know how I would have managed if I didn't have them available during his presentation.

I would have liked a little more discussion about the uses of Turning Point or other interactive technologies. I feel this is an area of technology that is newer to me. I even hear some websites can be used with the Turning Point clickers. As you can see, this area is still a little unclear to me, and I will be doing more indendenent readings on this subject in the future.

Overall, the topic was very entertaining and engaging. I was able to get alot out of rules provided for using PowerPoint, as well as the need and place for notetaking while using this technology.