Power Point & Digital Cameras

Power Point is Microsoft’s program for creating presentations. It was created for the business world. This is nothing new. What is new is teachers repurposing this presentation program to be a meaningful tool for students in the classroom.

Today in class, we completed an activity (that began yesterday) involving Power Point and digital cameras that could be adapted for students of all ages. First, we used Scholastic’s BookFlix website to listen to the book, “Rosie’s Walk” by Pat Hutchins. Second, the professor prompted us to generate a list of position words (prepositions). Prepositions are repeated throughout the entire story and having students understand prepositions is the goal/purpose of this activity. The professor then shared that we would be using Power Point to create our own books that mimic “Rosie’s Walk”. Next, the professor divided the class into small groups, provided each group with one digital camera, and instructed us to take photographs that represent position words. The professor prompted us to recall tips for taking quality pictures. Our group enjoyed taking pictures in the elevator, up the stairs, under the umbrella, and through the gate. Once we had our photographs, it was easy to drag them into the book template that our professor created in Power Point. In no time at all, we had a pretty decent looking picture book and a greater understanding of position words. Acting out position words for the photographs will make the abstract idea of prepositions, more concrete and real for younger students. This activity could be modified to teach other content skills. The most important lesson this activity taught me is that educators need to be aware of how they present the technology to their students. Something as simple as making a template contributed to the success of this activity. If students were left to create their own book formats, they would have spent more time playing around with the Power Point program and less time focusing on the content.

We also used Power Point to create an “I SPY” page. “I SPY” is a highly popular children’s book series in which children read playful riddles and look for items in the corresponding pictures. We were each asked to bring in 5 to 10 random items to class. The professor divided us into groups and asked us to combine our items to create an interesting arrangement imitating the “I SPY” pictures. We used a digital camera to capture our arrangement and then imported the picture onto a Power Point slide. Next, we added a textbook to the Power Point slide and created a rhyming riddle to accompany our picture. Each group in the class sent a digital copy of their “I SPY” page to the professor. Our professor will combine the pages to create a class “I SPY” book. What does this super fun activity have to do with literacy? Writing a riddle requires students to have an understanding about rhyme and meter. These skills address fluency and could be used to teach elements of poetry. Working collaboratively with peers addresses social and communication skills. You could even have students role play how they would handle disagreements in their group.

**Here is a page from an “I SPY” book; notice the rhythm and rhyme of the riddle.