Using ICT to Present and Perform

In a traditional classroom we would expect to experience presentation in the form of the class talk or the finding of some research augmented by visual aids, flip charts or posters. Performances would take the form of drama, poetry reading and so on.

The modern classroom still includes these elements but it also offers a greater range of possibilities. The key piece of equipment in this is the digital or data-projector, now a common if not standard piece of equipment and one which has in many schools revolutionized the teaching of English. Other ingredients in the form of equipment are the interactive whiteboard and the visualizer.

2.1  Re-presenting written work

English teacher have always been suspicious of the use of word processors to type up fair copies of handwritten work, sometimes which many pupils quite like as it gives the outward appearance og productive work while using a minimum brainpower. On occasions this can be a necessary of mindless chore, perhaps when copy is required for a magazine or wall display and the original could only be written on paper.

            Where the conversation of a previously produces by a valuable activity it tends to be something which gains in the process and requires the student to actively engage: to reflect and make a choice.

Story to slide show

The class of 11-12 years-olds had already created their own story in a gosh / supernatural genre. Having enjoyed this activity, the teacher encourage them when they wanted to illustrate their story rather than add pencil an crayon or felt tip drawing to the handwritten text, suggested converting the story to the PowerPoint, adding the illustration along the way. Extra care was taken with spelling and functional as it was stressed that these versions would be shown to other classes.

Story to PhotoStory

Another example will serve to demonstrate the flexibility of these kinds of approaches, students create their story collaboratively, with the teacher playing the role of guide, stimulator and scribe. Ideas are generated together and general storyline agreed. Students the ‘best’ ideas then relayed to the whole class with teacher or reliable student typist creating the story gradually grows. Sometimes I have collected the class’s writing and culled elements from as many students as possible and then created the next few paragraphs- always making it clear that these are open for editing.

            This may seem a slow process but in many ways that is the point. Students are sharing a creative process and learning that getting a piece of writing right, or improving it as much as they can, takes time. The process of negotiating sentece structure, adding or deleting adjectives or finding more appropriate verb is a crucial one in thier writing development and this is way can be modelled powerfully and interactively.

            One the story has been created, there are many option. One is to use microsoftPhotoStory. The process is as follows:

·         Each student take a paragraph and produces an illustration. These are scanned or photographed,

·         The picture are imported into the program and arranged in the correct sequence,

·         Each paragraph of the story is then narrated by the illustrato and recorded accompanying the picture.

·         If required, transitions between pictures are customized, along with other presentational features

·         Add a title and final credit

·         Add musical background from a wide selection of pre-recorded music.

·         Save the project as a media file.

Voice Over      

In a age where communication is frequently thought of as giving primacy to the visual, we often forget how powerful sound alone can be. Radio did not die with the advent of television and is still enormously popular. As a means of presentation, podcast , or simple voice recording are very effective.

            All computers have a basic sound recorder built in (see Chapter 1, ‘Using ICT to Explore and Investigate,’ and the section in Chapte 3 on podcasting) so your laptop or desktop can be used as a tap recorder. What you may need to add are loudspeaker and microphones, umless your classroom is already equipped with them. Small powerful speakers are now widely available and cheap- the sort of thing you might buy yourself if the school won’t. Head –phones and mikes are not expensive either and it’s worth having a few of your own tucked away in drawer. Don’t be persuaded that you need expensive equipment: you are not creating studio quality material and most of it you will not keep beyond the end of term.

            Recorded responses make a useful alternative to written one for many students and, in terms of literacy, are valuable. A recorded response can also be a useful preparation for a written answer. Having gained cinfidence and organized thoughts verbally, some students will be better prepared and more willing to commit thier thoughts to paper.

2.2            Performance: Podcast and radio programmes

          Initially the English Department took change of the project, which involved students aged 13-14 creating five minute podcast on a range of subjects. These suggested by students but vetted by teachers and ranged from fashion and pop music to interviews with people inside and outside the school. It’s hard to think of a better activity which focuses on planning, research, scripting, questioning, speaking, and listening- and all for a very clear purpose and a known audience. Inexpensive voice recorders were used and simple editing sofware such as Audacity. The plan is to create a leadership group from the students who will then able to train other teacher and other students as well as acting as producers.

·         Trip recorder

School visits are a rich source of material for English work and a powerful stimulus too. Thier value can be enhanced if students are equipped with cameras-either still video. The former are not only cheaper but the output is easier to manage.

In a trip to the local art center and gallery, students were encouraged to take photograp of anything that interested them. That could be the lady behind the till in the cafe or the drain outside the building as well as any of the exhibit. While downloading them onto computers, they were asked to select just ten and give them suitable, clear captions-in other word, rename them from PIC001 to Drain-cover,for example. These were then copied into a common folder, the teacher showed the class the complete class set of ictures as slide show and then managed a discussion of how they might best be organized to fulfil a particular purpose for a particular audience, in this case to persuade other members of the same year group that the visit was worth making in their own time.

Each pair was then charged with selecting on more than 20 pictures to be used as part of a powerpoint presentation. A slide could consist of text only, text and picture or picture only and there was a limit on the number of word to be used on any one slide. A slide could consist of text only, text and picture or picture and there was limit on the number of wod to be used any one slide. The combination of selection and organization with a specific persuasive purpose in mind provided an ideal focus for English teaching and learning.

·         Image editing

In the example given, photographs were not edited. An extension to this activity would be to demonstrate the use of one particular form of editing: the cropping tool. This can be found in any picture management software, usually with this symbol.

As s fall-back position, insert a photograph in to the word document and click on it. A toolbar should appear offering the crop tool. If does not, find the appropriate Toolbar menu and select picture Toolbar. You  will find the same tool in windows picture manager.

Further work  of this kind be found on the Global Eduction area attached to NATE’s website(/www.nate.org.uk/globed). Select image’s from  the left-hand colum and you will find several lesson activites relevant to this type work, especially theJigsaw Picture Activity. Students will also enjoy searching out pictures which can be used in this sort of activity.

RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT

While ICT has not caused this problem (it used to happen where students copied out verbatim chunks from whatever text they thought appropriate) it has exacerbated it. Students do need to be reminded that books still exist, often prove more reliable and sometimes present information in a better, more comprehensible way.

Once research has been carried out, though, presentation software provides a good way of helping students to focus and to organize. A PowerPoint presentation forces users to restrict themselves to a small amount of text per slide and to organize those slides into a coherent sequence.

Set a maximum number of words per slide – or a minimum font size – and ban long paragraphs. Encourage bullet points and numbering. This may seem counter to the instructions you normally give about writing; it’s worth explaining to students that purpose here is not a piece of continuous prose but a presentation.

You may choose to use a different format for the presentation but whatever form it takes it still serves as a motivator and a tool. By the time students reach secondary education they should have overcome the need to try every font, colour and special effect but if they have not, insist that these aspect are tried out after the content has been created.

The green screen

            A development of this approach is to move the research outcomes from written text (possibly accompanied with still images) to a full blown film. Clearly it is not difficult to put a camera in front of some students and record what they say and do. It doesn’t necessarily have to be edited. To become a presentation or a performance, however, requires a good deal more work.