Multimedia in the Classroom

Alternatives to PowerPoint
Library Media Center Workshop Series

Presenter:

Location:

Address:





Phone:

Email:

Valerie McEnroe
Beijing City International School
77 Baiziwan Nan Lu
Beijing, PRC 100022
8610-8771-7171
valerie.mcenroe@icloud.com

Intended Audience


The program is designed for middle and high school teachers in all subject areas.
Program Description


The purpose of the program is to familiarize teachers with online alternatives to PowerPoint.
The presentation creation websites to be presented are Haiku Deck, Prezi, Powtoon and Moovly.
Workshops will occur at four set times throughout the school year. During each one hour session,
participants will follow along through a guided tutorial, view product samples, create their own
product and discuss practical ways they can incorporate the technology into their own classroom
curriculum.
Timeline
September: HaikuDeck training workshop
November: Powtoon training workshop
February: Prezi training workshop
April: Moovly training workshop
May: Teacher survey and post training meeting to discuss school wide multimedia program
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Program Rationale

Though PowerPoint is a useful tool, it is no longer cutting edge. Students are introduced to
PowerPoint in early elementary school and continue to use it throughout their schooling. Teachers use
PowerPoint to enhance lectures and provide alternatives to written assignments. Though these uses
are worthwhile, students have become more tech savvy and bored with the frequent use of
PowerPoint. Their technology skills have progressed to a level that allows them to quickly learn and
apply new programs in meaningful ways. Studies have shown that students tend to be more engaged in
learning when using computers. The list of presentation creation websites is lengthy and growing. The
following websites have been selected for low cost, ease of learning, cross platform/online nature, and
student appeal.
Session 1
Haiku Deck: Easier to use than PowerPoint, it provides a very large database of rich photos that can
be used as a background for each slide. Teachers can begin using it immediately. Completely free.
Session 2
Powtoon: Uses animated characters, hands for writing and transitions and background music to create
a mini-movie. Involves higher level skills and decision making to create a pleasing presentation, but its
more user friendly than Windows or IOS platforms. The free subscription is limited but adequate.
Session 3
Prezi: Closest to PowerPoint in function and features. PowerPoint and Keynote users will learn this
very quickly and find it intuitive for learning. The distinguishing feature is the zoom and pan technique
which makes it nonlinear and appear animated. Free option is more than adequate for educators.
Session 4
Moovly: Most like professional movie editing software. Animation creation works solely with a
timeline. It is similar to Powtoon but uses no slides. This requires higher level editing skills. There is an
upgrade but the free version is more than adequate for educators.


Goals and Objectives

The goals of this program are to provide teachers an introduction to various presentation software available
on the internet, give them an opportunity to practice using the websites, and suggest practical ways to
incorporate the website programs into lesson plans.
By the conclusion of the program participants will be able to:
1. Create an account at HaikuDeck, Powtoon, Prezi and Moovly websites.
2. Describe the overall purpose and features of each website.
3. Use each websites software to create a simple presentation.
4. Incorporate the software into lesson plans.
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Outline
Introduction (5 min):*
Welcome participants.
During session 1 only discuss the article Essentials for Engaged (Handout) which describes the
nature of the millennial generation and why they need technology in instruction.
During session 1 only give a brief overview of presentation software.
State the goals and objectives.
Pass out handout describing the 4 selected presentation creation websites. (Handout)
State the website that will be covered in this workshop: Haiku Deck, Prezi, Powtoon or Moovly.
Training (35 min):
Using a Smartboard, go to one of the 4 presentation websites.
Go over the features of the homepage, especially subscription levels, tutorials, and gallery examples.
Create an account to get started.
Follow the training plan provided for each specific presentation software.
Conduct a live tutorial to create a sample presentation product. Teachers may follow along on their
own laptops.
Practice (15 min):
Give participants a simple topic and several pieces of paper for planning and storyboard creation.
Allow participants time to create a 1-2 slide presentation on the topic.
Give teachers the handout with practical suggestions for lesson plans. (Handout)
Closing (5 min):
Restate the objectives and reinforce key points.
Solicit questions.
Hand out evaluation form.

*Session 1 will require a longer introduction to give an overview of the training and discuss the nature of the
millennial generation. Haiku Deck will be presented on this day and it requires less training time. Subsequent
sessions will require less introduction time, but longer training time.

Program Details
The program will be conducted in a school library for middle and high school teachers. A Smartboard will be
used in training so that the participants can follow along through the online demonstration. Teachers will also
have their own laptops to follow along in the creation process. Each website is user friendly and has separate
tutorials which can be viewed by participants later if more training is needed. A sampling of presentation
screen shots follows.

Introduction (5 min.)

Welcome everyone. During the first session discuss handout titled Essentials for Engaged (see handout) by V.
Jones. State the rationale and objectives for the program. Give a brief overview of presentation software and
specifically why we need to introduce new technologies to students. Direct the teachers attention to the
Smartboard to follow the live tutorial beginning on website homepage. Create an account and point out any
tutorials, gallery examples or pricing information.

Training (35 min.)

Haiku Deck
1. Explain to participants that this is the easiest of the programs to be presented and they can get started using
it right away. View an example presentation in the gallery. Click on the create a new deck icon and begin
building.

2. Use the 4 features on the left vertical bar to build a slide.

Click on Tt to select a slide type and begin typing (as shown).
Click on the picture icon to enter a search term that will bring up loads of background photo choices.
Click on the layout icon to choose a layout for the slide type you already selected.
Click on the paper icon to add presentation notes that will appear to the side of the presentation.
3. Click add slide on bottom right and repeat the process. Save work.

Powtoon
1. Powtoon is more advanced because it requires users to use a timeline to create animation. Users can
select Professional Slideshow or Animated Presentations. For this demonstration we will practice making an
animated presentation.

2. Users can create a presentation from scratch or edit one that is ready-made. First we will look at a readymade presentation to get a feel for how it works. This is a great option to introduce younger students to
Powtoon without them needing to learn how to use all the features.

3. Now we will create a video from scratch. Select a template. Identify a topic ahead of time (e.g a book
report). This will make the presentation more meaningful and structured. Go over the main features as
described in the next step and build 2 slides.

Use this
area to
add slides.
Use this area
to add text,
characters,
props,
transitions
and
backgrounds.

Use this
area to adjust slide length
and each objects entrance/
exit characteristics.

4. Demonstrate the function of the features needed to create the presentation.

Go over the basic features: adding slides, choosing a background, choosing characters/props/writing
effects/slide transitions.
Go over the timeline features: adjusting slide length, adjusting entrance/exit and duration of text and
objects.
Go over advanced features: importing images, adding music and recording voiceovers.
View presentation and save work.
5. Discuss the need to create a storyboard and record voiceover before creating the slides. Its easy to adjust
slides to voice, but difficult the other way around. Without planning, the presentation will not be as
polished and effective as it could be.

Prezi
1. Look at a Prezi in the gallery to get an overview of the capabilities. Create a new Prezi by selecting a
template or starting from scratch. We will start from scratch to better learn the features.

2. Explain the canvas vs. slide concept. Demonstrate how to add zooms, text, change frames and customize
features.

Add a
theme,
background
image or
new font.
Add
zooms here.

Change
text and frame
options by
clicking them.

3. Demonstrate how to insert images, videos and background music by using files from your own computer
or searching for them directly on the internet.

4. Demonstrate how to edit the path and add animations by reordering zooms in panel or using the edit path
button.View presentation and save work.

5. Explain the online edit/collaboration capability found in the share menu.

Moovly
1. Look at a Moovly in the gallery to get an overview of the capabilities. Create a new Moovly by selecting a
template or starting from scratch. We will start from scratch to better learn the features.

2. Browse the Moovly library and select a graphic. Certain ones are animated. Notice that it appears in the
timeline as well as the on the page. Change the duration by moving the time bar. Select a transition and
modify its duration and placement as well. More object and animation settings are on the right.

More
object
and
animation
settings
appear
here.

Select
a graphic
and drag
it to the
canvas.
Adjust the graphics
on the timeline. Select
and adjust transitions.

3. Locate the import media icons on the bottom left. Click on the microphone and record your voice. It will
save to the personal library. Upload a music file from your computer. Drag these to the canvas and adjust
them on the timeline. Select the text icon. Write text then modify it with the object settings. Choose the
handwriting animation and adjust it on the timeline.View presentation and save work.

Text

Import
media and
record voice.
Audio and text
appear on the timeline for
adjusting.

Practice (15 min.)

1. After each training period, give participants a topic to practice creating their own presentation. Some
possibilities are:
Prezi, HaikuDeck and Powtoon: favorite hobby, favorite vacation, what makes you smile, something silly
your pet did, favorite songs, favorite foods
Moovly: flowers growing, a person walking, conversation with a friend
2. Distribute a handout with ideas for using presentation software in lesson plans (Handout).

Closing and Evaluation (5 min.)

Restate the rationale and objectives for the session. Reinforce key points. Solicit questions. Hand out
evaluation form and ask for honest feedback (Handout). Collect forms. Thank teachers for coming.

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Post Workshop Remarks

After surveying teachers in May to determine whether they incorporated the technologies into their
curriculum, a group consisting of an administrator, technology teacher, media specialist and teacher
representative will meet to discuss how we can help teachers become better at using these technologies. A
plan will need to be implemented to ensure that teachers incorporate the software into their lesson plans.
Since finding the time to teach students how to use the software can be time consuming and often repetitive,
if multiple teachers are unknowingly reteaching the same software, a plan can help alleviate these pressures.
One possibility would be to assign one type of software to each of the four major content areas. The teachers
in that content area would only be responsible for teaching the assigned software, but would be able to use
the other software as well since they would be taught in other classes. Over time, only the 9th grade
teachers would need to teach the software. If this proved to be successful, then other categories of
technology could be introduced in a similar way.

Bibliography
Journal Articles

Jones,V. R. (2012). Essentials for Engaged. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 87(7), 16-19.

Multimedia Websites

Presentations That Inspire. (2014). Retrieved February 20, 2015 from https://www.haikudeck.com
Create Animated Videos and Presentations. (2014) Retrieved February 20, 2015 from www.powtoon.com
Create Animated Videos Like a Pro. (2014) Retrieved February 20, 2015 from https://www.moovly.com
Be a Great Presenter. (2015). Retrieved February 20, 2015 from www.prezi.com

PBL Websites

Intel Education Designing Effective Projects. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2015 from http://www.intel.com/
content/www/us/en/education/k12/project-design.html
PBL: The Better Way to Learn. (2012). Retrieved February 25, 2015 from http://www.projectfoundry.org/
Teach21 Project Based Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2015 from http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/
project/MainMenu.cfm?tsele1=1&tsele2=107

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