Uses of PowerPoint in Primary SchoolsPat CunnaneColáiste Mhuire, Marino

Why use PowerPoint?

•PowerPoint can be used as a presentation aid for teachers

•PowerPoint can be used as an outlet for children’s creativity and productivity

Some teacher uses of PowerPoint•Avoid ‘PowerPointlessness’ •Bulleted information presentations for

primary school children are generally inappropriate

•Curriculum Principles▫Activity and discovery-based learning▫Problem-solving▫Environmental-based learning etc.

• Instead use PowerPoint as a teaching aid•How?

• Why not use the IWB? ▫ PowerPoint can show or play a huge variety of resources▫ PowerPoint can be published as a ‘Package.’ The resulting

folder contains all the resources from the PowerPoint▫ PowerPoint can quickly create a large ‘Photo Album’▫ Enables you to show/ use resources on computers that don’t

have your IWB software package▫ Allows you to animate your slides▫ Text-based slides (e.g. tasks/ worksheets) are quick to create

and have lots of layout options▫ You can import PowerPoint content into a flipchart but you

can’t import flipchart content into a PowerPoint• What kind of resources could you put in your ‘Hub’

As a ‘Hub’ for your resources

Show visual aids

Set tasks• As a last effort to

get rid of the goods, they are marked at 25 per cent off.

•How much do you save?

Suit €100

T-shirt € 10

Skirt € 15

Jeans € 30

Socks € 1.50

Shoes € 40

Interactive tasks• If you don’t have

interactive whiteboard software, use PowerPoint for interactive tasks

How many ways can you put 10 cent in this bag?

Show data instead of using handouts

Focus children on key questions and tasks• SPHE discussion

▫Question: What steps can our school take to help prevent bullying?

▫Roles: Chair- Ensures everyone in your group has the

opportunity to speak Time-keeper- Allows ten minutes for the

discussion and give minutes for the recorder to summarise the group’s suggestions

Recorder- Records the suggestions of your group Reporter- Reports your group’s suggestions back

to the class

Summarise•Place the stations of the cross in the

correct order

Manage and resources for a unit of work• Uganda

▫Maps: Posters▫Images: Posters

or handouts▫Music: CD + CD

player + handout▫Video footage: TV

+DVD + DVD player

▫Music activity: Handouts + CD player

•PowerPoint Maps instead of posters

Siya Humba Lyrics

Siya humba ku ken yeni kwen kos

Siya humba ku ken yeni kwen kos

Siya humba,

Siya humba,

Siya humba ku ken yeni kwen kos.

Power Point for music activities instead of CD + CD player + handout

• PowerPoint for Images instead of posters or handouts

•PowerPoint for interactive music task instead of CD + CD player + handouts: Match the instrument with the sound

•PowerPoint for video instead of DVD + TV + DVD Player

Let’s learn how to make a PowerPoint•Open ‘How to make a PowerPoint’ in your

PowerPoint folder on your CD or click this link

Some pupil uses of PowerPoint

•Presentation aid- oral language lessons•Practice/ reinforce learning•Project work•Presenting project work, e.g. Granny

project▫Can assemble text, pictures, video, audio

etc. for the pupils

Oral language presentation aid

•Rettendon Primary School

•School Council give a presentation at the Meeting of the Governing Body

Practical tasks to practice/ reinforce learning•Example

▫Using keys to identify plants and animals in the local habitat

Pupil uses of PowerPoint- Ongoing writing project

• ‘South-Enders’ by Osbaston School, Wales (Year 6)

•Weekly soap opera•Digital camera used

to source images•Ends on a

cliffhanger•Different group

produces each week

All about minibeastsAll about minibeasts

Our book of invertebratesby Primary 4

Glamis Schoolhttp://www.ltscotland.org.uk/literacy/ictinliteracy/literacyandpowerpoint/

minibeastsandpowerpoint.asp

SpiderSpider

• Trap-door spiders hide in a burrow with a trap door at the entrance.

• This spider is waiting for a fly to go in its web.

• Spiders have oily feet so they don’t stick to their webs.

PowerPoint supporting creative writing•Animated Stories•Example•Early years creative writing

Presenting project work

•Presentation on school life in Rettendon Primary School for twinned school on Little Caymen

•http://www.jonathansblog.net/taxonomy/term/19

•Ideas for children using PowerPoint•http://www.cobbk12.org/sites/literacy/

fetc/ppt/ppt_index.htm#gameshows

Summary• PowerPoint can be used in a multitude of ways

in a primary school context without resorting to lecture-style presentations▫This presentation highlighted just a few

examples▫Imaginative and resourceful teachers make

effective use of this resource in many other ways• Using PowerPoint can save the teacher time

and energy ▫Preparation of resources▫Management of resources

• PowerPoint can contribute to children’s learning and enjoyment of learning