Chapter Nine Reflections

1. How can my students use multimedia for their projects?

Students can use a variety of multimedia tools to enhance their school projects, including audio clips, videos, and presentation tools such as PowerPoint.  Multimedia can really make a boring project interesting and fun by adding visual elements such as color, motion, video, and pictures.  On the other hand, however, putting too many "bells and whistles" in a presentation can take away from the message that the student is trying to present.  Finding a happy medium can take a presentation to the next level.

2. What applications are available for creating a multimedia presentation?

One of the most popular applications for creating multimedia presentations is the program called PowerPoint.  PowerPoint allows the presenter to add color, pictures, and motion to an otherwise uninteresting project.  A student can also use Windows Movie Maker, Microsoft's iMovie, or Adobe's Flash to create movies and videos.  Whichever application your students may wish to use, be sure that they are not wasting time by having them complete an outline or storyboard before beginning the project.

3. Should I place limits on how my students use multimedia?

A good presentation should have color and picture, but not too much on every page.  As a teacher, you should put limits on your students so that they may create a good presentation without going over the top and creating a mess. Try having them place only one picture on each slide or every other slide and have them choose a color-theme instead of having a rainbow of colors on every page.  You can assist them in making sure their projects are good by requiring them to create a storyboard with the pictures and text that they wish to use, and checking it before they begin.