After searching and viewing many social studies-related PowerPoint presentations, I have come to the conclusion that a “good” presentation is very hard to find. Even if the first slide looked interesting with a great picture and title, the next slide included bullet points 99.9% of the time. I saw so many bad presentations with definitions, paragraphs of information, and textbook maps that they all began to look the same. Finally, I decided to post two very different presentations.
The following presentation is a good introduction to the study of Africa, because it shows a variety of contrasting pictures from the continent. A teacher could use the presentation as a prompt for writing or discussion about what the students already know or what they expect to learn about Africa. The images are mostly clear and there is only one per slide, so the students only have to concentrate on one thing at a time. The presentation does not mention new vocabulary or specific facts to learn, it merely introduces images from Africa.
The next presentation is more of a stretch for the definition of “good,” because it has some pretty low points and a few high points. First, the formatting is bad throughout the presentation. (Note slide 4 has bullet points and numbers and slide 12 has something very wrong with the text.) The basketball analogy comparing the Roanoke settlement to an “air ball” and using LeBron James throughout the presentation is really stretching for ideas; however, in some classrooms with certain students, using the basketball imagery and terms might be the only thing to spark interest with the students. I’m sure most middle school students have seen The Dark Knight, but slide 7 is still creepy and does not belong.
Despite those negatives, I do see hope for this presentation, especially in the second half. I believe the map on slide 5 is a good visual depicting where the different countries had colonies without putting too many details on the map. Slides 13 and 14 show the location and the layout of Jamestown without text or numerous pictures. The picture with the quote on slide 15 is one of my favorite aspects of the presentation, because that one visual is more memorable than the bullet point beside it. The quote about being a gentleman and not working is a little funny but informative as well. Other good visuals in the presentation include the mosquitoes, the “starving time menu,” and the tobacco. The pictures are really what makes this presentation have potential because they are meaningful and relate well to the content (minus LeBron and the Joker). This presentation could be used in the classroom as an introduction to studying Jamestown or as a review.