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Effectiveness of PowerPoint-Based Lectures

Using PowerPoint presentations, the technology currently enhances learning environment and is expected to have increasing growth next decade. PowerPoint presentations are effective when they are not too broad for its intend audience. The educator, which should facilitate the lesson, should determine the age appropriateness of students. After a study with PowerPoint presentations with undergraduate business students, it shows instructions enriched skill efficiently in mathematics, English, and computer skills. In addition, more than 73% of students responded indicated that PowerPoint slides are more helpful in understanding course material than typical lecture formats.

How are results figured? Of the 262 surveys, some 32 surveys were removed from the study because the participants were graduate students and not business majors. In doing so, this would exclude any bias toward responses by students. During the two week study, users with PowerPoint included the number of uses in his or her classroom. None the less, the survey included the percentage of PowerPoint backgrounds with multiple fonts, animations, and sounds in business classrooms.

In return, undergraduates, who participated in the study, found students increased significantly better academically toward the end of the their semester. Furthermore, students gave suggestions to make future PowerPoint presentations more meaningful, less graphical, limit color schemes, limit videos, and do no set timer for self moving slides.

After reading this article, I previously read other articles before deciphering which article I thought contained the most useful information. Astonished by some of the factual statistic the article possessed, I began to further investigate the benefits of PowerPoint presentations in classroom. Although the article mainly mentions PowerPoint presentations in undergraduate business courses, I still ask myself how efficiently does PowerPoint work in middle school? How about high school? Is it only businesses courses? Finding reasonable answers, I can conclude by if material on a PowerPoint presentation is not too broad, animated, or noisy; ultimately, the presentation will have more meaningful ideas. By limiting the uses of technology in presentations, the intended audience will not be simply attracted to present, but the audience’s previous knowledge will be enriched.

Laptop Learning

With technology increasing and computers becoming limited in schools, 400 grants where given to institution to reduce a staggering ratio of 125 student to 1 computer. Institutions receiving funding would almost reduce that ratio to a 1:1. Moreover, educators would additionally receive 25% of funding to invest in professional development. Additionally, other nations would further investigate instructional practices with computers as attempts to raise student achievement. How could computer usage with a ratio of nearly 1:1 benefit student personal achievement?

Web cameras would be effective for students to gain additional resources outside of class such as personal tutoring, demonstration, or communication.

Educators could allow students to individually work on classroom assignments. In fact, students would be less likely distracted by other classmates because they would not be grouped to work on a single classroom computer. Additionally, schools improved technology services by creating wireless networks and providing web cameras to communicate with parents and students. Bi-weekly educators would reflect on progress to other faculty members. Educators made codes for classroom observation of students computer usage. Incredibly, student percentages varied dramatically from 1:1 classrooms and shared classrooms. Although only 1.6% of students used web cameras when conferencing with other students, students who used laptops increased academically in all subject areas. None the less, students with web cameras performed more conferences with classmates about classroom discussions outside of the classroom setting.

Knowing little about 1:1 ratio and uses of web cameras in education, I decided to choose this article to give myself more insight on benefits in achievement. Not knowing what the ratio or limit supply of computers in most public schools, I learned of consequences that students faced as a result of limited resources. In doing so, I gained knowledgeable information about improvements in students education by having more resources at hand, then simply a computer that students might share up to four or more at single time. Students, in this article, participated in a study in which received a laptop to borrow inside and outside the classroom. The study proven to be more beneficial for the students. By increasing resources, students grades and study habits change in positively in a short period of time. The study provided evidence of how students used laptops such as communicating, writing, problem solving, playing games, surfing the web, and these are just a few. None the less, I was truly astonished by how much improvement can result by increasing resources and expanding technology.

Interactive Smart Board

SMART Boards are an interactive technology that usually complies of a computer, overhead, and screen. Recently, improvements have been made to make SMART boards more accessible and portable. SMART boards are currently about $5,000.00. Although considered fairly expensive, SMART boards are very effective in classroom instruction. In recent studies, students in grades kindergarten to sixth grade have developed better understanding in science and mathematics. Additionally, SMART boards are able to assess students literacy skills. SMART boards are key in determining previous knowledge, understanding classroom instruction, and reiterating concepts taught.

SMART boards increase child participation in classrooms. Educators can call on students to come up to the board and draw and answer questions posed. Furthermore, studies have proven successful in educating students with disabilities. It has improved the students abilities to retain information, participate in classroom, become more involving, and improved academics.

In conclusion, SMART boards do not enhance teaching but simply enrich its methods. These boards make presentations easier to comprehend especially toward younger audiences. None the less, its more of a method to increase interaction among students.

Works best when connect to internet.

Although attending a large high school like Warren Central, I was not fully aware of SMART boards in classroom. After speaking to former teachers, I learned my high school currently purchased one SMART board per department. After reading how SMART boards create interaction among students, I learned how much the cost to own one of these new technologies can be. Are the benefits great? After reading the article, I can conclude that the benefits overwhelm the cost. The SMART board technologies have increased academics but also improved attention in younger children. I learned how technologies such as these can help students with disabilities. Although the article mentions great success among younger participants, I see myself at a secondary level using SMART boards for numerous reasons. None the less, I learned how technologies in education are linked and how the users can use the resources to further ones’ educational achievement.

After reading three articles, I feel that I have gained more knowledge about technology and its uses both positive and negative in education. I enjoyed learning how technologies when not too broad are intertwined. Additionally, I learned how technology, when used appropriately, can raise achievement and retention of knowledge. I feel that technology is overwhelming our society and is key for further success in classroom. Although some of the articles did not have definite results, articles tended to have credible facts even though test results were not retest multiple times. None the less, these technologies serve as enriching agents in education and raise achievement.

Burke, L., James, K., & Ahmadi, M. (2009). Effectiveness of PowerPoint-Based lectures across different business disciplines: An investigation and implications. Journal of Education for Business, 84(4), 246-251. Retrieved from Educational

Administration Abstracts database.Preston, C., & Mowbray, L. (2008). Use of SMART Boards for teaching, learning and assessment in

kindergarten science. Teaching Science - the Journal of the Australian Science Teachers Association, 54(2), 50-53. Retrieved from Professional Development Collection

database.Russell, M., Bebell, D., & Higgins, J. (2004). Laptop Learning: A comparison of teaching and learning in upper elementary classrooms equipped with shared carts of laptops and permanent 1:1 laptops. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 30(4), 313-330. Retrieved from

Educational Administration Abstracts database.