PowToon is a very useful tool for unique presentations for all ages and subjects. The website advertises to both the educational setting and the business setting with a huge variety of different backgrounds, transitions and text bubbles. There is definitely a learning curve to the program. I feel as though multiple uses of the application are needed in order to get the best production. Upgrading to a "Premium" package would also allow for more creativity.
I think PowToon lends itself more towards story telling or a background presentation. In the classroom it could be used to set the stage for a new lesson. But it could also be used as a more entertaining way to present facts or slide shows. As a prospective high school Social Studies teacher, PowToon could be used to present a historical timeline of an event or as a tool to avoid the typical long winded history lecture.
I tried to focus on the impact of the Internet or "The Web" in the classroom. The first thing I noticed was the delay of the implementation of computers into the classroom. Part of that is their long development from the 1940's to the present. But I believe that computers were most useful in the business and science industry where their memory and simulation could be exploited. The classroom - apart from possibly engineering or science intensive schools - had no need to computers. The development and streamlining of the world wide web changed the equation. In the 1990's computers became a necessity for schools and eventually all classrooms due to the importance of the internet. I also wanted to highlight the struggle that teachers can have with the still somewhat new (relative to other technologies in the classroom) world wide web in the classroom. I hope that my PowToon presentation covers these topics. Although, I do feel with some more practice I could have created a clearer and more creative presentation.
Here is where you can watch my PowToon:
https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/fcV8M1sy174/?mode=movie#/
Scott -
ReplyDeleteI agree with your initial sense of Powtoons as a great stage setter for the teacher and as a storytelling tool for student presentations. It definitely outperforms Powerpoint and Keynote in the edutainment department. Though I tried to embed a video clip in a slide and had a hard time. I also noticed that you could pause the Powtoon to read all the text, if you are a slow reader like me. It was funny to see that in youtube pause, the animations of kids on laptops, kept cycling even though the movie was stopped!
In terms of your subject, I like the way you started off with a question - why did it take 30 years for computers to be adopted in classrooms? That is a great question, considering the speed at which technology changes today - just think smartboards, iPhones, even software like Canvas. Your answer to the question in your timeline made it clear that the advent of the Internet really drove the growth of computers in schools. And understandably, since with the explosive growth of the world wide web, everyone wanted to "surf the web" 24/7 - especially kids. (I know I did) Schools and teachers reacted with caution to this new unexplored frontier in media, but the power of the web as a educational resource was undeniable. So demand drove supply, and we see computers everywhere today in classrooms, libraries, etc.
You make an important closing point about the important role of the teacher in managing student access to and critical thinking about the internet - at least in school. Thanks for figuring out Powtoons!