Powerpoint Lessons

[Ruth]

On another thread Millana asked, so here goes:

I survived my first year here without powerpoint lessons and did just fine. Last fall my husband and I wanted to show some pictures of Canada and the US to the students (we'd been home for the summer and taken lots of photos). To hook our computer up to the school's computer and projector and show the pictures on the big screen in the 'meeting room' (big lecture hall) proved to be cumbersome. We always needed a computer teacher's assistance and the meeting room was not always available during our class sessions.

So, we began to discuss ways around it and ended up spending our own money to buy a projector. Now we can use our computer and projector in a classroom. Slide shows were interesting for the students, but we wanted to add words to the slides and make them read out loud (it is listening and ORAL English after all), so started making powerpoint lessons.

Crippler had to teach me how to use powerpoint, but I'm a fast learner and really like using it, now that I have the hang of it. We either find pictures from the internet or use our own, put them into some sort of logical order, throw a couple of sentences on each slide with the picture, and voila!

Sixty slides or so work well for a 45 minute lesson. I read a slide and then have a student read the same slide. We progress through the lesson that way, with each student standing and reading in turn. Pictures maintain interest, they get to hear me read first, and then get a chance to practice speaking.

Usually we teach the lesson first in the classroom, either from a handout or their text book and the following lesson is on powerpoint with the pictures and words. This gives them a chance to get comfortable with the new words where they can write down whatever they need to do to remember/pronounce them.

I guess you could skip the handouts and just do the lesson in powerpoint, but this works for us and we have to share the room where we use the projector. So, one lesson a week in the classroom and one lesson a week in the video room (old sound lab), works for us.

I also use powerpoint at home - but only rarely. My younger students have been learning about animals, so I made a 'trip to the zoo' lesson. Lots of animals and very simple words to go with the pictures ie 'the panda is shy' (straight out of the textbook). I used the projector lesson as a reward and as a review for what they had been learning.

Hope this helps. I'm sure there's lots more that could be done with the technology than I've been able to come up with.

[Mr Nobody]

Powerpoint is easy to use, great for setting pace, and keeping track after idiot questions. Also, students like bright objects and colours. Can include sounds.

How much ( I know htere are major differences in price, just give me a ballpark or order of magnitude, thanks) is a projector in China? Maybe this would be a good investment in making life easier. Do you use a laptap/projector combination? that might be expensive for me right now.

[Ruth]

The laptop and projector were ordered from Dell via the internet and shipped from their China office. Took about 10 days. We paid just over 10,000 RMB for the laptop and just under 20,000 RMB for the projector. Yes, we use them in combination. Using the school's equipment was too difficult. The projector is bolted to the ceiling in the meeting room, which is often being used when our classes are scheduled, so even if we 'booked' it and planned our lessons accordingly, we weren't always able to use it.

It's a lot of money to spend, but we hope to be here many years and it does make nice lessons for the students. Also lets us watch movies on the wall at home. And it's OURS, which means we can take it with us when we leave. Replacement bulbs are expensive, though. We haven't had to purchase one yet.

Why does it erk me when my Chinese co-workers want to know what it cost and it doesn't bother me a bit when a fellow barfly asks? Maybe because they always want to know what I paid for stuff.

[Mr Nobody]

Thanks. Yes, i see, sorry to pry, but i didn't mean it like that. Which is probably what you meant. Mine was a genuine inquiry not a money question.

It gives me something to think about. Right now, out of the question until I settle down a bit.

[Newbs]

Ruth

Excellent idea using laptop and projector in ESL class but spending your own money on it (am I reading this correctly) goes above and beyond the call of duty IMHO. Do you have internet access in your classroom? If so, search for some images that you want, save them on your laptop, and project when you so desire.

Mr N Powerpoint is easy but word of warning. Become familiar with it before you come to China and find it on the computer that they provide for you over here, with all the directions in Chinese.

If I'm telling people how to suck eggs I do apologise, but the above has all been learnt first hand by yours truly.

[Jollyjunklass]

Hey Ruth,

I think why you get bugged when one person asks, and not another is because of their reason for asking. One wants to know for their own purposes IE., maybe they would like to purchase it, the other is a get in your face type thing, strictly nosy, big difference.

Anyway that sounds pretty cool. I have only used word and entourage and have never looked at powerpoint or excel. I will give it a peek though.

If the powerpoint over there is in Chinese can't you just bring your own software into the country.

Thanks Ruth

[Lotus Eater]

I LOATHE Powerpoint. Powerpoint loathes me. I used to get my staff to do up presentations for me, with the run sheets saying breathe in here, push button here. And still the bloody thing would stuff up. The people before me would be fine, those after me fine, but for me - somehow, something would always go wrong.

[Ruth]

Newbs, good points about learning powerpoint before you come. I don't think anyone will take exception to your ideas. If we already know it, so what, others don't and this forum is about sharing (and drinking, but let's be altruistic here.)

Our powerpoint version is in English since we brought our (first) laptop with us. We work in a small city and there is no internet access in the classrooms. There isn't even internet access in the computer lab unless the master computer is turned on and hooked into it. Sometimes teachers are playing games on this computer. I've given up using the school equipment and rely on my own, which I know how to operate and am comfortable with.

Yes, you read it correctly - our own money. It's okay though. We wouldn't have done it if it weren't. It's a way to give back a little of the blessings we have, and like I said - the equipment is OURS to take with us when we go.

Mr. Nobody - if I thought you were prying I wouldn't have answered you. Genuine question for a genuine reason. Don't ask my weight or bra size, though.

[Jollyjunklass]

Well I was going to say this earlier, but, I changed my mind. However, I will now, I don't see anything wrong with buying your OWN laptop or projector. I don't care if the school has 50 laptops or PC's, I want my OWN (MacIntosh, I might add) and will buy my OWN, furthermore, if I had any use for a projector I would buy my OWN also. I like having my OWN stuff, that way, I don't have to share with the bullies of the world, hassle-free. No need to explain your purchases, you are entitled.

BTW, what happens if you bring a laptop into the country full of applications and stuff, do they check it all out. And what about Cd's, are there any rules or regulations. Will they allow you to bring them in. I have read a bit about it in their immigration section, however, how can they go about checking all that stuff out. I don't get how it works.

[Lotus Eater]

Friends who bought theirs in had no dramas - no-one bothered to look. I bought mine here, so can't help any further than that.

[Ruth]

Millana, we were PARANOID and I really mean paranoid about what we brought in the first time. We brought our laptop from the States. Here's our customs experience: Stand with cart full of luggage and then some, looking like idiots who don't know the language (easy to do), trying to decide if our luggage should go through the 'nothing to declare' or 'something to declare' conveyor belt. A guard took pity on us and walked us between the two conveyor belts. Our luggage was never even scanned, let alone opened and gone through.

We took our laptop home with us last summer and didn't have any difficulty bringing it in the second time either. Again, they never even opened our luggage. We did put it on the scanner the second time in. I should add that this is the Shenyang airport, not Beijing or Shanghai. Not sure what would happen at a major airport.

I really don't think they care about what programs are on your computer. As for CDs, we brought a few in. They were out of their original cases and into one carry case - to save space rather than to try and thwart customs, but as I said, they never even looked.

[Jollyjunklass]

That's weird, because in their immigration rules they do speak of reading materials, and software and other such things. It's good to know anyway, not that I have anything bad, but, I could just see myself sitting for hours while they went through it all. That would suck.

BTW, George, I always automatically spell weird wrong too, doesn't follow the I before E rule, I guess. Not that I am sticking up for you or anything.

Can anyone tell me what that little red sign says beside the little baby drinking the bottle, it may come in useful someday, if I knew what it said.

[lily]

I've simply found Powerpoint much better for making worksheets than M Word. Word has all sorts of rules about how close images etc can be together and frustrating stuff - Powerpoint has none of this. I haven't ever used Powerpoint for a presentation/lesson because there are no projectors at my school.

[Mr Nobody]

Powerpoint is God.


And fun,

Sorry I am over.......................thingy

[woza17]

Ruth I hired a computer teacher for a few weeks and she tok me through powerpoint. It's briliant when I think of the middle school where I worked for a year with over head projector and internet access and I wasn't aware of such a fantastic teaching tool at my fingertips

Cheers Woza

[Ruth]

millana said:

That's weird, because in their immigration rules they do speak of reading materials, and software and other such things.

That's why we were so paranoid. We have a lot of text books pertaining to Christian study (for our own use, not to convert the natives). We left most of them at home when we first came. Brought several back with us the second time. I don't know if they are on the banned book list or not.

Which raises a question: is there a published list somewhere? What if one does bring a book in (and gets caught) that is on the list? For example, I have a copy of Wild Swans here. I'm not teaching it to my students and the chance of someone official coming in and looking through my bookcase, and understanding the English titles, is pretty minimal, I think.

[Ruth]

millana said:

Can anyone tell me what that little red sign says beside the little baby drinking the bottle, it may come in useful someday, if I knew what it said.

Do you mean the smilies? I have a smilie drinking a bottle. I assumed it was beer, or wine, but it could be a baby... Anyway, the one beside it unrolls a sign that says 'HELP'.

[Ruth]

woza17 said:

I wasn't aware of such a fantastic teaching tool at my fingertips

I really like using it. The kids like the lessons we prepare. The challenge is to keep making new ones. And now that we have 'wowed' them, the expectation is there...

Do you think we can convert Lotus Eater? I took the remedial class for slow learners. Crippler is a patient teacher. If I can learn it, anyone can.

[Jollyjunklass]

Thx Ruth,
That's the one.

[Ruth]

Always glad to