Presentations with a Purpose

I run a very project-based classroom.  In World Language classes, we want our students to use the language, and what better way to do that than by having them create a narrated slideshow. There are oodles of programs that can serve this purpose from PowerPoint to IMovie.  I have used many different programs, and I often am teaching the technology as I am teaching the project. I feel that it is important to expose high school students to different technology.  As they continue in their educational careers, they will be expected to do many different presentations and I want them to be comfortable with using more than just Power Point.

That being said, my Level 2 students always do a project to practice the two different past tenses (passé composé and imparfait).  I have them pick three photographs from their childhood and tell a story about that photograph.  When telling the story, they must know the proper situation for which each tense is used.  The kids enjoy re-telling about their past and showing off how cute they were when they were kids, and I enjoy getting to know them a little better.

Because I have so many students and so little time, in-class presentations are out of the question. This means that I need a program on which students can narrate over a still image.  I have used PhotoStory, and for the past two years, I have used a program called Yodio.  This  year, however, I couldn't decide which program to have them use, so I did something crazy, I gave them a choice.

I created a How-To Document that included directions and a tutorial for four different programs, and I let them choose the program that they preferred.  I gave them three days in front of computers (I must also mention that they have a simultaneous vocabulary practice assignment at the same time, and some students chose to use the computers to do the online versions of that assignment, and to do the narrated slideshow at home.)   My four suggested programs: PowerPoint, PhotoStory, IMovie and Yodio.  I can't believe that I forgot to include Windows Movie Maker, so when I do this again, I will add that program to the list.

This was incredibly successful this year.  I had so few technical problems.  I was amazed.  We do a lot of "pre-work" on the writing process of the presentations over the course of two chapters, so students did a great job. For example, when we first learned the imparfait, I had them submit the three photos either using Google Docs or OneDrive.  Along with each photo they used the imparfait to write three sentences about the picture.  I used this as a time to teach the usage rules for the imparfait.  Then as we progressed, I had them elaborate more on the photographs, and tell a story about the photograph.  In this step, they incorporated the passé composé.  By submitting electronically, I could easily edit or help to edit their work in progress.  Then, when it came time to "tell" the story, most of the work had been done.  All that they needed to do before recording was add transition words and make corrections.  They recorded using their favorite program...and DONE!  As my daughter's kindergarten teacher would say, "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy!"