Effective presentations with interactive presentations

Due to its encouraging active learning features, the interactive PowerPoint presentations are probably one of the most effective methods of presentation used for educational purposes.

The bipolarity of the program stands in its teacher - student disposition. Its interactive nature provides opportunity for both the teacher and the student to take part actively and directly in the course of a lesson, thus persuading active learning.

The traditional PowerPoint presentation with its series of slides, presented systematically in a linear way, one after another, lessens the efficiency and the flexibility of a lesson and transforms the student from the active into the passive learner.

The hyperlinked features of the interactive PowerPoint presentations transform a traditional linear presentation into a flexible, active, Web-like presentation that allows students to become active members and determine the course and the intensity of a lecture. This feature of the interactive presentation adjusts students’ questions, allows material skipping moreover previously studied material viewing.

Such flexibility permits students to choose and easily access the desired topic.

In addition, visual conversation is available by means of connected questions and answers thus securing feedback on behalf of the students by being engaged, controlled and interested by the active learning opportunities.

Structurally, opposite to traditional presentations, interactive PowerPoint presentations are shorter than the traditional ones.

Usually, the hyperlinked pages contains a Home Page slide which works similarly to a web home page, as well as a variety of symbols, text phrases, buttons, or pictures which are action set and allows the user only by a mouse click to run a program, to link to another PowerPoint presentation, to open a file or a specific web page, to play a sound or a video file. Furthermore, each individual slide contains a feature that takes the user back to the home page slide.

Dynamism and the flexibility of message selection allows the user of the interactive presentation to secure control, activity, motion and feedback during a lecture as well as reduces fear of public speaking offering self-confidence and a sense of professionalism.