Display slides: OK, I know, typical bullet point PowerPoint slides are not going to spice up anything, but remember that PowerPoint was originally developed to present visual aids (not verbal ones). So, how about a few more photos, diagrams, illustrations and charts?
Show video: Video is very much the learning medium of choice at the moment, particularly if you want to learn how to do something. So, make use of what�s on YouTube, make use of the excellent libraries of video clips from publishers such as Video Arts, or make your own. Just keep them short.
Play music: I haven�t heard much recently from the accelerated learning folk who advocate playing music in the classroom as part of an all-round, multi-sensory approach to learning, but nevertheless, I�m pretty sure that music can be useful, even if just during the breaks or when groups are doing exercises.
Show 3D models: If you�re a technical instructor working in engineering, anatomy, the trades or something similar, then you�ll know how useful 3D models can be to show how things work. Ideally you�ll have working models that you can manipulate rather than just renderings of 3D models on video.
Demonstrations: If you�re an IT trainer, or otherwise need to refer to websites and software applications as part of your sessions, then you�ll know how valuable it can be to project your demos onto a big screen.
Scenarios: OK, so now we�re getting on to the interactive stuff, which starts to make use of the fact that you�re all in one space together. Scenarios are usually aimed at individuals, but why not open them up to the group, making your decisions on the basis of the majority vote? If collective thinking proves to be less than successful, you can re-un the scenario trying some of the minority strategies.
Quizzes: There is a lot of quiz software out there, some of which will work with audience response systems (including those that use the learners� own smartphones and tablets as input devices). But if you don�t have all this stuff, simple PowerPoint slides will do. Quizzes can be fun; they can also reveal misunderstandings, which you can address then and there.
Real-time writing and sketching: Normally you�ll rush to the flip chart or a whiteboard if you want to record discussion points or sketch an impromptu diagram, but use tablet or laptop and you�ll have something you can then save and share electronically. If you have an interactive whiteboard then lucky you, but there are plenty of cheaper options.
Group exercises: Computers provide a great way for groups to work together on practical assignments, with a digital output that can be easily shared when back in the plenary session. They say that �making stuff� is the most enjoyable way to learn and I wouldn�t doubt it.
Empowering the individual learner: I know it can be off-putting when your group is glued to their screens rather than looking at you but we have to get used to it. Smartphones, tablets and laptops allow learners to take notes, conduct background research, converse with their peers and perhaps even study formal course materials. You don�t even have to be there � sometimes the classroom is the only quiet space available.
New employees will enter the workforce expecting all this stuff and they�ll be disappointed if they have to sit quietly and listen to you without access to the tools that they depend on every day and without the ability to interact freely. I�m with them.
None of this stuff is difficult to put in place but I do understand some teachers and trainers are nervous, principally because they know less about technology than their students do. Time to face up to this problem and invest in some in-service training.
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