Grade 8 - Presentation

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

identify and consider ethical and legal issues when presenting information
use a variety of software to present messages
demonstrate the ability to arrange information in different forms to create new meaning
analyse the effects of information technology on presentations
describe the effect of multimedia presentations on intended audiences

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Presentation in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Students need to communicate using a combination of information technology resources and tools. A knowledge of the associated ethical and legal issues is important when using these resources and tools. Students must be able to prepare and present information in a variety of forms as well as analyse the effects of their presentations on intended audiences.

Have groups of students each choose a multimedia package (in any subject area) from the school's resource centre and analyse its impact on its intended audience. Then ask each group to make a multimedia presentation to the class in which they evaluate how well the package they analysed used technology for its stated purpose. Challenge the groups to suggest ways in which the packages they analysed could be improved.
Invite students, working in pairs, to review advertisements from a variety of sources (e.g., the World Wide Web, on-line magazines, television, electronic bulletin boards, a freenet) and analyse the impact of each advertisement on its intended audience.
In art, English, physical education, or home economics, have students work in small groups to create multimedia presentations (e.g., promoting the school; on recycling, multiculturalism, antiracism, human rights, or conservation). Ask them to reorganize the same information to convey a different message (e.g., for another audience).
As science, home economics, or physical education activities, have students use the Internet or periodical indices on CD-ROM to access articles on the latest scientific discoveries. Encourage them to use information technology tools to download the information, summarize it, and produce a bibliography. This information could then be shared using an on-line source.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Students synthesize their knowledge and skills as they work with a variety of software, organize information for new purposes, and become aware of the effects of multimedia presentations. Record the extent to which they show increasing sophistication in their use of information technology tools to convey ideas in anecdotal note form. Ask probing questions related to the appropriate use of particular information technology tools to determine students' level of understanding.

Have students assess each other's presentations (e.g., greeting cards, posters, pamphlets, research papers) for the effective use of a variety of software to present messages clearly and powerfully. To ensure that their feedback is constructive, provide a framework for their responses by supplying them with questions such as the following:
- Was the greeting card (poster, pamphlet, research paper) effective and its message clear?
- Was the most appropriate software chosen?
- Were a variety of applications used to communicate the message?
- Were the features of the application(s) used to emphasize meaning?
Note that students can share and assess their work both with classmates and with other students whom they contact electronically.
Ask each student to collect data and use software to generate a graph representing the information. To assess the student's ability to present synthesized information, look for evidence that:
- an appropriate graph (a bar graph, pictograph, pie graph, line graph) was chosen to present the information clearly
- all the relevant information was included
- the axes were labelled appropriately
- a legend was incorporated
- program features (e.g., shadow, tilt, 3-D) were used for emphasis