Presentation applications are increasing in
popularity and providing powerful tools for creation of instructional materials
and accessible information in audio-visual formats. When used appropriately, these
tools can support and extend traditional presentations in valuable ways. In classroom settings, MS
PowerPoint, for example, has become the dominant presentation tool because it
is both readily available and easy-to-use by instructors (Grabe & Grabe 2007).
It allows instructors to
create and manipulate presentations in a wide variety of contexts that can
enhance student’s interest and engagement (Mills &
Roblyer 2006). In addition, it helps instructors clearly identify the
main points of a topic or activity while still providing the details through
presentation (Loisel & Galer, 2004). Instructors
can incorporate multiple types of media formats (e.g., diagram, photo, drawing,
sound and video) that cannot be easily integrated together into one single
medium. Learners are also attracted to PowerPoint because of graphical,
transactional, aesthetic and interactive features it provides.
However, in order to be successful, a presenter
needs to guide the audience through the presentation, keep their interest, and
attract their attention (Chiasson & Gutwin, 2005). Although there is interest in the utility of
PowerPoint, it is used only by the teacher inside classrooms and needs to be
paired with use of an LCD projector and large screen. In other words,
PowerPoint slide content and visual features are not substitute for guidance a teacher
should deliver. If the students are not seeing
and listening to the teacher, then learning from the slides in isolation will
be less valuable or
impossible.
Parette, Blum, Boeckmann & Watts (2009) suggested that regardless of such concerns and
problems related to the use of PowerPoint, it is no longer an issue of whether
to use PowerPoint or not. Instead, presenters must focus on how they can best
use it inside and outside classrooms to support learners (Parette
et al., 2009).
The review of the literature and modern online
applications and social networks emphasized the importance of considering the
potential possibilities that a video presents when deciding how to support the learners
(Cunningham & Friedman, 2009). Proponents of
videos argue that there is increasing interest in providing learners with
recorded materials and video is demonstrated to be an expanding channel for
presentation (Sturmey, 2003).
Providing video on
demand to students is used to support facet-to-face, online, or blended
learning. Students can choose when and where to use the material and can spend
as long or as little time on each learning activity (Whatley
& Ahmad, 2007).
Watching video is considered as a basis for mental
activity. It is socially acceptable and widely used and supported by multimedia cell phones and portable media
players. According to Schwartz & Hartman (2007), video is a more
forgiving and powerful presentation medium, and does not have to be stand-alone,
like a television program.
Learners can play, rewind, forward, and pause the
video to address their specific needs. It can be used in many ways to encourage
interactions between students and the teachers and create engagement. Watching
video is considered as a basis for mental activity. It is socially acceptable
and widely used and supported by multimedia cell phones and portable media players. Research
suggests that learning with technology requires visual stimulus in order to promote
cognitive processing (Mayer, 2001).
Martin
(1990) found that watching
video is considered as a basis for mental activity, because learners already
have considerable practice with it in non-educational settings. In addition, it
is socially acceptable and widely used and supported by multimedia mobile devices and portable media
players, and therefore it can
be a powerful link between the instructor and students.
Research (Zue & Bergom, 2010;
Dey, Burn, & Gerdes, 2009; Fernandez, Simon, & Salan, 2009) described
many advantages of using video lectures and presentations in universities. For
example, video lectures allow students to review material at their own pace and
location, useful for international students, provides an opportunity to
re-organize teaching time, and useful for “equation heavy” disciplines.