Making the Parent Connection with PowerPoint & Multimedia
By Maria Casson
Have you ever seen a whole classroom full of parents sitting attentively and enthusiastically listening to their child's teacher?
For the past few years, in an attempt to make my yearly class parent meetings more dynamic, I've used a multimedia PowerPoint slide show to enhance what was previously a difficult presentation for me to make. Being a bit shy, I decided that these meetings needed to come off as more upbeat and draw less attention to my shaking voice. So, I created a simple PowerPoint slide show containing about seven slides and projected them using a digital projector. The slides covered such topics as class policies and rules, schedule of classes, overview of curriculum, examples of integrating curriculum, assessment methods, and field trips. Future topics could include: requests for volunteers and room parents, class Web site, and other programs such as 2nd Language, ESL, special needs, and other school services.
During the meeting, the slide show acts as a backdrop to the topics I am addressing. Having my own printed copy of the slides with necessary notes comes in handy. Also, a print out of the slides should be available as a series of handouts for the parents because if technical problems arise (which we know are always possible) the meeting can still continue. The PowerPoint program makes it easy to provide such handouts: it contains an option to print miniature versions of the slides along with adjacent lines, which are useful for parents wanting to take notes or write down questions to be answered in the Q and A session at the end of the meeting. Such handouts can also be sent to parents unable to attend the meeting, although another option is to save the slide show in HTML format and put it on the class or school's Web site for later viewing.
If your school has a bilingual program or it is an international school, the presentation slides should include two or more languages. For example, with the help of one of the Italian teachers at my school, my presentation was in both English and Italian and it proved highly effective. Those parents who did not understand English could still follow the meeting by reading the bilingual slides. As a result, they did not feel excluded and left the meeting as informed as the English-speaking parents.
On the slides, it is also a good idea to include pictures of the children at work and play. If your meeting does not take place until a few weeks after school starts, you can take some photographs of your students. Use a digital camera or scanned images to easily add them to your slides. (Some technical information regarding adding pictures, sounds, and movies is included at the end of this article.) If your meeting takes place at the beginning of the year, add pictures from your previous classes. Until presently, I have only included pictures and Web links to my slide show. With access to a Web cam or digital video camera and a microphone, you could also make a short video introduction and include it on the first slide or record the new students' voices. If you have a class or school Web page, put a link on the slide show and use some of the meeting time to explain how students and parents can use the Web page effectively to access useful curriculum links, class news, student work, etc.
Creating the slide show is not a lengthy process and does not need to be complicated. In the absence of a digital projector, other types of technology can be utilized just as effectively. For example, you could print the slides as overheads and show them using an overhead projector or similar device.
The Results
I find that presenting a slide show helps me to stay focused and keep the meeting on track. The parents also appreciate its clear approach. The director of my school has attended some of the meetings and has been impressed by the way the parents conducted themselves during the meetings.
PowerPoint has made my presentations clear, concise, and informative with a professional air. Personally, I find the slide show approach very effective and it gives me self-confidence. Each year I update and refine the slide show by adding new slides and pictures of the current year's students. I plan to continue using and developing this format.
Incorporating Multimedia
To expand the use of multimedia, why not make a video with the students doing all the talking. Have the kids explain to their parents what kinds of things they do in class and all the other topics you would normally cover in the meeting. You could use a projector or television monitor to show the video. Imagine how much parents would love to see their children in action. I plan to try the video option this fall and I hope that it is as successful as the slide show, if not more so. I'm sure the students will love doing it too.
PowerPoint Tech Tips
Inserting pictures: Insert|Picture|From File; then locate and select picture; insert it and place it where you desire on the slide.
Useful Web Sites
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