Multimedia Presentation: Performance Task Teacher Guide

RESOURCE CATEGORY

Description

The Multimedia Presentation Performance Task Guide is designed to help students write, create, and deliver a multimedia presentation that takes a strong position and communicates powerfully.

As the United States has transitioned from a service-based economy to a knowledge-based one, increasingly more job opportunities are expanding in sectors that involve intellectual products and services and the sharing of expertise. From the rise of TED Talks and knowledge-sharing conferences to the rapid proliferation of online presentation software tools and platforms, presentation skills have become a cornerstone of the knowledge economy. One day, your students may be pitching a project idea to a board of directors, campaigning for a local or state political position, teaching a lesson, presenting research findings at a conference, or selling a product or service to a potential customer. In preparation, students will be expected at the college level to give as many as six presentations in their first year. The Multimedia Presentation Task Guide offers a step-by-step guide to teaching students how to create a powerful, polished, and media-rich presentation, and how to strengthen their presentation skills through practice, reflection, and feedback.

Opportunities for Student Choice

Student choice can be encouraged in a number of ways. Students can choose the issue, and/or they can choose their position. They can also choose the resources they review; the facts, details, evidence, and anecdotes they will present; and the audience and purpose of their presentation. They can also choose the types of media they will include and the platform they will use to create their presentation.

Authentic Task

Multimedia presentations are used in almost all professions: the medical field, business, legal services, educational tools and services, news, and politics, to name a few. Within these fields, they are used in various ways, including in meetings, at conferences, to sway public opinion, and to call communities, constituents, and stakeholders to action on various issues. Both historically and currently, mastery of rhetoric is an essential skill and today that skill is enhanced through the use of multimedia technology.

Opportunities for Exhibition to an Audience

There are many possible audiences for multimedia presentations. If students are working on a school issue they may make a presentation to be delivered at a school assembly or to be posted on the school’s website; if it’s a community issue they might post their presentation on the web or present at a town council meeting. Students can create a guest blog post for their presentation. Students can create their own class web link and put their presentations in one place. They might also submit proposals to present at a conference, or look for a site that supports youth voices.