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Students master and retain learning more effectively (than many other methods) when they present their work to others. Essentially all of us (no matter our age) can remember details of a school presentation we made long ago. Regardless of the discipline area, your students will likely benefit from making presentations also – that is, as long as you follow sound practices.

First, remember that the number one fear of adults is public speaking, so your students, regardless of whether they are 18-year-old freshmen or 68-year-old graduate students, are likely to need a fair amount of reassurance. One key form of the reassurance that will support them (but that many professors overlook) is providing students with an adequate overview of the assignment. When students don’t have the ‘big picture” they need, they are likely to make unfocused, disjointed presentations – which contribute to their feelings of inadequacy the next time around. Therefore, students should be provided – in writing and well in advance – the goals and objectives of the presentation, as well as a detailed scoring rubric.

In a large course or when building teamwork is an especially desirable goal, you might consider having students make presentations in a group setting, for example, as a member of a forum or panel discussion. Presenting to a small group is less frightening than presenting to a large group, particularly if the chosen subset of the class has been working together on various projects through the semester.

If yours is an introductory course and/or students voice considerable anxiety, provide individual coaching or model presentation skills, showing students how to gain viewers’ attention, use visual aids, form a powerful conclusion, and so on. You can also have a student with a proven track record in another professor’s class demonstrate effective presentation skills. Videos (off or on-line) on how to develop an excellent presentation are another possibility. A final, but far less desirable, option is to deliver a full presentation yourself, emphasizing in advance the key techniques students should look for. Some students are likely to have difficulty separating such a presentation from regular lecture or demonstration, while others might view such a presentation as *the* model and work so hard to duplicate it that they appear unnatural. Note: This is, of course, assuming that you are a model presenter.

Viewers and speakers can derive full value from presentations only when feedback is plentiful, objective, and consistent. We recommend allowing viewers to contribute to the evaluation of their peers. One frequently used method is to give viewers index cards on which they are asked to do a “three by three”; that is, they are to write down three strong points and three suggested improvements for each presentation. These are turned in at the end of the presentation and then attached to the evaluation form completed by the instructor.

The student who makes the presentation is not the only one who is learning. Therefore, you should measure the learning that occurs among the audience. This helps to indicate to the student presenters that the effectiveness of their efforts matters – not only to them but to their classmates. It is sometimes worthwhile to base at least a portion of the presenter’s grade on how much the other students learned. Remember, what gets measured gets done, and students value those measurements (i.e., grades) highly.

Deliver specific praise for student presentations in public, and give constructive criticism in private. This way of delivering feedback is part of creating a supportive environment. Keep in mind that such an environment increases students’ retention of the material that they have already presented, as well as what they have heard their fellow students present. It also contributes to the enhancement of student efficacy and self-esteem.

Finally, remember that nearly any good idea can be overdone. Unless yours is a public speaking course, resist the increasingly common tendency, especially in graduate courses, to have students learn the majority of the course content through various types of presentations. Consumer-oriented students are likely to perceive that such an arrangement denies them access to the expertise of a professor for whom they invested considerable financial resources.

Top Christmas presents are different for everyone. You will find Christmas gifts for him, her, teens and children here. Some are popular in retail stores while others are from the best Gifts for Christmas list from toy fairs and manufacturers.

Christmas presents for children are always fun to buy. Some toys spark imagination and interest while helping develop academic skills such as reading or writing. You can find toys that are fun and help your child exercise.

The I Can Be Barbie dolls fall into these categories. I Can Be Barbies are dolls made for girls that inspire them to think about career choices they may want to make in the future. You can find Barbie as a SeaWorld trainer, a computer engineer, a chef, or a doctor. They are beautifully made and come at a very reasonable cost so you can buy more than one, if you cannot decide on which one to get!

For younger children, there are toys that mimic an iPad or children’s laptop. Leapfrog has the Leapster Explorer Learning game, Fisher Price came out with the children’s iXL with a digital reader, art studio and even an MP3 player. These types of games are designed to teach numbers, letters, spelling, and some even have a little life science in some games.

Riding toys are always a hit such as the Radio Flyer classic tricycle. But tricycles are not the only way to ride. You can find pedal cars in the form of a police car, fire engine, and even a pink antique style car! The Plasma Car is a hit with children as it uses inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction to create movement.

The EzyRoller is another ride on toys that combines the control of a bike and the fun of a scooter, according to the manufacturer. Parents like it because it is low to the ground and safe while the kids don’t get tired of it.

Looking for Christmas presents for your kids? For teens and families Xbox has come out with the Kinect. This is an interactive module you connect to your Xbox and use your body as the controller. It is brand new and you can play games such as volleyball, soccer and even hurdle racing. Now kids can have fun while staying active.

PlayStation has their version called the PlayStation Move. This is similar to the Wii game in that you use controllers to mimic the action of the game. You can also play online with friends, download games, movies and more. You can also immerse yourself in 3D games for a total gaming experience.

The best gifts for him usually include electronics and this year is no different. Men enjoy the games such as above, but the best part is that these are fun for the whole family.

Don’t forget the sports gifts! Buy him a football jersey from his favorite team. Or put together your own gift basket for game day that includes his favorite drink, snacks, jersey, and even beer mugs or logo glasses.

Other presents enjoyed by men are GPS systems, watches that act as cameras, video phones and home theater units such as the Denon AV-1911 receiver. If you feel like splurging this year, check out the new 3D televisions for a total home theater experience.

Women like to be pampered as well as practical. Many items will be considered as the best gifts for Christmas if you choose right. Be sure to know what the woman in your life enjoys and find something that suits her personality.

Spa gift certificates always make nice Christmas gifts if she has time and enjoys facials or massages. Jewelry excites some women as many times she will not buy such an extravagance for herself. Perhaps your lady is more into electronics in which case a new laptop or cell phone will be a fun gift idea.

Then there are the unique gifts for those hard-to-buy-for people. These can be fun, interesting and exciting for loved ones or a gift exchange.

One idea is the “Wine Rack” for women or the “Beer Belly” for men. Both are worn around the body and you can fill them with your favorite beverage. The wine rack gives any woman a boost in the chest as it hold wine and the beer belly fits around a man’s waist and can hold beer or other beverages. Talk about interesting!

More fun ideas for interesting or unique gifts are musical instruments, concert tickets, voice activated robots, or games for the Wii that use the Wii Crossbow controller or the Wii Light Saber controller.

Check the internet for unique Christmas presents and don’t forget to browse around your favorite store. According to financial news, the toys stores are going to duke it out this year as they use price wars to get your business. They have overstocked and need to discount so us consumers will benefit this year. But don’t wait until the last minute because the top Christmas gifts do sell out quickly.

PowerPoint is usually used for presentation and in order to make the presentation a good one, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind. One of them is the general design of the presentation. This covers important aspects such as the background and the appearance. It is recommended that you should keep the background consistent and subtle.

The use of the clipart should be doe sparingly and you are required to select the graphic that should relate to the topic of the particular slide. The other thing you need to keep in mind is to use the same style of graphics all through the presentation as it enhances consistency. The use of flashy graphics, number of transitions and noisy effects should be kept to the minimum.

When it comes to the color of the presentation, it s advisable that you limit the number of colors you use on a single screen. The colors used in a chart should not be more than four in order to make it more visible. While bright colors make thin lines and small objects stand out, using them may make the presentation difficult to read especially when projected. To ensure that this does not happen, check on the colors before the presentation so that you can make the necessary changes when need be.

The font is also a very important consideration when it comes to use of PowerPoint for presentation. Ensure that you have selected the fonts that can be easily read when projected and they should be not less than 24-point min size. You need also to ensure that you have differentiated the headings, subheading and the body of the slide by use of larger fonts or font in different colors. To ensure that the presentation achieves the contrast it desires, use a light background with dark text or dark background with light text. Be careful when using dark background though, because some of them may be difficult to read.

Apart from the design aspects, keep in mind the general presentation basics. Ensure that the spelling and the grammar of the presentation is correct. Start the presentation with a brief overview and finish it with a review of the points. Use the bullet points as a cue for the presentation as it will help you avoid reading it.