What is Present.me? What can Present.me do?
Present.me is a web tool that allows you to create amazing presentations through your documents such as PowerPoint, pdf, or Google Docs. Similar to My Brainshark and Jing I introduced before, Present.me lets you add a narrative to the presentation. However, what makes Present.me so unique is that you can add not only audio effect but also 'your video', which means the audience can see you on the right and the data on the left at the same time.
How to use Present.me?
1. Go to https://present.me/ and register for free unless you want
to pay extra to obtain more functions. Basically speaking, it is
totally enough for you to make your presentation magic by
using the free version.
2. After signing in, click 'create' and then choose what you want
to create, including 'slides & video', 'slides &audio', 'slides',
and 'video'.
3. If we want to make 'slides & video', click 'proceed' and then
you are able to upload your content. After your content is
successfully converted, you can begin recording.
4. The final presentation then appears with your webcam
recording on the right and slides on the left. You can preview,
download, embed, or share your presentation as you want. The
download, embed, or share your presentation as you want. The
following is my self-made Present.me video regarding the
'Wallwisher activity' we had in ICT class last Friday.
Why is Present.me relevant to language teaching?
1. It provides opportunities to practice speaking, and it fits all Ss'
needs. Some shy Ss are not willing to talk in class; thus, they
can practice speaking in their room and then send it to T.
Moreover, they can also choose not to appear on the screen by
selecting 'video-only mode'. For some active / outgoing Ss,
they can choose 'slide & video mode' to present themselves as
they like. According to my previous teaching experience, one
of the factors that Ss care about in practicing speaking is their
'face'. With Present.me, there are more possibilities and
flexibility for T and Ss to teach / practice speaking.
2. It breaks the limitation of time and space. As I mentioned in
my previous blog articles, especially in Asian context, T are
always struggling for timing. They have to go through a lot of
materials and spend most of the time dealing with exam
purposes. By using Present.me, some activities which are
impossible to happen in class can be done effectively.
3. It is helpful to catch Ss' attention. For example, T can
introduce today's topic by using Present.me, and this is
definitely different from traditional warm-up activities.
Sometimes it is necessary to have new stimulus in class to
promote more student involvement. Ss can experience audio
effect, visual effect, and materials at the same time, which will
make teaching and learning much more interesting.
4. It can also be used for listening, reading, and writing. For
instance, Ss have to perform all four skills well (read to collect
relevant data, write about main points for slides, speak and
listen for recording, etc.) to produce a successful presentation.
To reach the goal, Ss may practice hundreds of times before
they finish, which is what all the language teachers are eager
for.
needs. Some shy Ss are not willing to talk in class; thus, they
can practice speaking in their room and then send it to T.
Moreover, they can also choose not to appear on the screen by
selecting 'video-only mode'. For some active / outgoing Ss,
they can choose 'slide & video mode' to present themselves as
they like. According to my previous teaching experience, one
of the factors that Ss care about in practicing speaking is their
'face'. With Present.me, there are more possibilities and
flexibility for T and Ss to teach / practice speaking.
2. It breaks the limitation of time and space. As I mentioned in
my previous blog articles, especially in Asian context, T are
always struggling for timing. They have to go through a lot of
materials and spend most of the time dealing with exam
purposes. By using Present.me, some activities which are
impossible to happen in class can be done effectively.
3. It is helpful to catch Ss' attention. For example, T can
introduce today's topic by using Present.me, and this is
definitely different from traditional warm-up activities.
Sometimes it is necessary to have new stimulus in class to
promote more student involvement. Ss can experience audio
effect, visual effect, and materials at the same time, which will
make teaching and learning much more interesting.
4. It can also be used for listening, reading, and writing. For
instance, Ss have to perform all four skills well (read to collect
relevant data, write about main points for slides, speak and
listen for recording, etc.) to produce a successful presentation.
To reach the goal, Ss may practice hundreds of times before
they finish, which is what all the language teachers are eager
for.
How can Present.me be used in / outside classroom?
1. It is definitely a great tool to train Ss' speaking ability, and it
can used in various circumstances. For instance, T can use it to
train Ss for speech contest; with video effect, T can check not
merely Ss' facial expressions but also their body language.
Also, T can implement it for discussion and debate practice, or
even hold a contest to select the best news anchor or the most
creative storyteller of the class.
2. T can ask Ss to do some speaking tasks with Present.me for
assessment. In real classrooms, it is almost impossible for T to
evaluate Ss' speaking individually. However, Ss now can do it
and submit their work at home, and T can mark it and give
feedback online. Besides individual evaluation, doing group
presentations with Present.me is also a possibility, which is
helpful to promote cooperative or collaborative learning.
3. T can give online sessions for supplementary teaching or other
purposes (e.g. distance teaching and learning) by using
Present.me. Also, T can talk about some complicated concepts
in detail, give more examples, explain homework / tasks, or
even remind Ss of something important by just providing a link
or embedding the video in the blog.
What limitations are there?
1. It requires appropriate computer equipment and Internet
speed. The video I embedded above is over 9 minutes, and it
took relatively long time for the system to convert it.
2. With free membership, you can only publish at most 10 videos
in a month, and each should be less than 60 minutes.
(However, I think it is already enough for most teaching and
learning conditions.)
3. Unlike My Brainshark, if you make mistakes during the
recording, you will have to go back to the beginning and do it
again from zero, which is a bit stressful for Ss, especially for
beginners and low achievers.
