GAIN (Google Slides), 5-10-15

I grew up in a Microsoft Office world. From middle schools when PowerPoint was starting to be a requirement and we typed everything on Microsoft Word to just a few months ago when I typed my 40 page Senior Thesis on Word and entered in data from Health class on Excel, my academic life has been dominated by Microsoft software. Even though in the last 10 or 15 years as Apple and Mac have begun to rise to the top of the technology popularity race, mostly all academic settings still require proficiency in and repeated use of Microsoft Office. 

Almost every student has had to give a presentation of some kind somewhere or another in their years of schooling. That usually required spending a while making a PowerPoint, saving it on a flash drive, bringing it into class, and uploading it on the classroom computer. 

Google has changed that. With Google Presentations (Slides), a user can create a presentation and save it to the Cloud (Google Drive) so they can open it or access it to edit anywhere where they have an internet connection. The days of carrying a flash drive and hoping your presentation comes up on the computer you're using in the same state it was in when you last saved it are over.

After playing with it a little, it is very simple to use. The controls are very similar to the PowerPoint ones we have all come to know and love (a hint of sarcasm there). There are many different options for formatting backgrounds, fonts, and transitions, the number of backgrounds may not be as plentiful as they are in PowerPoint, but there are more than enough to keep a fresh backdrop every time you use it.

Graham in his textbook points out a key Common Core standard that Google Presentations helps accomplish. One is "Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations." While it could be argued that PowerPoint also does this and while that may be true, Google Presentations presents an easier and more affordable way to achieve this. One does not have to buy Google Presentations while Microsoft Office costs a considerable sum of money. Google Presentations is a "strategic use of digital media" because if a student saves his/her presentation to the Cloud, they can access it from anywhere they have the Internet at any time, as opposed to carrying around a flash drive.


Graham also mentions that the use of presentations is key in communication. Whenever someone gives a presentation, spectators are often more focused on what the slides looks like and says than what the person is saying. Making a good presentation is key to making a good impression, selling a point/product, and to look professional. Students should and can be taught how to use this software from a young age so they can be proficient at it as they progress in their academics.

Here's my sampling of Google Presentations:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10l7z8b6dQ8VQ4n53AWOvRdsVBWMqrQS2_RJ8Ts5-66E/edit?usp=sharing