How to deliver a good presentation ^^

To deliver a good presentation, you should follow the four steps below:

• Planning: Understand your audience - about their needs, their background, and the place where your presentation will be delivered. The way to present a topic to a group of elementary students is different from the way to present to undergraduates. To present in a meeting room, you can speak quickly; but when presenting in a hall, you need to speak slower. Plan your coverage so you can present within the time frame available.
• Preparing: Thesis statement -> objectives -> Outline -> coverage depth. Encourage responses, and stimulate reactions and their learning desire.
• Delivering: Deliver your presentation, with visual aids like presentation slides. Use animation sparingly, so it will not distract the audience. Think of putting summaries of each slide in the "note" portion of your presentation, and have them printed out as handouts to the audience.
• Reviewing: You may wish to to deliver your presentations again. Review your performances so you can improve them the next time you perform.

Useful illustrations

• Waterfall diagram: This diagram breaks down 100% of the market share into their holders, sorting from largest to smallest.
• BCG diagram: This diagram is extremely useful in marketing, although most people only learn the basics of the diagram at undergraduate level.
• SWOT Analysis: This is clear and precise, and states the problem effectively.

Caution on Presentations

• Keep characters large enough to be read by your audience – minimum 18 pt font.
  • Consider the place where the presentation will be delivered, and also the visual ability of your audience.
• Use Bullet Points sparingly. Use visual images instead as these will increase message retention.
• Avoid tables with too many rows and columns (such as balance sheets, as when people cannot read the characters, they become useless)
• Avoid jamming too much content in a page. Break it into two or three pages. Keep only a few points on each page.
• Make sure that you rehearse your presentation. You should plan to rehearse your presentation out loud at least four times.

There are a number of pitfalls that one should try to avoid when using different types of presentations. Some are as follows.

PowerPoint: Keep the slide layout and color scheme constant to make the presentation look professional and non-distracting. Limit the color scheme to two or three colors so that the slides do not look too complicated. Transitions and animations may be fun, but they should be used sparingly so that you do not distract the audience. Also, when presenting, use slides as an outline. Do not put all of your information onto a slide. Keep notes with you so that you can speak freely and not have to read the slides for help.

Posters/Collages: Keep these visual aids concealed until they are needed. If they are left in the open while the presentation is taking place, the audience will not pay attention to the presenter, but rather the poster/collage. After the visual has been used, conceal it once again for the same reasons. Make sure that the visual can be seen from all parts of the room so that the audience can see. Collages may require clutter at times, but it is best to avoid this for posters. Include a manageable amount of information that will get the point across, but still make the visual appealing. Be sure to keep the typography of the poster readable from even the back of the room. Large and clean font should be used at all times. It is also important that the color of the text compared to that of the background is such that it is also readable.

Pamphlets/Handouts: Try not to hand these out to the audience if at all possible. You could use an overhead projector if you like. If it is necessary to hand them out, do so only when needed so that the audience does not look at them and/or play with them. If they are handed out early, ask the audience to keep the visual face down or direct their attention to a specific page so that they are always following along. Always number the pages if there is more than one. This will help in case an audience member accidentally gets the pages out of order. It is best to wait till the end to give them out.

The speaker: Keep eye contact with the audience and not the visual. This shows you know your information well. Do not pace or walk around unless it is part of the presentation. This will distract the audience. Do not block visuals with your body. Practice the presentation so that it is pulled off with ease and always be prepared for the unexpected.

Questions: Whilst you may prepare some questions to ask the audience, you should also be aware that the audience may also ask you questions so it is best to come prepared for that too.

How to Study For Exams ^^

Exams are a terrible and stressful thing to study for, especially knowing that they can make or break your final mark. Being able to study in the proper manner will achieve the best results, so make use of these tips.

Steps

1. 1
   Rewriting. Rewriting your notes is great if you're a kinesthetic learner. Also, when you re-write something, you will probably think about what you are writing, what it's about, and why you wrote it down. Most importantly, it refreshes your memory. If you took notes a month ago and just found out that those notes will be relevant in your exam, rewriting them will remind you of them when you need it for your exam.
2. Find the right hours. Don't study when you're really tired. It's better to study for two hours in one day than to try and cram in that daily hour of studying at two in the morning. You won't remember much and you're likely to stop before you have studied what you need.
3.  
   Don't cram. Cramming the night before is proven to be useless, because you're taking in so much information at once that it's impossible to memorize it at all -- in fact, you'll hardly retain anything. I know it's been preached to you many times before, but it's true: Studying before and going over it multiple times really is the best way to learn the material. This is especially true with things like history and subjects dealing with theory.
4.  
   Subjects. If it's math you're studying for, work on the problems. Don't just read over it like you would for a history class, because you can actually "do" math, but you can seldom "do" history. Working problems out will help burn them into your mind, and remember: if you can't solve the problem before the exam, you won't be able to solve it on the exam either. If you are studying for a more social subject, do your research! Make sure you know what you're talking about!
5.  
   Surroundings. How do you study best? In your PJ's, or your favorite t-shirt? With music or without? In your room or outside? Regardless, you probably won't be able to study while:
   • Your darling little brother or sister is running screaming around the house. You are going to end up watching movies because they are far too distracting.
   • Your music is not relaxing, or is a song you want to sing along to instead of studying.
   • It's too dark. Your eyes will strain in dim light.
   • You're in a mess. Clean your room, as the mess around you really can distract you from what you're doing.
6.  
   Correct lighting. For men, try studying with a dimmer light (though not overly dim). Statistics say that 75% of guys that do this will focus better. For girls, it's indicated that 90% of the time, they study and focus better in a brighter room with little noise.
7.  
   TV. Some people like to have the TV on quietly in the background. This can cut both ways in that it can distract you from time to time, but also can help you to continue studying. It's a risky strategy to have the TV on: nobody really knows how much it takes away from your attention and may be distracting you more than you realize.
8.  
   Take Breaks. You need some time to have fun and it is better to revise when you are feeling relaxed than to exhaust yourself studying all day! The only caveat is, you need to avoid procrastination.

How to Concentrate More in the Classroom ^^

It can be easy to goof off in college. After all, no one’s making you go to class. There will come a time though, that you understand the importance of a college education. How on earth can you concentrate more in the classroom? What steps can you take to get a better grade? It’s easy to concentrate more in the classroom, if you follow these simple steps.

Instructions

1. 1
   Eat properly. Pizza may be the breakfast of champions, but it’s not the breakfast of scholars. Instead, you need a balanced breakfast that consists of fiber and essential vitamins. Fiber keeps you full and keeps your mind off your stomach, while vitamins give you energy. Avoid overeating at lunch. Overeating can cause you to become sluggish, which makes it hard to concentrate in the classroom. Instead, eat a healthy salad with a lean protein.
2. 2
   Bring needed supplies to class, including a notebook for writing down notes and assignments. You also need pens, highlighters and your textbook.
3. 3
   Minimize distractions. Distractions not only break your concentration, but they break the concentration of those around you as well. Before class starts, take the time to turn off your cell phone and put away any electronic devices that you may be tempted to fiddle with.
4. 4
   Sit in the front of the classroom. This gives your instructor a clear view of everything you do. This means you’ll be less likely to goof off. It also means that you may be called on to answer questions, which will encourage you to concentrate more.
5. 5
   Take notes. If you have a hard time concentrating on what your instructor is saying, write it down. Taking notes forces you to focus on the material.
6. 6
   Ask questions. The number one reason people fail to concentrate in the classroom is they get lost. If the material is too difficult, ask questions. Your instructor will be more than happy to help. Best of all, when you better understand the material, you’re better able to concentrate.

How to Know What's New in Technology ^^

Technology seems to be changing every day. Keeping up with it can make your head spin. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep up with what's new in technology.

1. 
    
   PC World Magazine
   Subscribe to the latest technology magazines. Better yet, take a trip to your local library and peruse it's selection before ordering a subscription.
   Some of the more well known magazines are PC Magazine, Computer World, Wired, Network World, Technology World, etc.
2. 2
   Many of the technology magazines have online technology reviews. You can do a Google search for "technology magazines." There are also online technology sites such as www.techspot.com, www.cnet.com or www.boygeniusreport.com that let you know what's new in technology.
3. 3
   
    
   Think Geek Logo
   Visit websites that allow you to purchase items online and just take time looking at what's out there. Some of these sites include www.newegg.com, www.tigerdirect.com, or www.thinkgeek.com. There are many sites such as http://news.yahoo.com/i/738 that will let you know what's new in technology. Just do an internet search for "technology news".
4. 4
   
    
   RSS Feed
   Subscribe to technology emails from online magazines, or subscribe to RSS feeds that will automatically send you information so you won't have to keep looking it up. For more information on RSS feeds, visit http://www.rss-specifications.com/subscribe-to-feeds.htm or http://www.whatisrss.com/.
5. 5
   Read technology blogs such as http://gizmodo.com/ or http://arstechnica.com/. For a list of the top 100 technology blogs, go to http://news.cnet.com/CNET-News.coms-Blog-100/2009-12_3-5887900.html.

Three Chinese Proverb i like ^^

A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.  ~Chinese Proverb

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb

Learning is like rowing upstream:  not to advance is to drop back.  ~Chinese Proverb

About Educational Technology

Educational technology (also called learning technology) is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources."^[1] The term educational technology is often associated with, and encompasses, instructional theory and learning theory. While instructional technology covers the processes and systems of learning and instruction, educational technology includes other systems used in the process of developing human capability. Educational Technology includes, but is not limited to, software, hardware, as well as Internet applications and activities. But there is still debate on what these terms mean.