Fulbright Finland Presents…

I applied for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program with the hopes of improving my teaching practice and reaching professional goals. That, plus the adventure of a lifetime! When you register for professional programs, conferences, and seminars, you expect to learn from the experts. You expect to leave the event having heard about and witnessed trends in education and advancements in technology. These experiences are great ways to learn new things. They give me the knowledge and motivation to integrate the latest and greatest resources and strategies into the classroom.

A classroom at Espoolahden koulu

Sometimes we learn best by not attending a presentation, but by giving one. I do not consider myself an expert on any topic. Far from it. But presenting gives me the motivation to dive into topics I am interested in knowing more about. I highly suggest that if you are intrigued by a new teaching practice or educational technology, sign up to present it. Between then and the presentation, research all you can, plan lessons incorporating the methods, and try it out with your students. You will learn so much by putting yourself in the position to teach others. In the end, you might just really be an expert.

As a Fulbright grantee, I have learned a lot from university classes, classroom visits, forums, and other professional development events. I cannot keep all this information to myself; I must tell others. So, after two months in Finland, I found myself in the presenter role, sharing what I know and what I have learned.

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My first presentation in Finland was at the American Resource Center (ARC). ARC is managed in a partnership between the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki and the University of Helsinki. The ARC’s collection focuses on political, economic and social issues, and on American culture. There are more than 10,000 volumes, subscriptions to 80 periodicals, 2 American newspapers, and some 100 DVDs. I first met with the librarians of the ARC a month before my presentation to discuss my roles as teacher-librarian and my Fulbright inquiry project. During the conservation, virtual reality (VR) came up. I have used VR in my school library but would like to take students’ experiences to the next level. And that simple talking point is what lead to my presentation’s topic. I would give a presentation on using VR in education.

Knowing that I would be giving a 90-minute public lecture on VR in 30 days was the motivation I needed to learn more about this innovative technology. I left the meeting at ARC and immediately began reading everything I could find on VR. I watched video clips, read articles, followed social media accounts, and downloaded programs. My research and experimentation helped me design a presentation that would appeal to teachers and general audience members alike.

I have never given a presentation longer than an hour, so a 90-minute presentation was a little daunting. I tried to put myself in the audience’s shoes. How could I make the topic interesting and interactive? Almost everyone has a smart phone. Why not use technology to achieve audience participation? I began the presentation by soliciting responses from the audience using Padlet. Padlet is like paper for your screen. I wrote a question on the Padlet that was shared with the audience using a short web address. They used their phones to go to the URL and type responses in minutes. This way, the entire room could see other people’s thinking which lead to new ideas and thoughtful discussion.

Kentucky-related prizes for the winners

I also planned a Kahoot!, a game-based learning platform, as a way to engage the audience by answering quiz questions from their mobile devices. I had ten questions total. Each question was one side of an image where you cannot see behind the camera. I asked questions about what was on the other side knowing the audience would have to guess. After each question, I revealed the correct answer and then showed the 360-degree image to illustrate how VR helps to give the whole picture. It was a fun activity and I think people started to understand how powerful 360-degree imagery can be.

Here is an example:

• What is behind George Washington's house?
• a) mountains b) lake c) river d) Capitol Building

Now, CLICK HERE to view everything from George Washington's piazza and learn the correct answer. The audience also viewed 360-degree pictures from my library and past trips using a Google Cardboard viewer.

Things do not always go as planned when you deliver a presentation. That is not necessarily a bad thing. For instance, I ended up not using the script I prepared for each slide. From the start, I realized I knew more about the topic than I gave myself credit. However, I am glad I prepared the notes because it gave me confidence to deliver the message naturally. 

The best part of presenting is getting feedback and questions from the audience. After the lecture, we spent 20 minutes talking about the tools I discussed. Some teachers even shared their experiences using VR with students. See, presenters learn a lot too when they engage the audience.

I was not born a good public speaker. I have a feeling I will never master the art. But each time I do give a presentation, I discover more about my strengths and weaknesses which I use to improve the next one. You don’t have to be an expert or an inspirational speaker to give a lecture or lead a workshop. You just have to be willing to take yourself out of your comfort zone and devote time to research and preparation. The next time you find a topic you are extremely passionate about and want to explore more fully, submit a presentation proposal. Give the presentation you wouldn’t want to miss.

The same week I gave the lecture at ARC, I gave a similar presentation at Helsinki Design Museum. The Design, Technology, and Learning program included four speakers, each presenting for 25 minutes. It was great to connect with educators and EdTech designers.