Way Beyond PowerPoint: Making 21st Century Presentations

With Web 2.0 tools, students have creative options for book reports that go beyond the traditional plot summaries and dioramas. Teens can use digital storytelling tools to share information about their books and generate enthusiasm for reading. The author discusses a variety of options for creating book reports with digital tools, including using movie-making programs to create exciting book trailers, crafting multimedia slide shows, making original animations starring an avatar, and more. Projects fulfill numerous Common Core Standards, including determining a text’s theme and showing how it is conveyed through details, and incorporating multimedia components in presentations to clarify information.