Presentation Day 4 (Sep. 24th)

Today's class was a continuation of presentations. I am pretty sure today's was the last class where students who have taken Mr.Paterson's since last year, presented. Watching today's set of presentations officially convinced me that students' presentations are definitely getting better and better every year and even escalating every class. Today's presenters were yet again persuading and made me want to read a few novels! I thought I would never be interested in the Harry Potter series, but coincidentally there were two presentations about the series and they absolutely changed my fixed mindset and perspective. In my opinion, regardless of whether or not they recommend or dislike the book, how clearly and entertainingly the plot is described is a prominent factor of the entire presentation. Whenever I felt immersed or amused by a presentation, it was usually when my interest in the content of the book was genuinely triggered. Another book I was convinced to purchase was Farenhite 451. I had been wanting to read this book since the teacher showed us a video where this book was recommended on 'thug notes'. However, this time around, hearing my friend's presentation boosted my interest in this book and became very appealing to me. 

We were told to start creating our own websites that would complement or add on anything we missed in our presentations. I am almost finished with my section of the website, and just need to film my video. One of the presenters had also started working on her presentation and already incorporated it into her presentation which was impressive. As soon as I saw her do that, I was reminded that we pasted the link of our website on the last slide last year. I quickly copied a link and generated a QR code for my website to stick onto the last slide for the audience's to access. I am not quite sure if we are supposed to start filming our videos quite yet and don't have a complete image of what I am going to create. What I have in mind is a type of book trailer to entertainingly yet academically introduce the book. I am thinking of making it shorter than the length of my actual spoken presentation because I personally would not be able to stay focused and listen to a long and tedious video. 

As I was listening to today's presenters and also recalling previous presenters, I came to the conclusion that those speakers who are very to the point and being specific in every aspect are those that are most meaningful. For example, many students recommend their book to basically everyone and mention that this will be enjoyable for all generations. In some cases, without a doubt, this could be true. But in reality, is it really that simple? Convincing each and every single person in the room, or moreover, persuading every aged reader to pick this book up is close to impossible. If we try this to a certain extent, it may lead to a very broad and unprecise presentation which could not only be boring but also ineffective in convincing any readers at all. Furthermore, instead of saying that the book is "educational" or helps us improve as a person, speaking about specific ideologies, this book will help us earn is a lot more interesting and compelling to the audience. For example, a presenter said that there were several educational messages in her book and specified by saying that it will help readers view international news without forgetting the faces of the people who are encountering these quandaries. I was very stimulated by this opinion and felt an urge to read this book after hearing such a significant and strong, yet specified reasoning. For some people, this may not have any influence on them and could've even made them uninterested but to say the last it triggered few people including myself, and in my opinion that is more than enough.