PechaKucha, Ignite and Edvent presentations have various rules to govern the format. They have one basic elements in common, to engage the audience and communicate a message within a fast paced presentation.
PechaKucha Nights (PKNs) are a Japanese innovation to allow presentations from multiple presenters throughout the night. 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each (6 minutes and 40 seconds in total) hence the name “PechaKucha” or “chitchat”. How To Make a Petcha Kutcha is a YouTube “meta-kutcha” created by Marcus Weaver Hightower from The University of North Dakota. He goes through all of the essential elements to consider, including slide show suggestions in the preparation. Rosa Fazio @collabtime used Spark Video for her Ignite at The British Columbia Principals’ Vice Principals’ Association Friday Forum which was very powerful.
Ignite sessions are similar. 20 slides are advanced at intervals of 15 seconds for a total 5 minute presentations. The 1st Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006 and the presentation format has spread exponentially to cities all over the world to multiple disciplines.
EDvents are less formal in form for educators coming together to “chitchat” about educational issues. The inspirational quality of the 5 minute is presentation is at a premium to stimulate educational discourse between speakers at the event. There could be one slide, There could be props. There could be an adherence to pechakucha or ignite format. There could be a theme. I presented on a “Menu for Meaningful Learning” in keeping with the food theme at EDvent 2017 in Burnaby, British Columbia.
The challenge of all of these formats is to remove all of the extraneous detail, to make the message succinct and content engaging. My first “EDvent” was extremely stressful. My ability to ad lib by reading the audience was stripped away by the need to follow a well-practiced script to ensure my presentation was coordinated with the timed slides. It was different from any other presentation I had done, albeit not quite as stressful as my 9th Grade oral report on the tomato plant. Fortunately I was surrounded by like-minded educators who were proud of me for being brave enough to take the risk.
I have been asked to do another ignite and I’m starting to think about how to improve on my last performance. I’ve gone to two respected colleagues who have taken the “edvent” to an art form. Gillian Judson @perfinker responded that a good ignite session “comes from a position of engagement and connects with the heart of the listener.” Rosa Fazio @collabtime also shared similar wisdom: “When I write an ignite, my goal is to make a connection between the head and the heart.” There you have it! The aspiration to connect and inspire the listener is what dictates the power of the presentation.
On April 17th, I will be attending another Edvent 2018 #tunEDin organized by Gabriel Pillay @GabrielPillay1 with the effervescent enthusiasm of his sister, Rose Pillay @RosePillay1 aka CandyBarQueen. I am looking forward to connecting with other colleagues in Education, being inspired by the signature EDvent format and to glean helpful hints for my next ignite session. I hope to see you there.
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