Aids/Props

The use of physical teaching aids/props can either be:

• The deciding factor that sets apart your workshop from anything else the audience has ever seen
• The downfall of your workshop

They're a double edged sword.

A lot of student teams fall into the trap of having a physical prop/item they display and talk about during their presentation. This prop ends up being central to the actual workshop.

This is really boring.

We believe a prop should NEVER be the central focus of any workshop you present. It's simply too easy to get bored of it quick.

We instead believe that props should:

• Provide an example or illustrate what is already included in the presentation

  For example, when giving a workshop on HPC, a quick demonstration (we're talking <3 mins) of the HPC mini cluster (6 raspberry pi's 4 SBCs combined at time or writing)

• Be a pattern interrupt

  For example, if talking about whether the audience would trust AI with their life for an L&E workshop, pointing nerf guns at the audience to illustrate the concept.

  These can be extremely powerful in increasing engagement, but be careful to make sure they're not too distracting.

Props are not limited to physical things.

Digital aids can also be used similarly.

For example, when talking about generative AI, an example of an actual GAN generating an image live during the presentation would stand out and reinforce the concept.

This is part of why MDN Edu Members are expected to work on projects- so they're able to showcase cool applications of AI/HPC/L&E whilst presenting.