We’ve come to rely on PowerPoint to present information to our students, but more often than not these presentations can be lackluster, with little interaction. In my last column, “Building a Better PowerPoint,” I offered tips to improve presentations. Here are some methods to avoid PowerPoint altogether.

Online documents: A slide show requires a linear format, and it is not collaborative. With online documents, such as Google Drive, you can easily display information to the class by using large fonts, but that same document can be shared, with space for student groups to answer questions or contribute comments or feedback. In this way, presentations become participatory. Teachers can begin a document with directions, and students can add their own slides, which everyone can see — all in one place.

Video clips: To help students understand concepts and processes, video clips are ideal. They are naturally engaging for both visual and auditory learners. Clips can be paused at any time for discussion or questions. Your school may have a subscription to a site such as BrainPop, Discovery or Safari Montage. Other free options are NeoK12, with clips on a variety of subjects for all grade levels, and PBS LearningMedia (www.pbslearningmedia.org), which has high-quality, trusted resources.

Screencasts: Avoid the bulleted list; instead, to present steps or model procedures, create a screencast. A screencast is a video record of your computer screen, capturing your mouse movements and speech. You can use a screencast to demonstrate equations, explain steps in a science lab, model grammar usage, and teach the use of software, for example. Making your own screencast is easy. Short screencasts are usually sweeter — for both attention span and smaller file size. Mac users can make screencasts with built-in Quick Time software, or anyone can use Screencast-o-Matic.

Creative media: When students design PowerPoints for class assignments, the results are often disappointing. They copy information verbatim and read off their slides in the oral presentation. Avoid these pitfalls by assigning projects using other media. Quick videos can be created with Animoto.com; students can make their own comics with ComicLife; multimedia posters can be built using Glogster; or, students can demonstrate concepts with the iPad app Explain Everything, for example. Using these alternatives, students show their work and explain verbally to the class — so there’s a lasting project, but students also practice speaking and listening skills.

Other presentation options: If you prefer presentation formats, there are more powerful options than PowerPoint. SMART Notebook software is slide-based, but its add-ons and tools make it shine. It can be used without a smartboard, with the same graphics and animations that make for an engaging demonstration. Prezi is a free online presentation tool that creates hubs of information and then zooms to specifics with a click. It’s visually cool, but its mindmap structure provides a more meaningful way of grouping material than linear slides do.

It may seem like a PowerPoint world, but you don’t have to jump on the bandwagon. Use the strategies above to bring active, creative learning to your class.