“You mentioned the navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military’s changed,” (laughter from the audience.) – U.S. Pres. Barack Obama’s comeback to Gov. Mitt Romney, U.S. presidential debate 22 Oct. 2012

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My dog-&-pony show

     There are free-speech cases that date as far back as World War I. For the oldest case for discussion, we have a slideshow with World War I photos in black and white so students will know it was an entirely different world… Last year the department  batted for the reinstatement of  Kas I or Kasaysayan 1 (History class) in the G.E. course (it had been removed  half a decade ago), I have  students who think  the Hukbalahap   rose up against the  Spanish colonizers  in 1898;  in one student’s slideshow (Ayer vs. RTC Judge Capulong & Enrile,  a movie on the 1986 EDSA uprising) there were photos of EDSA rallies around the giant  Mama Mary EDSA Shrine. Prof (turning her head counterclockwise to look at the slide from another angle): “is that… EDSA One?” Student: “Ma’m yes.”  Prof: “Eh ano yang monumento dyan (What’s that monument there?”) Student: “EDSA Shrine.” Prof: “And those are… flyovers, right?” Student: “yes” Prof: “so that’s… 1986?” (class laughs) Student: “ay mali,  sorry”. (actually, this was a longer story; i had to explain that the flyovers were built in the 1990’s.)  And so now, History 1 has been restored.

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And…for slideshows,  if you will just read off a  slide, don’t bother to make a presentation. A common mistake is when the presenter sits behind a desk…behind a laptop… and just clicks and reads the text off it…you might as well send a well-trained chihuahua  to do that. Show  the title slide . Then  stand in front, not behind the  desk or podium,  in front! (or you can walk up and down during your talkies).

    Give a short discussion  of what will follow… then engage.  Then…that’s when  to click on the slide ; with sound effects if you like;  put animation, then animate the  text (handouts distributed earlier so the audience does not have to copy off the slides). Then discuss, engage.  And so on.  (finish with an “applause “ sound effects  slide  to amuse people).DO NOT READ OFF THE SLIDE –- discuss, engage, stand  in front  (instead of being attached to your computer).

And better yet —  throw a question or two.  Here and there. And here’s the bayonet question, Abrams vs. United States  (1919), never fails:

 9^th slide: “It tells the Russian emigrants, …’Workers in the ammunition factories, you are producing bullets, bayonets, cannons to murder not only the Germans, but also your dearest, best, who are in Russia fighting for freedom.’

Prof: What’s a…. bayonet? … (class wakes up). Mr. _ _ ?

Student: Ma’m…(everybody looks at him)… a rifle (gestures the shape  of a rifle)…with a big sword at the end (laughs)

Prof: A big sword! Is it a sword? Anyway, what’s the big sword for? (class laughs)

Student: Ma’m… when you run out of bullets (class laughs) …you “tusok” (you impale) (laughs) (gestures) your enemy with it…

Prof: When you run out of bullets…You’re dead! (class laughs).

[and that’s how to wake up your class while discussing an old, old  (World War I) case]

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and that was what Mitt Romney was talking about when he said the U.S. had more ships in 1916.