1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
You have already built two presentations for your Something Real project in two different digital formats, and that was the hard part. Today you put words on what that work taught you, so that instead of guessing which format is “best” you can defend your choice with evidence from the presentations you actually made. That skill matters for the VET interview, for other LCA tasks, and any time you pick a medium for a real audience.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Say what worked and what did not in each format you have built
- Fill in your Format Comparison page with what you learned while making them
- Defend a format choice out loud, using the work as your proof
Warm-up
Format 1 and format 2 means the two presentations you already saved for Something Real in your {{code:sm2}} folder (your slide deck, infographic, video, podcast, or carousel — whatever you built). If you are not sure which files those are, ask your teacher. Jot two short lines in your notes (or tell a partner): for each format, finish “I would pick this format again when…” Keep those lines beside you, because later the class will sort a set of presentation needs into the format that fits each one, and then you will update your comparison page.
If you are still catching up on format 1, format 2, or the comparison page, stay with the class: you can use peer work and what you notice in that sort as lived evidence. In the portfolio build you will open your existing comparison page or create {{code:sm2_format_comparison}} yourself with simple headings and three empty rows.
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
A format is not “good” or “bad” on its own. It is a fit (or a poor fit) for a purpose, an audience, and the time you have to make and deliver it. Four short ideas sit behind that, and the table below shows the depth your own page needs to reach.
- Format fit — match the medium to what the audience must do with the message.
- Trade-offs — every format buys you something and costs you something.
- Lived evidence — back claims with what happened when you built and rehearsed.
- Comparison criteria — benefits, challenges, and when to use, written side by side.
Worked example: updated comparison rows
Your page needs three format rows. The table shows the depth for three — match this depth when you update your page (specific, honest about friction, tied to your Something Real project):
| Format | Benefits (from building) | Challenges (from building) | When I would use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slide deck | Titles-first structure kept me on one idea per slide in peer rehearsal; easy to pause for examiner questions. | I overfilled two slides with bullets and had to cut later; live delivery needs practice, not just neat slides. | VET interview or any short live talk where adults need to verify learning. |
| Infographic | Hierarchy made the biggest cost stand out in one glance for a non-technical reader. | Hard to update if the numbers change weekly; too much text killed the visual. | One-page promo or results summary for a club, placement supervisor, or school display. |
| Short-form video | A motion hook in the first two seconds held attention in peer playback; captions meant sound-off viewers still got the point. | Reshoots ate time when the script ran long; lighting in the classroom made one take unusable. | Quick project promo or process clip for a school-safe channel, not a live examiner check. |
Example defence
Model VET defence (closing note):
My VET interview format is the slide deck because the examiner needs to check my learning live and pause for questions. When I rehearsed, titles-first slides kept me on one idea at a time and peers could interrupt without losing the thread. The infographic is stronger for a noticeboard or hallway glance, not for a live examiner check.
Not enough on its own: strike through vague lines such as “easy to share”, “looks professional”, or “people like videos”. Replace them with one thing you cut, one thing a peer said, or one thing that took longer than expected.
3 - When to Use Which Format ~15 mins
As a class, match each real presentation need to the digital format that fits best. Before anyone drags a card, the class agrees why it belongs there, and the reason has to come from purpose and audience rather than “because it looks cool”. Work in short rounds: agree one card, place it, then move to the next — do not wait until all eight have been discussed.
Modelled example: “Live 5-minute VET talk to an examiner” belongs in Slide deck because adults must verify learning live and interrupt with questions. A short-form video could be a runner-up for polish, but it is weaker when the examiner needs to pause and check understanding.
When the class has agreed each placement, drag the cards into place on screen. After Check, be ready to name the runner-up out loud for two or three cards people argued over. Two of the cards describe carousels and two describe videos, so take each of those twos together and say what makes them different, rather than trying to guess them apart one at a time.
When to use which format?
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Two formats both seem to fit a card | Pick the stronger fit for the main job (live talk, skim, listen, or scroll). Say the runner-up out loud, then choose. In challenge mode, only one bucket accepts each card. |
| I am sorting by the tool I like, not the audience need | Reread the card and underline who will receive it and what they must do (verify learning, glance, listen, swipe). Sort from that, then name the tool. |
| My Format Comparison page only has generic pros and cons | Add one concrete line from building or rehearsal for each format (what you cut, what peers said, what took longest). Theory-only rows are not finished. |
| I cannot find the earlier Format Comparison page | Open {{code:Project_Portfolio}}, then {{code:09_specialism}}, then {{code:sm2}}. Create a new document named {{code:sm2_format_comparison}} in that folder. Add four column headings (Format, Benefits from building, Challenges from building, When I would use it) and three empty format rows. If your page has another name, Save As or rename to {{code:sm2_format_comparison}} in that folder and work only in that file. Do not invent a second comparison file. |
5 - Portfolio Build ~20 mins
Portfolio build (class working time)
- Open format 1 and format 2 (the two presentations already in your {{code:sm2}} folder) beside a blank browser tab or document window so you can glance at them while you write.
- Open {{code:Project_Portfolio}}, then {{code:09_specialism}}, then {{code:sm2}}. Open your Format Comparison page. If it does not exist yet, create a new document named {{code:sm2_format_comparison}} in that folder with four headings (Format, Benefits from building, Challenges from building, When I would use it) and three empty rows. If your page already has another name, Save As or rename it to {{code:sm2_format_comparison}} in {{code:sm2}} and work only in that file.
- Fill at least three format rows with benefits, challenges, and when-to-use notes from real building or rehearsal. On-track: include both formats you actually built, plus at least one more. Catch-up: include every format you did build, then add rows from peer work or today’s class sort and label those rows observed.
- End with a short defended choice: which format you will use for your VET interview and why, in two or three sentences a sceptical adult would accept. Match the model VET defence from Key concepts (purpose + one rehearsal detail + why not the other format). If a row still sounds like a textbook, open format 1 or 2 (or recall one peer comment from the sort), remember one thing you cut or one thing someone said, and write that in.
- When I built/rehearsed ___, peers said ___ / I had to cut ___ because ___.
- I would use this when the audience must ___; I would not use it when ___.
- My VET interview format is ___ because in rehearsal ___.
- File saved as {{code:sm2_format_comparison}} in {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm2}}
- At least three formats are compared with benefits, challenges, and when-to-use lines
- On-track: both formats you actually built are included, plus at least one more
- Catch-up: formats you did build are included; extra rows may use peer or class-sort evidence and are labelled observed
- Each format row names a real benefit and a real challenge (from your making, rehearsal, or labelled observation), not only generic theory (not “easy to share” or “looks professional” alone)
- A short closing note defends the format you will use for your VET interview (provisional is fine if builds are incomplete) with purpose, audience, and one lived or observed detail
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