Purposes for Using PowerPoint

2. Purposes for Using PowerPoint • Why use PowerPoint? • Does our use of technology in the classroom promote student learning? • When is PowerPoint unnecessary?

3. Effective PowerPoint Presentations • What makes a PowerPoint presentation effective from a design standpoint? • What are characteristics of ineffectively designed PowerPoint presentations?

4. Why is Design Important? • Enhances the effectiveness of your presentations • Helps communicate your main points

5. Best Practices for PPT Design • Simplicity • Readability • Interactivity

6. Simplicity • Notes function vs information overload on screen • Studies have shown “More is not better” in terms of using technology to teach • Avoid Information Overload • PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points says, "When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of decision-making." • He points to research by educational psychologists: "When you remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%.”

7. Simplicity • Notes function vs information overload on screen • “More is not better” in using technology to teach

8. Simplicity: Information Overload • PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points: "When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of decision-making."

9. Simplicity: Information Overload • Atkinson: "When you remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%.”

10. Simplicity: Less is More • Keep words at a minimum • 6 x 6 guide • 6 points per slide • 6 words per point • Keep slides at a minimum • 3 slides per minute max

11. Simplicity: Less is More • Keep fonts simple • 2 max per page, including variations on a single font • portability of fonts & substitutions

12. Simplicity: Less is More • White space is your friend • Avoid pictures or graphics in background • Avoid brightly colored backgrounds

13. Simplicity: Skip the Tricks • Minimize or avoid animated texts, sounds, and fancy transitions  • Can be effective in certain situations, but often distract your audience from your main points

14. Simplicity: Graphics • Word art: When words become art, and when that’s not necessarily a good thing

15. Simplicity: Graphics • Options for creating graphics, charts, and diagrams: • “Smart Art” in PowerPoint

16. Simplicity: Graphics • http://sxc.hu/ • site for illustrations & photos

17. Readability: Basic Design Theory • Contrast • Repetition • Alignment • Proximity Also known to graphic designers as “CRAP” or “PARC” Principles

18. Readability: Contrast • Strong contrast adds “visual interest” and keeps your students’ attention • Makes content more attractive • Highlights the most important concepts • Difference implies importance

19. Readability: Contrast • Strong contrast adds “visual interest” and keeps your students’ attention • Makes content more attractive • Highlights the most important concepts • Difference implies importance

20. Readability: Contrast • Using colors to create contrast • Black text on white background • White text on black background

21. Readability: Repetition • Repetition involves repeating design concepts on each page • Creates unity and consistency • Readers take cognitive clues from consistency in design

22. Readability: Repetition • Professional design practice: branding • Templates • In PowerPoint • This template on Workshop blog site

23. Readability: Alignment • Nothing should be placed on a page arbitrarily • Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page • Creates a clean, fresh, sophisticated look

24. Readability: Alignment • Nothing should be placed on a page arbitrarily • Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page Creates a clean, fresh, sophisticated look

25. Readability: Alignment • Ideally every object (graphics, photos, or text) should be aligned with other objects • Includes vertical and horizontal alignment

26. Readability: Alignment Horizontal alignment • Ideally every object (graphics, photos, or text) should be aligned with other objects • Includes vertical and horizontal alignment Vertical alignment

27. Readability: Proximity • Group similar items together • Similar to paragraphing in writing • Helps readers organize information • Using bullets and templates to achieve “proximity” in design

28. Readability: Type Size • Make sure your fonts are legible and large enough • “Floor test" for readability

29. Readability: Type Size • Preview your presentation in the classroom • Should be able to read the slides from the back of the room

30. Readability: Type Style • Avoid all caps • serif vs. sans serif

31. Interactivity: Student Learning • Inquiry-based learning • Interactive PowerPoint: An oxymoron? • Ideas for interactivity • Pose questions • Fill in responses • Have students take notes responding to questions on PPT • Post notes to Bb site • Other ideas to make PPT more interactive?