Jazzing Up Your Presentations

1. Jazzing Up Your Presentations Anastasia Trekles, Ph.D. Office of Learning Technology

2. The Tao of Presentations • There are many people out there with rules and ideas about the “best” presentation style; see http://www.presentationzen.com

3. Rules of Thumb • Billboard test: print it out and drop it on the floor – if you can still read it, you’re good! • No font smaller than 18 point • Include full link URLs in any slide you are giving out as handouts

4. More Rules of Thumb • High-contrast colors and graphics • Don’t overdo graphics, but use them to help you make a point • Limit to one major concept per slide • Create a presentation transcript or notes for added accessibility

5. Education is Different • It’s true that educational presentations are different from something at TEDx, and that’s ok • Use visuals when they support your points, but don’t ONLY use visuals – text helps students understand

6. Presentation Theory • Consider the multimedia principle – people learn better from text and graphics as opposed to either of them alone • Also consider cognitive load – too much information on one slide can overwhelm students

7. PowerPoint – Oldie but Goodie • There’s nothing wrong with the old standby, and there are some features that can help to make it “cool” • Insert images, movies, and audio • Use Animations and Motion Paths to illustrate topics • Use the Pen Tool during presentations for emphasis • Slideshow Recording for voice-over narration • Action Settings for timings and non-linear paths through content to turn PowerPoint into a more interactive experience • See http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/

8. When PowerPoint Doesn’t Cut It • Prezi– for the cool factor • VoiceThread– for the interactive and collaborative factor • There are literally dozens of others! Vuvox, Animoto, PreZentit, you name it! http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools

9. Prezi • Easy to sign up and get started • Helpful support videos: http://prezi.com/support/ • Many available templates or strike out on your own • Use the ability to zoom in or out to create a creative pathway for your information • Example: http://prezi.com/bvgagrfkwa1d/leveraging-social-media-in-education/

10. VoiceThread • VoiceThreads are collaborative and multifaceted • Can be as simple as a few slides exported from PowerPoint, but students can lend their voices to the presentation • Supports audio, text, or video posted either by you or students • Works well for projects, discussions,and debates • See example: http://voicethread.com/about/library/Using_VoiceThread_in_an_online_course_from_Professor_Russ_Meade/

11. Making Presentations Accessible • No matter what, your presentations have to be accessible to all students, even those with disabilities • Prezi, VoiceThread, and others may have limitations that make them unsuitable for users using screen readers or other assistive technologies

12. Alternative Formats • Provide lecture notes as a written outline (Word, text – can be exported from your original presentation) • Use an accessible PowerPoint in addition or instead: http://webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/

13. Thanks! • Staci: atrekles@pnc.edu • Alex: acrisw00@pnc.edu • Twitter: @PNCOLT • http://pnc.edu/distance for all workshop notes, links, and training needs

14. Resources • Presentation Zen: http://presentationzen.com • Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsI8h7qErc0 • All about cognitive load theory: http://www.southalabama.edu/oll/mobile/theory_workbook/cognitive_load_theory.htm • Edward Tufte’s work on effective visuals: http://www.edwardtufte.com • Tutorial on accessible PowerPoints: http://webaccess.msu.edu/tutorials/accessible-powerpoints.html