Presenter’s Tools & Tips

1. Presenter’s Tools & Tips Created by Francine Vasilomanolakis, 2009 fvasilomanolakis@elcamino.edu

2. An “Ideal Teacher” • Fluent in the first language of all of students • Has no gender - sexless • Is not too young or too old nor too enthusiastic • Inspires and never nags • Is as funny as Bill Cosby • Is a combination of Bill Cosby and the Dalai Lama with a dash of the latest superhero and is an angel of light Quoted from: http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/12/01/blaisdell

3. What Do Students Want??? • Strongly preferred instructors’ use of key phrase outlines revealed line by line on PowerPoint slides, to use them as discussion points, adding examples and elaborating beyond the slides and the text book on the key points. • Preferred the use of sounds congruent with the slide content and from the popular media. Bartsch and Cobern (2003) study, when not used purposefully, students found sounds distracting or “not worth the effort.

4. What Do Students Want??? • Preferred the use of any color background to white, except for the use of bright colors that “hurt the eyes”. Similar to the use of sounds, colors and lightly patterned backgrounds can be used purposefully to cue learning. • Strongly preferred the lights dimmed during the PowerPoint presentations. An assessment of student preferences for PowerPoint presentation structure in undergraduate courses Jennifer M. Appersona, Eric L. Lawsa and James A. Scepanskyb Computers & education 50.1 (2008): 148-153.

5. Basic Principles • Keep it simple • Impact with content not glitz • Be organized

6. Research has found when using PPT in class… • Students perceived lectures as more organized and better at emphasizing key points • Students’ attitudes toward the course and their self-efficacy beliefs were positively effected • Students claimed it was easier to attend to and understand the lectures • Students felt they took better notes and believed their notes were more organized, easier to understand, and useful for studying for exams

7. Research has also demonstrated that… • Students preferred that faculty make PPT’s available electronically for printing before class – did not affect their attendance • Students preferred copies of actual PowerPoint slides, including pictures, graphs or charts, significantly more than just text alone

8. Five P’s to Remember • Plan • Prepare • Pop! • Practice • Present

9. What is the purpose? “ What's the goal of your talk? Plan around your audience

10. Preparing your plan • Plan on paper • Graphic organizer • Note cards • Post-it notes

11. Begin with a POP! • Prepare an “opening” with pizzazz • Use the power of multimedia • Pose a question related to the content focus • Present a challenge

12. Good use versus Bad use Create contrast between font and backgrounds Create contrast between font and backgrounds

13. Good use versus Bad use Correct use of fonts Use readable fonts Use large font size Titles 48+ Bullets 24+ Use sans serif fonts such as Arial, Tahoma, Verdana Make use of two different font types

14. Too much text! Too many lines! Too many words!

15. Text • Keep sentences short – chunk information • Avoid punctuation • Avoid using ALL CAPS • No more than five/six lines of text per slide

16. Bullet Points • Space out • Use sparingly • Reveal all points at once…..study research • Keep attention…by contrast • Fading techniques • All slides should not look alike..

17. How can technology be used to enhance writing assignments? • Remember that technology enhanced writing instruction at its best is student-centered, collaborative, and hands-on. • Begin at the end. Consider the goals for the final assignment and how they fit the overall course goals. • Break large projects into smaller writing assignments. • Remember that all writing does not have to receive a letter grade. • Sequence all of the assignments to correspond to students’ increasing mastery. TOO MANY BULLETS

18. Change the Format

19. Transitions • Select natural transitions • Focus on content • Be selective…do not over do special effects

20. Current studies show… From Inside Higher Ed Newsletter – Nov. 13, 2009 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/13/powerpoint • Students like to see PowerPoint used in their classes, but are very critical of poor presentation skills, especially when a professor just reads the slides.

21. Practice Makes Perfect! • Practice your presentation • Do you know your content well • Are you prepared to answer questions • Time yourself

22. It’s in the Presenting Do not read word for word! • How confident are you in: • Using your voice clarity and volume • Building rapport with the audience Eye contact and changing to cues • Dealing with nervousness Before and after • Using body language Gestures and facial expression

23. Presenter Nightmares • Make sure everything works • Are you prepared?? Practice makes perfect • Handouts (hard copy versus virtual copy)

24. Stop Death by PowerPoint • 1. Present supporting data with points on the first slide and show the data and draw conclusions on the next • 2. View the presentation as a short summary of the text conclusions…use it as a guide • 3. Limit the amount of time you spend on each slide • 4. Don’t read the slides • 5. Start presentation before audience arrives and let your purpose drive some kind of change (Buss, 2009)

25. How to Insert a YouTube Video into a Presentation Follow these step by step instructions!

27. Resource Articles Apperson, J. M. (2008). An Assessment of Student Preferences for PowerPoint Presentation Structure in Undergraduate Courses. Computers and Education , 148-153. Buss, W. C. (2006). Stop Death by PowerPoint. Technology Today , 20-22. Clark, Jennifer. (2008). PowerPoint and Pedagogy: Maintaining Student Interest in University Lectures. College Teaching, 39-45. Jaschik, Scott. (2009). PowerPoint Studies. Inside Higher Ed . Jill M. D'Angelo, S. A. (2007). Technology in the Classroom: Friend or Foe. Education , 462-471. Klem, W. R. (2007). Computer Slide Shows. College Teaching , 121-124. McKinney, Dani. (2009). iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace Professors? Computers & Education, 617-623. Steve Mahar, U. Y. (2009). Less is More When Developing PowerPoint Animations. Information Systems Education Journal , 2-11. Wet, C. F. (2006). Beyond Presentations: Using PowerPoint as an Effective Tool. Gifted Child Today,, 29-39.

28. Resources Images: http://www.guchusum.org/Default.aspx?tabid=162 http://www.google.com Sounds: www.dailywav.com www.freeplaymusic.com

29. Go Forth and Present F. Vasilomanolakis, El Camino College, 2009 fvasilomanolakis@elcamino.edu