Comments on: How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/ Working to Integrate the Past, Present, Future of Education Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:40:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: teachermrw http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-5522 teachermrw Tue, 08 Jun 2010 05:42:01 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-5522 The best PPT presentations I have seen consist soley of photos and other images. No words on the screen at all. Those came from the presenter him/herself. The best PPT presentations I have seen consist soley of photos and other images. No words on the screen at all. Those came from the presenter him/herself.

]]> By: Doe http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-2188 Doe Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:26:53 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-2188 I once went to a PD workshop on special ed and the presenter used 45 (!) slides, all with texts, all spoken to us by her. Worst presentation EVER! Less IS more! I once went to a PD workshop on special ed and the presenter used 45 (!) slides, all with texts, all spoken to us by her. Worst presentation EVER! Less IS more!

]]> By: Matthew Campbell http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-1258 Matthew Campbell Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:51:56 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-1258 I have to agree that PowerPoint is often (quite often) used poorly. It encourages poor presenters to not become great presenters by offering a crutch. However, I must adamantly disagree about not using it. PowerPoint is ubiquitous in presentations these days. Instead of avoiding it because is can possibly make you a bad presenter, you should strive to learn how to let it aid your presentation (see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth presentation for an excellent example). We need to model the effective use of PowerPoint to our students and teach them how to use it effectively. Just removing it from the classroom does not prepare students who may be asked to give PowerPoint presentations at higher ed or for a job. If my house is built poorly, I tend to not blame the hammer. PowerPoint is not the issue, it is a lack of presentation skills that is to blame. I have to agree that PowerPoint is often (quite often) used poorly. It encourages poor presenters to not become great presenters by offering a crutch. However, I must adamantly disagree about not using it. PowerPoint is ubiquitous in presentations these days. Instead of avoiding it because is can possibly make you a bad presenter, you should strive to learn how to let it aid your presentation (see Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth presentation for an excellent example). We need to model the effective use of PowerPoint to our students and teach them how to use it effectively. Just removing it from the classroom does not prepare students who may be asked to give PowerPoint presentations at higher ed or for a job.

If my house is built poorly, I tend to not blame the hammer. PowerPoint is not the issue, it is a lack of presentation skills that is to blame.

]]> By: Death By PowerPoint | Red Space Resources http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-1090 Death By PowerPoint | Red Space Resources Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:43:32 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-1090 [...] How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation – Synthesizing Education. ... other posts by Mr [...] [...] How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation – Synthesizing Education. … other posts by Mr [...]

]]> By: How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation « Red Space Resources http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-950 How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation « Red Space Resources Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:22:13 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-950 [...] via How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation – Synthesizing Education. [...] [...] via How to Prevent PowerPoint From Ruining Your Lesson or Presentation – Synthesizing Education. [...]

]]> By: Mark O'Meara http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-523 Mark O'Meara Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:22:56 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-523 I must confess that I do use PowerPoint presentations in my teaching. Moreover, I stand at the front and talk while my student write down the key points. I know this sounds bad. In my defence, I used to work in the corporate world and know the agony of Death By Powerpoint. So I used the bare minimum of text, even six by six is too much. If I can keep it down to eight words for the slide, or better still one or two, then that's idea. As you mentioned, images are idea but some writing information in particular (I teach English) needs to examples using words. And I never, never just read from the slides. The slides are just the start of each explanation or discussion. For example, today we spent fifty minutes on ten slides (http://www.slideshare.net/momeara/character-archetypes-2908830) . Of these ten slides, four are images with a short heading. I'm still not sure that I have the balance quite right; I am still new to teaching. Having said that, I like being able to mix in images and clear text to scaffold the discussion. It means we spent more time talking about ideas and less time with my simply having my back to them while I write on the board. The simple answer might be to just avoid presentations, but for now I'll keep trying to get it right. I must confess that I do use PowerPoint presentations in my teaching. Moreover, I stand at the front and talk while my student write down the key points. I know this sounds bad.

In my defence, I used to work in the corporate world and know the agony of Death By Powerpoint. So I used the bare minimum of text, even six by six is too much. If I can keep it down to eight words for the slide, or better still one or two, then that’s idea. As you mentioned, images are idea but some writing information in particular (I teach English) needs to examples using words.

And I never, never just read from the slides. The slides are just the start of each explanation or discussion. For example, today we spent fifty minutes on ten slides (http://www.slideshare.net/momeara/character-archetypes-2908830) . Of these ten slides, four are images with a short heading.

I’m still not sure that I have the balance quite right; I am still new to teaching. Having said that, I like being able to mix in images and clear text to scaffold the discussion. It means we spent more time talking about ideas and less time with my simply having my back to them while I write on the board.

The simple answer might be to just avoid presentations, but for now I’ll keep trying to get it right.

]]> By: Clint H http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-520 Clint H Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:43:08 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-520 <strong>@Kim</strong> A good place to look for images is from Flickr. You can use the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/" rel="nofollow">Creative Commons search</a> on the site, or you can use one of the many specially-designed Flickr/Creative Commons search sites (<a href="http://www.compfight.com" rel="nofollow">Compfight</a> and <a href="http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net" rel="nofollow">FlickrCC</a> are two of my favorites). It takes a bit of time to find right image but the results are worth it! @Kim A good place to look for images is from Flickr. You can use the Creative Commons search on the site, or you can use one of the many specially-designed Flickr/Creative Commons search sites (Compfight and FlickrCC are two of my favorites). It takes a bit of time to find right image but the results are worth it!

]]> By: Jane Krauss http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-517 Jane Krauss Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:41:23 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-517 Huzzah! I agree with everyone. I recommend Edward Tufte's article: The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. It's helpful and entertaining. I wrote an article for Learning & Leading with Technology (ISTE journal) about best practices in teaching speaking and using slideshows in support of the message. If you're a member it's a free download: Oral Presentations in the Age of Multimedia , L &L vol. 33 no. 4, p. 31. Huzzah! I agree with everyone. I recommend Edward Tufte’s article: The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. It’s helpful and entertaining. I wrote an article for Learning & Leading with Technology (ISTE journal) about best practices in teaching speaking and using slideshows in support of the message. If you’re a member it’s a free download: Oral Presentations in the Age of Multimedia , L &L vol. 33 no. 4, p. 31.

]]> By: Hendron’s Digest » Blog Archive » Best PPT Tip http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-516 Hendron’s Digest » Blog Archive » Best PPT Tip Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:37:15 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-516 [...] How to prevent PowerPoint from Ruining your Lesson. [...] [...] How to prevent PowerPoint from Ruining your Lesson. [...]

]]> By: wrtngtchr http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/2010/02/07/how-to-prevent-powerpoint-from-ruining-your-lesson/comment-page-1/#comment-515 wrtngtchr Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:35:29 +0000 http://synthesizingeducation.com/blog/?p=314#comment-515 Excellent post. Let PowerPoint die a natural death. Excellent post. Let PowerPoint die a natural death.

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