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 o 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." o 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. 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." Simplicity: Information Overload

9. 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%.” Simplicity: Information Overload

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

11. Simplicity: Less is More Keep fonts simple o 2 max per page, including variations on a single font o 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: o “Smart Art” in PowerPoint

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

17. ① C ① Contrast ② R ② Repetition ③ A ③ Alignment ④ P ④ Proximity Also known to graphic designers as “CRAP” or “PARC” Principles Readability: Basic Design Theory

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 o Black text on white background o 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 o In PowerPoint o 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 Ideally every object (graphics, photos, or text) should be aligned with other objects Includes vertical and horizontal alignment Horizontal alignment Vertical alignment

27. Readability: Proximity Group similar items together o 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 o Pose questions o Fill in responses o Have students take notes responding to questions on PPT o Post notes to Bb site Other ideas to make PPT more interactive?