Wednesday, May 29, 2013

EDUC 630 Module 3 Blog 2- Death by PowerPoint


       A bad PowerPoint detracts from the content the teacher is trying to get across and has no visual appeal.  To me the ideal PowerPoint has a few different features that make it a valuable asset to a teacher’s lesson.  First of all, the power point should not contain word for word what the teacher is lecturing about.  I believe that it should be used in addition to and as a supplement that enhances the students learning but does not cause a distraction.  The words on the power point should be large enough that the students can read it easily if it is being displayed, and it is a good idea to use a clear and easy to read font.  Animations and pictures should not be used to fill space.  They should be used only if they are relevant to the slide.  Chapter six of the book Tech Tactics by Carolyn Thorsen addresses several principles that should be followed when creating PowerPoint’s.  Some of the principles include:  limit colors used in the slides, limit fonts used in the presentation, keep text lines short, and organize the screen.  There are numerous other principles that are important when creating PowerPoint’s, but these were just a few.  
 Microsoft PowerPoint is a great program, but there are other products and software that can be used in the same way.  The online program Prezi is much like PowerPoint, but can be used a little differently.  It offers viewers a bit more movement during the presentation.  Some may think that it makes it more active and interesting; some viewers find that it can be a bit distracting or make the viewer dizzy due to all the movement.  At the present time I prefer to use PowerPoint, but I believe it is probably because I am more familiar with it and have had success with the program.   
Resource

Thorsen, C. (2009). Tech tactics for technology for teachers. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

    
 

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