jazzing up your presentations
DESCRIPTION
A presentation about presentations; or, how to create accessible, useful presentations that your students will love!TRANSCRIPT
Jazzing Up Your PresentationsAnastasia Trekles, Ph.D.Office of Learning Technology
The Tao of PresentationsThere are many
people out there with rules and ideas about the “best” presentation style; see http://www.presentationzen.com
Rules of ThumbBillboard test: print it out and
drop it on the floor – if you can still read it, you’re good!
No font smaller than 18 pointInclude full link URLs in any slide
you are giving out as handouts
More Rules of ThumbHigh-contrast colors and graphicsDon’t overdo graphics, but use
them to help you make a pointLimit to one major concept per
slideCreate a presentation transcript
or notes for added accessibility
Education is DifferentIt’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
Presentation TheoryConsider 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
PowerPoint – Oldie but GoodieThere’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/
When PowerPoint Doesn’t Cut It
Prezi – for the cool factorVoiceThread – for the interactive
and collaborative factorThere are literally dozens of
others! Vuvox, Animoto, PreZentit, you name it! http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools
PreziEasy to sign up and get startedHelpful support videos:
http://prezi.com/support/Many available templates or strike out
on your ownUse 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/
VoiceThreadVoiceThreads are collaborative and
multifacetedCan 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/
Making Presentations AccessibleNo 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
Alternative FormatsProvide 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/
Thanks!Staci: [email protected]: [email protected] Twitter: @PNCOLThttp://pnc.edu/distance for all workshop notes, links, and training needs
ResourcesPresentation Zen: http://presentationzen.comMayer’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