Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

I managed to beat the crowds and am now sitting right up front for David Jakes’ session on 10 Points for Improving PowerPoint presentations. Dean Shareski just finished the introduction (hilarious) of David, who is now starting with some images of old technologies, such as the ditto machine...and heading into the '80s with...PowerPoint. Yep, PowerPoint has been with us since 1987!

“It’s not what the software does. It’s about what they do with it. It’s about crafting the message."

Teach them biology The brain is innately designed to communicate visually. Brain wired for visual (30%), but auditory in only (3%). Therefore PowerPoint has to be really visual. Move kids away from templates and away from being text-based. Presentations are indeed performances. Don’t remove all text, but limit it. Dual Processing of brain: visual and auditory + Cognitive load: intrinsic(based on how complex material is) and extrinsic (based on how material is presented). Teach them how to find images

   
• Flickr      – billions of images
   
• Flickr-storm      – type in CreativeCommons in search window and select attribution. Select an image and download tray. Toolbar      displays URL. Allows teacher to create bank.of images for students.
   
• iStockphoto      – Pay site – but wonderful photography. For 1$ you’ll get an outstanding      image. Advance search provides grid that allows you to select and add text      in bottom area.

Teach them design (Dean Shareski)

   
• How to      keep up with all the tools – Using random template that has nothing to do      with presentation. So strip the      template. Strip away unimportant points. Make the image central and,      ideally an image (which will help you retain the information).

Teach them to sell

   
• Antidote      to kids copying and pasting. Kids have to learn how to craft a story, not      move content from point a to point b. Kids need to write deeply about      their topic. Why not have them      write a storyboard, just as they would for a digital story. “Communication      ia the transfer of emotion” Seth Godin

Color and font choice matters

   
• Color      is important. It means different      things to different audiences. Dave is showing a yellow-cast beach image.      Green suggests renewal. Blue = fav color in US. Red signals danger or      alert. Blockbuster = blue with yellow border. Deep blue signifies trust.
   
• Fonts      – sans serif vs serif (little feet help your eye travel across text), but      when you project, always use a sans serif.  Tip: Never use Helvetica with US audience      (font of IRS)

Teach them to incorporate multimedia:

   
• But      how to get video from off the web to “embed” in presentation.
   
• 3 ways      to do this:
     
  • Zamzar.com       (avi on PC/mov on Mac)
     
  • Go       into PowerPoint and check steps
     
  • PowerPt       2003 -07 – YouTube video – creates button to embed into your PowerPoint.

Teach them PowerPoint Secrets

   
• Go      online and search keystrokes – “B” – takes to slide to black or “W” and      slide goes white
   
• Type      in # of slide so that you can bring in hidden content (slides)

Teach them to share

“Back of Napkin” – selling ideas by getting people to think visually

   
• Slideshare      – look for exemplars – opening page has “featured presentations.” Show to      students and have them critique them
   
• Sliderocket      – you can build your presentation online
   
• Google      doc – upload a presentation to Google docs and share it – Use chat box on      right so others can join into to preso from other sites.
   
• Give      photo credits

2008 = lots of ways to communicate!

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