What makes a good presentation? As a student I have sat through numerous presentations that have been outstanding. Unfortunately, I have also witnessed presentations that were not so great. As a future teacher I will be making numerous presentations and I want my presentations to be insightful, interesting, and not put students to sleep.
To make a presentation there are numerous mediums that one can use that will display the information in an effective way. The most widely used presentation software is PowerPoint. However, there is also other presentation software available like Keynote, Open Office, and Prezi to communicate with an audience. Although, I am aware of these other software, I have only used PowerPoint simply because that is what I have been taught.
In order to make an effective PowerPoint presentation a person should design the slides carefully, using a mix of text and images, choosing carefully and with good effect the font types and sizes, any background images or styles, and the words themselves. Fix all typographical and other errors, and make sure that the show runs smoothly following the order of one’s presentation. One should not be surprised by the next slide to appear. Avoid the worst PowerPoint mistakes, including reading directly from ones slides (that is what your own notes are for) and overly complicated or overly full slides. At times it will be helpful to supplement the presentation with a handout if one needs to provide longer lists or complicated information.
Below is a list on links that I have found helpful in the past:
Don McMillan - Death by PowerPoint
PowerPoint tips
Finding images online for your presentations
This site allows you to search Flickr for images that you can use for no cost, without breaking copyright laws. Just check the image's details - usually the photographer just wants you to include a small caption with their name.
Then there is Wikimedia Commons (related to Wikipedia). For images to be part of any wikipedia article or of Wikimedia Commons, the photo is publicly available and free to reuse (in the public domain).
Xavier's Library Guide to PowerPoint
Here are books and other resources that the library has identified:
Don Norman on PowerPoint
cliff_atkinson_don_norman_interview.pdf (33.323 KB)
Simmons from www.presentations.com
Prezi
Want to experiment with Prezi, the non-linear, web-based alternative to PowerPoint? Or want to see some sample presentations made with prezi? You can visit or make a free account to create your own presentations.
No comments:
Post a Comment