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Volume 3 Issue 11December 1999

TIPS on Multimedia:

Using PowerPoint for Presentations

Carol D. Misner
Instructional Technologist, Porterville College

In the educational rush of colleges to offer more and more courses over the Internet, the local classroom has been disproportionately ignored with regard to the use of multimedia and the latest in technological enhancements. Students pay their fees, take the time and energy to attend a live classroom, and are given an out-of-date uninspiring lecture! More time, energy, and monies need to be focused on the face-to-face learner as well as e-learning.

There are ways to creatively use multimedia in the local classroom. It does take time, but the rewards in classroom attention, course retention, clarified updated material, and pedagogical satisfaction are limitless. Present day instructors are teaching to technically savvy students who grew up with every venue of media, entertaining and capturing their interest and imagination. The radio is no longer the mainstream of information and entertainment it once was. Gone, with this listening icon, is the audio learner. What we don’t use begins to dissipate in its usefulness.

How then can instructors bring out-dated lecture presentations into the here and now? PowerPoint is simple, intuitive presentation software that enables instructors to change the way they teach. At first, the process of putting notes into a PowerPoint presentation format will seem endless, but the task will become simpler as the user finds shortcuts and begins to enjoy this refreshing challenge. Just becoming increasingly familiar with the format will shorten the time it takes to put together a class presentation.

When working with a PowerPoint presentation, here are some tips to remember:

Clean and Concise
It is a good idea to begin by creating an outline of what the lecture will include. Do not use long or even complete sentences when listing concepts that will be covered. Remember, the screen image is for students’ ease of taking notes and to keep their interest while the information is verbalized. Don’t clutter the slides, but give enough information to keep the class on task and motivated to take additional notes.

Color Coordination
At first, use the colors suggested by PowerPoint. But don’t be afraid to experiment with other selections of background or text color. Just make sure it is not offensive and it is easy to read. Be sure to project your image after completion before you take it to the classroom. Projected colors are not always true to the computer image, so be prepared to make changes if necessary.

Animation Awareness
Do not have everything “Fly” in from the left! Quickly entering sentences are often times dizzying. Try “Dissolve” or “Wipe” for a change of pace in bringing in your text or graphics. Pay attention to the graphic; if it is an arrow, for example, make it appear in the direction that will emphasize your point by making it “Wipe” the correct direction. Make clip art come alive by using an appropriate animation effect.

Visual Variety
Many instructors may feel they are lacking the creativity to compose a visually stimulating presentation. So, what to do? Pay close attention to newscasts, advertisements, etc. These were often times created in a program similar to PowerPoint and can be replicated with a little imagination and time.

Don’t continually use the Times New Roman font; it gets old very fast. Investigate other options for font styles, and make use of the Office 2000 feature that allows an on-screen visual of the font before using it in PowerPoint.

Linking Latitude
There are various ways to hyperlink to other programs, the Internet, or another slide within the presentation. If a Web browser is set at a site to explore with the class, just minimize it. Then, while in the PowerPoint Presentation, hold down the ALT and TAB keys and the icon for the Web site will appear without leaving the presentation.

It is easy to link clip art or text, if desired. To activate a program or CD-ROM within the presentation, go to Insert -> Object, check “Create from File” and then select the program, file, or CD-ROM to be embedded in the presentation. Investigate the option of "Action Settings" for additional hyper-linking paths. With smooth transitions from PowerPoint to other programs, you will appear as a well-seasoned magician, flawlessly performing without the audience knowing how it’s done!

Multiplicity Magic
The key to keeping students attentive and eager to come to class is to have a multiplicity of presentation formats. Variety is important, and designing a classroom presentation to meet the mood, topic and to have the desired effect takes a multiplicity of formats. Experiment and become comfortable with a mixture of ways to present your lectures. There are many tools available--make use of them.

Copy and Collect
It is of utmost importance to have a folder designated for each presentation you compile. You will not only want to copy the PowerPoint presentation in this folder, but collect any sound bites, animated movies, special font (to be copied to the machine that will be used for the presentation) and perhaps a copy of your notes to go along with this presentation. Everything will be there when you need it and it can be easily changed and updated as required.

This is just a glimpse into some of the information that will help instructors to begin using multimedia in the classroom, but perhaps it will answer some present questions, inspire you to begin, and give you a path to follow.

This is an exciting time to be an instructor. Use what is available and have fun. Alan Funk once said, "When people are smiling they are most receptive to almost anything you want to teach," and I strongly believe this is a key to successful creative instruction.