PowerPoint Solutions

Avoiding the Pitfalls

Too Much Text• Some comments• More material• Long sentences making up

complex ideas that go and on and on and on and make bullets more like a book.

• When you have a lot of text, typically, the font size gets smaller and smaller and then it is harder to read.

• Do you want people reading and reading text during a lecture?

1 line bullets

• Short and concise• Keeps focus on you, the

Professor• Listen to the lecture

The Plop of Text• Plop–all of the text

appears at once• So, while you are

speaking . . . • Your students are reading

the text on screen or . . . • They aren’t and aren’t

getting the message on the screen and wow–

• Screen or professor talking?

1 bullet/pic at a time

• Bullets appear 1 at a time• Same with pics• When they appear . . . • Say or describe them• Be in sync with what appears

on screen.

Hard to Read• Small small Text

• Text colored like the background

• Fancy fonts that are hard to read

• Text in front of pics that is the same color as the pic.

Make it easy to Read

• Make it BIG• Distinct Color• Easy to read

• Adjust for pics

The Whole Class is PowerPoint

• You’re droning on and on• One slide after another• Your pretty pictures• Your concise text• Just won’t save you.

Integrate Speaking, Discussion

• Ask a question on the PowerPoint

• Press W (whitescreen) or B (blackscreen)

• Talk for a while without the PowerPoint

• Use the Whiteboard• But writing shouldn’t appear

where PowerPoint shows.