Slide presentation software: wrestling it to purpose

This is a pdf and worth looking at if you ever use presentation software particularly in a classroom-type situation. I was pleased to discover that I'd already pretty much worked out good practice that corresponded to much of the advice here.

Something I'd not come across explicitly was this: "there are a number of rules
of thumb one can follow when creating PowerPoint presentations (e.g., the 10/20/30
rule—states that you should use only 10 slides, talk for no more than 20 minutes, and
never use a font smaller than 30 points" The article explores some of the limitations of that rule of thumb.

We are also treated to helpful comment on "the term CARP, which stands for
contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity. Adhering to the principles of CARP can
help create legible and professionally looking instructional visuals." Interestingly, I found this resonated with my own approach which transfers principles from the design and presentation of liturgy. in fact, as I told one colleague recently, I tend to design learning events as a kind of liturgy. So it is interesting to note the point about repetition: "Using consistent and repetitive headings, titles, font, as well as backgrounds, helps improve the readability of your slides." That is true (and good liturgy has this repetition thing built in). In presentations it is worth considering using, eg, images to badge different phases or activities of the time together, repeating headings or instructions etc. I actually don't put huge amounts of info on slides; most of the learning is listening and discussion and exercise-based in my classrooms; the slides are to help navigate, offer instructions in a further medium, giving info that might be easy to miss otherwise; they are more framework /scaffolding oriented than content. The danger of ppt is that it it can be used to reinforce a content/instructional (ie filling empty vessels) centred model where the aim seems to be simply to throw information at the learners. If we consider slide shows to be a scaffolding for learners to interact with teacher, materials and ideas in live classroom environment then we will tend to design slides better -but it depends on having a mathetogogical approach at the constructivist end of the scale rather than a 'vessel-filling' modeal.

The point about contrast is important though we should also bear in mind that for some readers, high contrast makes reading for some difficult (think of the effect, for most of us, of trying to read fluorescent type on fluorescent paper). So my default design has pale yellow text on a black background (not blue, note: directly contrasting colours). Now I may be wrong about that and I'd be interested if anyone has further info on that. (There seems to be conflicting advice out there and so evidence-based ruminations are especially welcome). I'd also underline the importance of

When I read this, I realise that having done a theory of typography course, once upon a time, probably really did help ...

BUT there comes a point when, surely, we've got to ask whether, actually, we need something different. I've just started experimenting with Prezi which is attractive because it 'grows' out of a mind-mapping style approach which is the way that most of my work begins anyhow. I have sometimes found slide-shows have forced a linear approach which doesn't always well serve moving into non-sequential mode when the class interest and energy actually gets into something that isn't 'next' in sequence. With something like Prezi, it looks like it should be possible to zoom out, identify a more relevant area of the map and zoom back in on that.

Chapter_12.pdf (application/pdf Object)