As a fan of powerpoint, I have to say that sometimes people go overboard
with graphics, fancy transitions, etc. When I use powerpoint, I tend not to
include anything that wouldn't work on a transparency. Occassionally I'll
add some fun graphic, but most of the time it is just text. The color
scheme I use is one that I customized, along with using a font size a
little larger than the default so students in the back can see things.
Basically, I see powerpoint working well as an electronic version of
overhead transparencies. Oh, and the added benefit of being able to only
show one point at a time (without having to move a sheet of paper down the
transparency) is another feature I like.
Ken made a point about the lack of flexibility in determing the order of
presentation. This is probably the biggest fault of powerpoint I can think
of. Once you get started viewing a show, it is fairly rigid. It is possible
to skip slides and do things "out of order", but it takes lots of practice
to get things to work smoothly. (It is possible to use a pop-up menu to
goto specific slides, which is nice but awkward.) One thing that helps is a
wireless remote to switch slides forward and back. That way you can quickly
skip ahead if you need to, then go back. One PP feature I would like to see
is a better way to vary the order of presentation on the fly.
What I've found myself doing lately is just going ahead and discussing the
point, then doing a brief review of the topic when the slide comes
around... or giving a brief introduction to the topic and saying we'll talk
more about it in just a minute... not necessarily the best approach, but it
works for me...
Of course, now the projector we use is out of order, so I've been
developing the powerpoint slides just for the web (and to keep me on track)
while actually using the old blackboard and chalk approach during lecture.
- Marc
(Oh, and I post the notes on the web after class. Also, the notes on the
web aren't complete, which I tell them from the start. I like the fill in
the blank approach and will probably try that next semester...)
G. Marc Turner, MEd
Lecturer & Head of Computer Operations
Department of Psychology
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, TX 78666
phone: (512)245-2526
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
