On Tue, 20 Mar 2001, G. Marc Turner wrote:
> 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.
>
As a big fan of keyboard shortcuts, I tend to avoid using the mouse as
much as possible (I guess that's a result of using DOS as my first
operating system). As a result, I've discovered a few nifty tricks for
getting around in Windows, particularly in MS Office applications. In
PowerPoint, once you're in the slide show view, you can go to any slide in
the presentation by pressing the number of the slide and then [enter].
Of course the skipping slides problem isn't solved if you don't know which
slides are where, but if you print out a 6-slides-per-sheet handout, it's
not too difficult to locate them.
Another tip: you can advance to the next slide half a dozen ways: press
either [enter] key (on a full-sized keyboard, the one on the number pad
works), the down arrow, [n], the space bar, [page down], . . . in addition
to clicking the mouse. If you look at a laptop keyboard, the lower right
button is usually one that advances the presentation one slide (useful in
the dark). I find the spacebar is the easiest, just because it's the
biggest one. [p], [page up], the up arrow, and [backspace] all get you to
the previous slide. (I assume these also work in the Mac version.)
If you search for help on "keyboard shortcuts" in any MS Office
application, you will find lots of similar tips.
On another note. . .
> But I have chosen not to use PowerPoint because of the negative
> comments about PP-lectures from several students. The chief
> complaints I have heard center around the use of slides that
> consist of 1-level bulleted lists, with some irrelevant graphic
> embroidery. The similarity of these slides within and across
> classes makes it difficult to attend to content information
> according to my informants.
>
I agree that the "irrelevant graphic embroidery" doesn't add much in most
cases, but I'm curious about the other concerns. The "use of slides that
consist of 1-level bulleted lists" is not a problem inherent to
presentation software. This same approach is often used by devout
chalkboard/whiteboard and overhead users, too. A moderately skilled user
could adapt any web, chalkboard, or overhead presentation into whatever
presentation software s/he prefers.
I think that the "similarity of these slides within and across
classes" argument is also problematic of using overheads or the
chalkboard, too, right? (And, as one TIPster already noted, the appearance
could be changed much easier in PowerPoint than with a transparency.)
Obviously there are disadvantages to using computer presentation software.
The two biggest ones I see are the requirement for a very bright projector
(or a moderately dimmed room) and being "chained" to the computer
(bringing us back to the origin of this thread) if one does not have a
wireless mouse. However, I think that the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages. For one, I can do a lot of things with PowerPoint that I
just can't with overheads: sound clips, movies, animations, and the like
are integrated. Further, I don't have to shuffle around to find the
graphic transparency that goes along with the text transparency. I can
put them on the same slide. I like the fact that it doesn't cost me to
change my presentation (unlike the $.50/transparency it costs the
department if I change my mind and want to insert a heading).
It sounds to me that what people who dislike presentation software object
to is those who use the technology poorly. Of course, as I alluded to
above, I've been in my fair share of low-tech lectures in which the
chalkboard was used poorly (small, illegible writing; too few/many points;
etc.). Is there anything about the medium per se that you don't like?
Most of the obstacles can be overcome (with a bright projector, a wireless
mouse, and some practice knowing what the audience needs on the slide),
but I'm wondering if there are other concerns you have.
Jeff
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Jeff Bartel
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~jbartel
Department of Psychology, Kansas State University
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