I'm going to do a presentation on PowerPoint and am looking for creative ways that teachers have used this tool in the classroom.
Also, what aspects of PowerPoint do you feel should be addressed in the classroom? One suggestion was to note the differences between PP xp and PP 2007.
Thanks.
Dinah

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FIrst that its a visual tool - emphasis on visual. The Slideshare.net competition is worth a look.
2nd, I use ppt for visual timers whilst students are work. Eg disappearing shapes, growing shapes, sun dials (well kind of) and so forth.

Gd luck.
I think Kristian was getting to this in the earlier post, but also emphasize that it is much more than a lecturing tool. Yes, it does jazz up lectures, but even students are getting bored of this. The magic of it has worn off. Emphasize its interactive nature (such as a Jeopardy game) or even that it can be used for digital storytelling (when narrative and music are added to it). It can be used as student portfolios even. I recently came across several sites that had free downloads or suggested ways to make PowerPoints interactive. if my district didn't block Google Bookmarks, I would be able to list them here. Maybe I'll have time tonight...
Interactive games, yes there a quiet a few. UK and USA - Who wants to be a Millionaire, but it can also be used to create simple quizzes through hyperlinks. I am not a ppt expert, I have only recently used the transparency function to create mind map (Venn Diagram) style to help my own thinking and the thinking of students.
Games and quizzes are one source of interactivity with PP, but you can also have students use the pen tool to circle important details or if you are using a PC version of PP then you can add a text box, where one can literally type in an answer in the SlideShow mode. It's interactivity can go so much father even than games or quizzes. You can create "Choose Your Own Adventure" stories or interactive flash cards. Yes, it is a great presentation tool, but it can be used for so much more. The video that James Hollis recommended below is hilarious and clearly illustrates Nancy Bosch's comment below that PP is "not a place to copy and paste a massive amounts of text and un-cited images." Oh, I did get onto my Google Bookmarks this morning so here are couple of sites on making PP interactive:
http://eduscapes.com/sessions/powerpoint/
http://www.techtrekers.com/PP/
Thank you for the links!
For a jeopardy game template check out the www.lynnembailey.com website. Sounds from the TV show are built in to the template.
Sometimes it works best when showing "what not to do" when creating a PowerPoint presentation. Here's a link to a fun video that can be use to lighten the mood while serving as a place to kick off a conversation about what makes a good presentation.

LOVED this... thanks for sharing!

Though I want to add a technical note about FONTS.. do NOT get carried away with them.because if you have to share your presentation, or use it on another system, they may NOT have the font you used installed and they will not see it they way you designed it. Also, different fonts are different sizes, and if your font is replaced with arial, it may be quite large and off the screen.. if you used any manual line breaks they will fall in the right place. By all means, use something besides the default, but make sure it's available for the presentation. You can also embed them for other users, but this does increase the file size.
I think PP is the most misused application in the classroom. It is a presentation tool, not a place to copy and paste a massive amounts of text and un-cited images. I enjoyed Dan Meyer's lengthy blog series on good presentations. He had a great contest this summer where we used one slide to sum up who we are--very powerful and not powerpoint-less. See his stuff here

Duarte, designer of Al Gore's Oscar- and Nobel prize-winning Keynote presentation, has a strong portfolio which they share online. (Click through.) If you aren't pursuing the best, how can you dodge the mediocre?
How to Present Well: Introduction
How to Present Well: Find the Through-Line
How to Present Well: Think Less. Type More.
How to Present Well: Build Your Handouts
How to Present Well: Start Over
How to Present Well: Build Your Slides

Tell More Stories
I agree with Nancy, and although I haven't looked into what Dan Meyer has to say, I do think presentation software is misused if done so with too much text and illegible globs of thoughts projected to a screen. I have found Powerpoint and Keynote to be most successful if done only when they can strengthen a lesson. So, rather than create every lesson on Keynote to save time next year, I prefer to reserve my efforts for the math lesson where appearing numbers or shifting formats help the kids to get the overall point. Having said that, with enough use in the class and even allowing the class to create presentations with me, I'm able to teach the kids to use and present and then share ways to speed them up and utilize their previous presentation templates in their later independent creations.

Also, it is nice when applicable to export the files to quicktime or similar format and then put them online for the kids to review. This all depends on the age, I suppose.
Hi Nancy,

First of all, I have uploaded a new version of my Jeopardy PowerPoint template which you can find on my website, www.lynnembailey.com - just click on the Jeopardy PowerPoint button. Feel free to use this template. One of the teachers in my old school had students help create the the A & Q and used it for review.

I have created thousands of presentations over the years, but unfortunately don't have much time at the moment to add much to this conversation (I'm moving and meeting other deadlines). Good points have been mentioned. And while it is relatively easy to use PowerPoint, one should really learn how to use the Master Slides to personalize the general layout. I find that when students use PowerPoint, they have difficulty writing bullet points. As people have to read/see the presentation from far away, they will a problem if too much information is squeezed onto one slide. Many good links have been posted by the others. It's a great presentation tool, you can build interactivity into you (Learn how to use the links feature), and be mindful of filling up individual slides with too much information.

Also, many people stray from the layouts with bad results. The real power of the layouts and master slides, is that you can make global changes in the presentation and not have to go back and edit individual slides (i.e., changing fonts, colors, backgrounds, etc.)

Using powerpoint in a presentation setting is no substitute for an in-depth report. It should guide the report or, and be enhanced by the presenter's speech.

I have also used PowerPoint to give students exams in this way - they could fill in the blanks, and move pictures or text boxes around, such as to complete a timeline, label a graph, map the order of the electromagnetic spectrum, match a picture with a caption.

Good luck!
I agree with everyone, liked the YouTube video, James. I recommend Edward Tufte's article: The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. It's helpful and entertaining. I wrote an article for Learning & Leading with Technology (ISTE journal) about best practices in teaching speaking and using slideshows in support of the message. See: Oral Presentations in the Age of Multimedia , L &L vol. 33 no. 4, p. 31.

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