PowerPoint as an Interactive Teaching Tool

PowerPoint is on every computer in this college and every college I have worked with. Students, faculty, and staff use and abuse it every day. Those of you who know me know that I am not particularly an advocate of commercial technology but it is a tool that is being used for teaching and learning. When I am wearing my instructional designer's cap, I have to think about the best uses of any tool. Here is a presentation I gave on PowerPoint:



Edward Tufte is a personal hero of mine. I think his critiques of PowerPoint are valid. But PowerPoint is just a tool. Tools don't make bad presentations; people with tools do. Here are some more resources from today's presentation:

PowerPoint Resources for Beginners

Basics

• Microsoft's Create a Basic Presentation in PowerPoint 2007
• Microsoft's Overview of PowerPoint 2007
• Microsoft's Create a Basic Presentation in PowerPoint 2010
• Microsoft's Basic Tasks in PowerPoint 2010

Hosting Presentations Online

• Slideshare
• Slideboom (includes wider audio option)
• Google Drive (stores online and has embed code)

Resources from Workshop

• Games in Powerpoint
• EdGames
• Powerpoint Templates

Further Reading

• Presentation Zen - Lots of common sense and examples on creating presentations
• Great PowerPoint Presentation Samples- Written by Meryl K Evans and edited by Michele McDonough

Related articles

• Agile Principle No. 6: Stop hiding behind PowerPoint and Excel; Get out and communicate! - http:... (plus.google.com)
• The Cure for PowerPoint Myopia (makeapowerfulpoint.com)
• Does PowerPoint make you stupid? (businessinsider.com)
• A 40-Minute Crash Course In Design Thinking (fastcodesign.com)