History and PowerPoint: Content and Etiquette Seth Beatty seth_beatty@georgeschool.org http://www.angelfire.com/funky/sethbeatty/educ504.html

From the Introduction: This paper will examine some problems of technology, offer some suggestions on how to properly use PowerPoint in the history classroom, and present some resources and assignments that can help enhance teaching with the PowerPoint program.

Teaching History and Technology Uses and misuses Text heavy slides Visual heavy slides Content Resources Technical Resources PowerPoint Etiquette

Has this ever happened to you? http://www.djurvall.burken.nu/Skoj_Pa_D/

One reason students DON’T learn with technology . . . Too much stuff being used improperly!! Too many decisions to make!!! Too many questions to ask!! Towers or Laptops? What’s wrong with Xerox? Mac or PC? www.amazon.com Remember how to make transparencies? VCR or DVD? Which Projector works best? Do you have the white board? And don’t forget wires, hookups, speakers, cases, etc

PowerPoint Etiquette: Annoying PowerPoint Slides In an online survey of those who regularly see PowerPoint presentations: 24.8% were highly annoyed by http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/pptresults2005.htm Moving or Flying Text

PowerPoint Etiquette: Annoying PowerPoint Slides In an online survey of those who regularly see PowerPoint presentations: 39.1% were highly annoyed by http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/pptresults2005.htm *Presenters using full sentences instead of more easily read bullet points

PowerPoint Etiquette: Annoying PowerPoint Slides In an online survey of those who regularly see PowerPoint presentations: 49.1% were highly annoyed by http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/pptresults2005.htm Poor color schemes

PowerPoint Etiquette: Annoying PowerPoint Slides In an online survey of those who regularly see PowerPoint presentations: 32.1% were highly annoyed by http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/pptresults2005.htm Text too small to read

PowerPoint Etiquette: Annoying PowerPoint Slides In an online survey of those who regularly see PowerPoint presentations:  62.0% were highly annoyed by http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/pptresults2005.htm The speaker reading the slides

History PowerPoint presentations lend themselves to such abuses Text-heavy slides Visual-heavy slides Use-every-PowerPoint-trick-or-die slides

Poor Slide

Poor Slide

Better Slide

Moral of the Story In closing… Don’t overwhelm audience with PowerPoint Balance text and visuals Use as much technology as you feel comfortable with In closing…

History Visual and PowerPoint Resources Images from History http://www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/index.html World History PowerPoints http://www.shastalink.k12.ca.us/ableeducator/PowerPoints/world_history_powerpoints.htm Virtual Library http://vlib.org/ Teacher PowerPoints http://www.teacherpowerpoints.com PowerPoint in the Classroom http://www.actden.com/pp/ PowerPoint Resources http://www.bitbetter.com/powerlinks.htm Youngstown State University EDTC 3771 http://cc.ysu.edu/~rmeggers/edtc3771/pptlesnagn.htm

Additional Resource for Spicing up Presentations From Social Education Vol 68 No 4 May/June 2004