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Powerpoint sucks - what to use instead?

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JavaJones:
Thanks Katy. I'd love to give the writers (not all of whom are the teachers) the skills they need, but these are people with limited time who are focused on either writing content, or teaching it (or both). They simply don't have the time (or energy, probably) to read through dedicated Powerpoint books and learn how to do it right (much as I agree with the necessity and value of it!). Even if they had the time, I'm not in a position to enforce them doing so. That being said I will recommend those books to the content authors for the future.

I'm familiar with Captivate (expensive!) and Articulate (also expensive, but we bought it anyway :D). We'll be using Articulate, but it's really just a Powerpoint converter for the most part. It makes nice Flash format presentation conversions with integrated audio, which will be a nice upgrade for our future programs, but it doesn't help much with the problems I'm trying to tackle.

As for why we're using Powerpoints, first I don't want to give the impression that we're just doing "by the numbers" presentations, simply reading the Powerpoints. Far from it. If anything some of the teachers stray too far from that. The thing is I think there's a knee-jerk tendency whenever anyone talks about Powerpoint to blame the usage of it at all rather than try to fix the problem. It's not fair to assume we're using Powerpoint in the wrong way, or that using it is unnecessary in our context. One very good reason for its use, which I described above (and asked for alternative solutions to), is the need to maintain consistency in basic information instruction across sites. As a vocational school it's very important for us to have standards and consistency, and to teach reproducible competencies across multiple locations and formats. So *something* that teachers can reference to avoid going off in "fun-riffing-lecture-land" is important. Riffing and fun are also important and there's room for that, but the basis of the lesson should always be pretty much the same, hence "anchoring" our presentations with Powerpoint.

Finally, as for removing the formatting, I would be happy with that, but there is significant disagreement from the content authors, who may have legitimate points. For example there is the argument that adding pictures makes the presentation more visually engaging and helps with information retention, whereas a boring, white background, everything-the-same formatting would quickly bore and numb people, and hurt their ability to absorb the key points. It's certainly arguable just how the presentation should be impacting the education process in-class, but I find it hard to dispute their core arguments, at least without data to back it up. They also feel that more well designed Powerpoints are more professional and give a better impression to the student. So it's hard to get away from formatting at all, otherwise I would - lord knows it would make it easier!

Thanks,

P.S. I think the content is pretty good, honestly. Certainly better than the formatting. ;)

Oshyan

David1904:

Second, assuming that visual learning materials that structure an instructor-led class are a requirement, does anyone have any recommended alternatives to a Powerpoint or other slide-based presentation? Particularly something that will enhance engagement and retention for the audience, provide structure and ensure consistency in presentation across multiple sessions of the same class topic, and be easily re-used in other formats (e.g. handouts or workbooks, etc.).

-JavaJones (April 20, 2010, 07:45 PM)
--- End quote ---

One solution that could be worth looking at is Vue http://vue.tufts.edu/index.cfm 
Here is a snippet from their web page
"The Visual Understanding Environment (VUE) is an Open Source project based at Tufts University. The VUE project is focused on creating flexible tools for managing and integrating digital resources in support of teaching, learning and research. VUE provides a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information."

One of the presentation benefits, is the ability to set up more than one pathway through a collection of slides so that you are not constrained to one particular linear sequence.

If nothing else, the price is right.

It might not be what you are looking for, but maybe it will be of help to someone.

David

JavaJones:
Thanks for the link David. It looks very interesting. One of our staff members went to Tufts as well, so she might have comment on its use. I'll take a closer look ASAP.

- Oshyan

Curt:
http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/ for Mac only


Beside 'everybody' saying Keynote is FAR better than Powerpoint, Apple also gave it this:

Compatibility and sharing


Approved for all audiences.

Keynote gives you a variety of ways to bring your show to the people. You can use it to import presentations created in Microsoft PowerPoint and to create presentations that can easily be saved as PowerPoint files. You can also export your presentation as a QuickTime movie or a PDF, HTML, or image file, or even directly to YouTube. Keynote does the format conversion for you.


Share your work on the web.

When you need to share your presentation, but aren’t sure whether your colleagues use a Mac or PC, iWork or Microsoft Office, publish it to iWork.com Public Beta. Reviewers receive an email with a unique URL where they can view your presentation’s slides, post comments, and download a version ideal for them in Keynote, PowerPoint, or PDF format.

--- End quote ---

Unfortunately Keynote seems only to be available as part of the Mac office pack, iWork, starting at $79.

Carol Haynes:
To be fair Powerpoint can output to a web site too (its crap but you can do it) and there is an addon that will allow you to generate DVD Video.

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