Download How Not to Make your PowerPoint

The How Not to Make a
PowerPoint
PowerPoint
How to Make a Boring or Just
Plain Bad Power Point
• Over the next few slides, we will go over some
common mistakes and poor choices in making
a PowerPoint.
• For our Purposes, I will do a biographical
PowerPoint on Charles Darwin– famous
evolutionary biologist.
Mistake #1
Boring Intro Slide
Charles Darwin
By Mr. Klapp
Start things off with a bang!
• Have a decent Background, photos, and
interesting text.
• Get your audience excited about your
presentation.
Charles
Darwin
The Father of
Evolution
by Mr. Klapp
Mistake #2
Too Much Text
Charles Darwin
•
•
Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist,[I]
who realised and demonstrated that all species of life have evolved over time from common
ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs
became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime,
while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of
the process of evolution in the 1930s,[1] and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary
theory. In modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery remains the foundation of biology, as it
provides a unifying logical explanation for the diversity of life.[2]
At Edinburgh University Darwin neglected medical studies to investigate marine
invertebrates, then the University of Cambridge encouraged a passion for natural science.[3]
His five-year voyage on HMS BeagleTemplate:WP Ships HMS instances established him as an
eminent geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles Lyell’s uniformitarian
ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author.
Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage,
Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and conceived his theory of natural
selection in 1838.[4] Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time
for extensive research and his geological work had priority.[5] He was writing up his theory in
1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea,
prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories.[
The Too Much Text Problem
• Wow that slide was awful.
• What were some mistakes with it?
One to two Sentences
• Try to include only a few sentences. Your
audience is middle school students--- they
have short attention spans (adults are worse).
• Try to limit it to “notes” that remind you what
to say. You don’t need to have everything you
will say in text form.
• If you must have lots of text, try having each
item come up one-at-a-time so your audience
can focus.
Mistake #3
The Background that Makes it
Impossible to Read the Text
Charles Darwin
• Charles Darwin did lots of great stuff but you’d
never know since you can’t read this stuff!
• Not only can’t you read the text, but the
picture is really bad quality too!
Charles Darwin
• This slide has the same info
but doesn’t have huge
problems.
• It is possible to have a
background photo, but you
should fade it and limit the
contrast first.
Charles
Darwin Darwin
Charles
• Now you can read the text
and still have the
background.
• It is good to have photos on
most of your slides– it
keeps people interested!
Mistake #4
The Impossible to Read Font
Charles
Darwin Darwin
Charles
• Wow this text is hard to read! If
you can read and are still reading,
you are a lot more invested than
most students!
• If you are still reading, wow.
Charles
Darwin Darwin
Charles
• This text is much easier
to read.
• Leave the fancy fonts
for titles.
Jane Goodall founded Roots and
Shoots which is a teen program of
the Jane Goodall Institute. In 1991.
They cover topics like City pollution
and deforestation in the mountains
for the welfare of domestic animals.
For What He Was Known
• He was known for his near impossible
creations such as Ascending and Descending,
as well as Water & Sky.
Inventions
• Johann Gutenberg invented the first
mechanical printing press in about
1439.
• Gutenberg also created oil-based
ink and a wooden printing press to
use for mass-producing movable
type.
• One of his major inventions is the
Gutenberg Bible. It was one of the
first books printed in Europe and
was printed in Mainz, Germany in
the 1450s. Each page has 42 lines
on it.
In summary
• Keep it simple
– Don’t copy text– it’s boring and illegal!
– One to two sentences of text at a time
– Not too many flashy gimmicks
• Make good choices with your background and
images
– Make sure your background doesn’t take away
from your text
– Use pictures of higher resoultion.