Effective Presentations

I believe one of the most effective presentation tools we have currently in MCPS is the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, .ppt. It was the industry standard at one time, and some would say it still is, although it is now somewhat dated. That is its primary drawback.

There are now newer software tools that allow a tremendous amount of interaction between the audience and the presenter, between other audience members, and between all parties and the software itself. These tools make for a much more dynamic presentation, and makes the presentation itself more of a 'collaboration'. Powerpoint, by itself, cannot handle these sorts of interactions.

On the plus side, everyone knows how to use Powerpoint and it is still one of the more intuitive -to -use pieces of software around. From an administrators standpoint, if I'm hoping that all my staff will use presentation software, then this product will be a known entity for them. Fewer bugs, fewer last minute crashes, and more compatibility with the other software products my staff is accustomed to using. Powerpoint is much more like the "piece of chalk" when it comes to integration than the new products.

It will also be easier for the students to use as well. Again, as an administrator, from the standards, I'd want my students to have equal access to any software for presentations. It will take a few more steps to get my kids access to the newer tools, but my labs, desktops, homes will have access to Powerpoint.

And let's not forget that Powerpoint has all the features necessary for a good presentation. It has great transitions, the ability to embed many formats, easy to use features, and still more bells and whistles than most people need for short presentations where one person is speaking before an audience.

In short, oldie but a goodie.