Sunday, January 16, 2011

Powerpoint intervention

I have started planning my rollout or courses for summer professional development. After spending the past few weeks in meetings and observing some classes, I have decided to offer a course targeted to a group of individuals who continue to read directly off Powerpoint slides full of text.

The class will be called "Powerpoint Intervention" and the only way to enroll is to be nominated by a colleague. I will create a form to allow staff to anonymously nominate their colleagues who need an intervention in making presentations that are more captivating. At no point will attendees be made aware of who nominated them for this class.

During the course, attendees will be introduced to methods for creating more captivating slides, reducing text, and maximizing slide potential for engaging their audience. They will also be introduced to online resources for sharing and collaborating on topics rather than just reading or being the sage on the stage.

I mentioned this idea recently to a colleague who remarked she had three people in mind to nominate for this class. I think it might catch on.