PowerPoint: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Please send any comments concerning this page to Dave Izzo.

I.  Presentation Pointers

Computer-Based Lectures Using PowerPoint
Winifred Anderson, and Barbara Sommer. The Technology Source, November 1997. Includes an overview of an instructor's experience using PowerPoint for lectures, feedback from students and suggestions on using PowerPoint for lectures.

On Improvement of Scientific Presentations: Using PowerPoint
Access restricted to Dartmouth and DHMC
Richard H. Daffner. American Journal of Roentgenology, July 2003. Tips on how to improve presentations using PowerPoint

From Papyrus to PowerPoint (P 2 P): Metamorphosis of Scientific Communication
Ronald E. LaPorte et al, British Medical Journal, December 21, 2002. An article that speculates that PowerPoint could replace the journal article as scientific communication evolves.

PowerPoint: Shot with its Own Bullets
Access restricted to Dartmouth and DHMC
Peter Norvig , The Lancet, August 2, 2003. An editorial critical of PowerPoint's ability to convey complex information in a way that opens up discussion.

Is PowerPoint the Devil?
Julia Keller, SiliconValley.com, January 22, 2003 (originally published January 5, 2003 in the Chicago Tribune as "Killing Me Microsoftly with PowerPoint") Newspaper article quoting many educators about pros and cons of using PowerPoint to teach.

Absolute PowerPoint: Can a Software Package Edit Our Thoughts?
Available though Lexis-Nexis - Access restricted to Dartmouth and DHMC
Ian Parker, New Yorker, May 28, 2001. Gives a history of PowerPoint and a commentary on how it might affect the thought process.

PowerPoint is Evil
Edward Tufte, Wired, September 2003. A critique of how PowerPoint can be misused.

II. General Tips

Biomedical Libraries PowerPoint Guides and Tips
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/workshops/powerpt_faq.html

DHMC Staff Intranet, PowerPoint Tips
http://intranet.hitchcock.org/is/us/EDUCATION/PPT/POWERPOINT_TIPS.HTML

DHMC Staff Intranet, PowerPoint Guide Sheet (pdf)
http://intranet.hitchcock.org/is/us/Education/qr/PowerPoint%202002.pdf

Theoretical Foundations of Multimedia - Chapter 7
http://www.uky.edu/~rst/mmbook/slides.html
Robert S. Tannenbaum, University of Kentucky. Supporting slides for the textbook.

Powerpoint Do's and Don'ts
http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/workshops/biomed/ppt/dodont.html

III. Text

Text, Fonts and Readability
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/usability/textfontcss.html

Text Readability: A Test
http://edtechfm.sdsu.edu/bhoffman/type/font/intro.htm

IV. Color

The World of Color
http://www.webreference.com/dlab/9704/

Color Matters
http://www.colormatters.com/entercolormatters.html

Choose the right colors for your PowerPoint presentation
http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/preview.aspx?AssetID=HA010120721033&CTT=6&Origin=EC010553071033

The psychology of presentation visuals
http://www.presentations.com/presentations/search/search_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1105169

Barrier-free presentation that is friendly to colorblind people
http://jfly.iam.u-tokyo.ac.jp/html/color_blind/

V. Images

Image Formats
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;272399

Image Tutorial
http://www.awesomebackgrounds.com

VI. Scanning

Scanning Tips
http://scantips.com/

General Information about Scanning Resolution
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;212539