Details on PowerPoint

Pros and Cons

Pro: excellent for classroom presentations and for printing handouts. Can be saved as pdf or web page. This is most appropriate for fairly simple presentations. See below for limitations of each format.

Con: File sizes can be very large, creating a barrier to downloading. PowerPoint must be installed on the computer to view presentations in standard PowerPoint format.Format Limitations:

Saving in PDF format for online distribution does make the presentation more cross-platform and cross-browser, and printing one or more slides is straight-forward, however:

• narration is lost
• animation is lost
• embedded video no longer plays
• lengthy presentations and those containing complex graphics can create large file sizes which, for students using a slower Internet connection, can create access difficulties

If saved as a “web page”:

• students might see the same presentation differently depending on whether they’re using MAC or WIN:
• font and bullet substitution may occur

• line spacing may differ  
• printing an individual slide, or a group of slides, is more difficult
• If saved as a “web page” for posting to a course web site or Blackboard, multiple files are created. These  files must be posted as a single Zip file to BlackBoard

Instructional Applications

• present in-class lectures including sound, animations and video
• distribute class notes or enrichment material on Blackboard, course web pages, BlackBoard or class S: (Novell) drives
• share student presentations
• can be used in conjunction with Impatica for web or digital distribution