Presentation Zen
Good Design with Google Slides
We’ve all experienced a “power pointless” presentation, or worse, the dreaded “death by PowerPoint.” Presentation tools can be dangerous or even deadly when wielded by the inexperienced. Never fear, a Zen Master of presentations is here. In this workshop we will focus on the functionality and flexibility of Google’s Presentation tool, with an eye towards best practices in simple design which are critical communication skills for teachers and students alike. Bring your laptop for this hands-on session.
A Few Great Design Resources
Check out Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
Download Kerri-Lee Beasley's Design Secrets Revealed
Table Talk
How much of this do you think your students know? How much should they know? Are you modeling it?
Workshop
***Make a copy of the Zen Demos Slides***
Workshop Resources
- Google Fonts (but go to More Fonts to actually use them)
- Color Zilla to get color codes from a website
- Need photos?
- Use your own!
- Search Google directly within Slides
- Use the Unsplash Add-on for Slides
- Use the insert icon Add-on for Slides
- Color Tools
- Color Zilla to grab color codes from a photo
- Find color palettes with Colour Lovers or Adobe Color
- Great Google Slide themes at Slides Carnival
- Modify a Theme, or Make Your Own (Thanks, GCT Alice Keeler)
- Edit the Slides Master
- Slide design tips and tricks (I use this with students when I need a fast lesson in slide design.)
Your Turn
Add a slide to this collaborative slideshow. Copy and paste one of the demo slides you worked on, or create a new one. Try a few of the ideas we talked about today.
Publishing and Sharing
- Share view
- Share edit
- Embed on a Google Site
- Publish
Table Talk
What are some ways you are using Google Slides or other presentation tools in the classroom?