Advanced Presentation Tools – SS2 Digital Technologies Lesson Note (First Term)

Advanced presentation means using multimedia (pictures, sounds and videos) and professional design to tell a story and hold the audience’s attention. It includes adding audio and video, using hyperlinks and action buttons, following design rules such as the 6×6 rule, using the Slide Master for consistency, and using transitions and animations with care.

Slides full of tiny text that the speaker just reads out loud make a poor presentation. Multimedia grabs the audience’s attention, and professional design makes them trust the message.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• State the three kinds of multimedia used in slides: audio, video, and action buttons and hyperlinks.
• Insert a video into a slide.
• Apply the 6×6 rule and a consistent colour palette and font choice.
• Use the Slide Master to change every slide at once.
• Describe the Morph transition and explain why animations reveal points one by one.

What is multimedia integration?

Multimedia is simply using more than one “medium” to pass a message. In PowerPoint or Google Slides, this means audio, video, and action buttons and hyperlinks.

Audio (sound)

• Background music: Setting a mood for the presentation.
• Voiceovers: Recording your own voice to explain a slide so it can play even if you aren’t there.
• Sound effects: Used sparingly to highlight a transition.

Video

To explain how a volcano erupts, show a 30-second clip instead of only talking about it.

• Pro tip: Don’t use 10-minute videos. Use short “snippets” that get straight to the point.
• How to: Go to Insert > Video. You can upload one from your computer or link one from YouTube.

Action buttons and hyperlinks

These make your presentation “interactive.”

• Hyperlinks: Clicking a word that takes you to a website or another slide.
• Action buttons: Drawing a “Home” button on every slide that takes you back to the beginning when clicked.

What makes a professional design?

A professional presentation doesn’t use 20 different colours. It follows specific design rules, so that the slides have a clear “look and feel.”

What is the rule of 6×6?

To keep your slides clean, try not to have more than 6 lines of text per slide, and no more than 6 words per line. This prevents “information overload.”

Why is consistency important?

• Colour palette: Use 2 or 3 main colours that match your topic (for example, green and white for an Agriculture presentation).
• Fonts: Use “Sans Serif” fonts (like Arial or Calibri) because they are easier to read on a screen than “fancy” curly fonts.

What is a Slide Master?

The Slide Master is the “boss” slide. If you want the school logo to appear in the bottom-right corner of all 50 slides, you don’t paste it 50 times. You use the Slide Master.

• How to: Go to View > Slide Master.
• Whatever you do to the “Master” slide happens to every other slide automatically. This saves hours of work.

What are advanced transitions and animations?

Most people use “Fly In” or “Checkerboard” transitions. Professionals use Morph.

• Morph transition: This makes objects move smoothly from one position on Slide 1 to a new position on Slide 2. It looks like high-end movie editing.
• Animations: Use these to reveal points one by one. If you show all 5 points at once, the audience will read ahead and stop listening to you.

How do amateur and professional slides compare?

Practical tips

• Multimedia should support your talk and not distract from it. If the video is too loud, nobody hears you.
• Design for the person at the back of the room. If they can’t read your font, it is too small.
• The “KISS” principle: Keep It Simple, Scholar!

Evaluation

1. Name the three kinds of audio you can add to a slide.
2. State the rule of 6×6.
3. What is a Slide Master, and how do you open it?
4. Why should you use animations to reveal points one by one?
5. Give two differences between amateur and professional slides.

Assignment

Class lab exercise:

1. Open a new presentation and apply a Slide Master that puts your name at the top of every page.
2. Insert a video from the internet about “Technology in Nigeria.”
3. Create an action button on the last slide that says “Start Over” and links back to Slide 1.