Web 2.0 Inservice!

I'm pretty excited about the in-service on Wednesday! Granted, I'm a little nervous, but I think it will be a cool opportunity for some of my friends to learn some cool new things that will help them both personally and professionally! Blogs are fun and easy and I think they should replace paper newsletters in the classroom. I can't wait to see what my cooleagues think!

The Perils of PowerPoint

OK, so if you know anything about me, you know how much I hate PowerPoint. I don't even think hate is the right word. Detest sounds good. Abhor sounds even better. "But George" you may ask, "don't you love technology and all things techie?" And to that I respond, why yes, I do, when it's used in a meaningful and creative way. The problem? Everyone and their brother somehow got together and decided that PowerPoint was perfect for EVERY communication task known to man. Then they proceeded to make me sit through each and every one of their stupid and senseless presentations, complete with those idiotic printed stacks of notesheets that accompany every single one.

Professors love PowerPoint. Illustrate your intended literature review topic in a PowerPoint. Administrators love PowerPoint. Here are our new goals for next year in a brief and concise three hour presentation. Teachers love PowerPoint. Get in groups and illustrate your knowledge by creating a PowerPoint. UUGGGHHH! Please, can't we think of some other way to convey information?!?!?

There is a time and place for PowerPoint. Honest. Someday I may even choose to use it of my own free will. But when I do, I'm going to do it the smart way. I found a rule today on a blog that EVERY PowerPoint presentation should be required to adhere to. It should be a code in the software or something. It's called the 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule and it was authored by Guy Kawasaki. This is his blog site if you'd like to check it out: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html

Here it is and please, God, let the people around me use it!!!

The 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule

• All PowerPoint presentations should contain NO MORE than ten (10) slides
• All PowerPoint presentations should NOT EXCEED twenty (20) minutes
  
• The fonts used in PowerPoint presentations should NOT BE SMALLER than thirty (30) point

Isn't this a beautiful thought? I'm thinking of writing to my congressman for legislative intervention. Then it could be the 10/20/30 LAW! I'm thinking that Guy Kawasaki should be Time Magazine's Man of the Year. This man is brilliant!

So, the next time you're gearing up for a marathon PowerPoint presentation that would make even your most devoted follower want to jump out the window to escape the punishment, take a moment and consider the 10/20/30 rule. If you follow it, you might be surprised to find that the people in your audience are actually smiling for a change!

What is the purpose of this blog?

In order to do this and do it right, I needed to think about what is a blog and why would a blog be important to me professionally? I decided that I liked it best as a sounding board for my thoughts and ideas. I decided to dedicate this space to connect with all the teachers that I know through my professional networks, my undergraduate classes and my graduate classes. I consider these people to be a tremendous resource both personally and professionally.

While I could use this space as an instructional tool, my school isn't ready for that yet. In light of the multiple barriers to using it in this fashion, I decided to take this in the direction that can benefit me immediately. Hence, the professional networking blog!!!