Lesson 4

Although I do not have my own classroom, I have already created a PowerPoint presentation for an Art Education class that I took last semester. The topic of discussion covered by the presentation is the elements of art. When creating the presentation, I used Illustrator and Photoshop in addition to PowerPoint. I did so in order to have greater control over the features of the text and the accompanying images. As an art teacher I considered it particularly important to create slides with substantial visual impact. As a test of effectiveness, I showed the PowerPoint presentation to a high school senior.

I am most proud of the use of eye-catching color combinations and typography. Bright pinks, yellows and blues set in contrast to greens, reds, and oranges create a visual impact that makes it as easy as possible for the viewer to understand what the most important pieces of information are. The bold colors and type signal what must be remembered, and function as a good support to the verbal stress put on the content. Additionally, the typography creates a sense of rhythm, which varies from slide to slide. I made sure to utilize some of the elements that were discussed in the lesson. Form and line can be seen through the placement of the text itself without the need for illustrations.

If I were to recreate this presentation, I would be tempted to use some of the transitions provided by the PowerPoint program. However, I tend to think that less is more in most cases, and that simplicity is elegant. I wouldn’t want to detract from the aesthetic of the design by tossing in some transitions for the sake of adding transitions. It would have to add an element to the presentation, which was lacking and needed in order to be more effective. Maybe if I didn’t add transitions, I would scrap the entire presentation and come go a completely different route.

The student who viewed my PowerPoint presentation only had one criticism. She said that there wasn’t enough information on the slides. I admit that only key points were included on each slide. The presentation, which was meant to be used as an overview of the elements of art, would be followed by others focusing on each individual element in more detail. Also, the presentation is to be viewed as a supplement to a lecture. Without the lecture, the student will not get every single detail. The student did comment on how much she liked the color and the illustrations. Overall, I would say that the presentation was successful, and I will definitely try it in the future with my own class.