I use Powerpoint a lot. The first thing I learned was to make sure there is enough light for your students to take notes and refer to additional resources. Lights out, powerpoints result in nap time. Text in powerpoints must be as concise and as short as possible while still conveying any information that will be asked for on a test. Since I teach an industrial trade a higher percentage of my students are kinesthetic learners. They get much more out of the powerpoint if I literally step into the picture and draw in additional information. While the picture play on my body my be a little distracting, seeing me actually take a straight edge, triangle or protractor and draw in connecting lines that complete geometric figures or show relationships seems to be much more effective for kinesthetic learners than simply having the lines appear in the powerpoint. When they see me actually draw something it helps them to see what is happening, they can picture themselves doing the same thing. In fact, they are often mimicking my motions on their drawings or work sheets.
