[Update: This mnemonic device no longer applies to the curriculum. With the changes to version 2 over the summer of 2009 also came a change in the procedure list. Be advised.]
The North Carolina Computer Applications I curriculum released in the summer of 2008 contains a somewhat arbitrary procedure for creating a professional presentation using presentation software such as Microsoft’s Powerpoint. The official list follows:
- Determine the Purpose
- Identify the Target Audience
- Storyboard the Content
- Plan the Design
- Edit the Master Slide
- Enter the Content
- Add and Format Graphics
- Add and Format Audio and Video
- Add Transitions*
- Add Animation
(* Note that Transitions were somehow overlooked in the official list. I include them before Animations because it seems the most logical place.)
The above list can be greatly simplified by picking out the nouns and removing everything else. Applying that process results in the following list:
- Purpose
- Target Audience
- Storyboard
- Design
- Slide Master (or Master Slide)
- Content
- Graphics
- Audio / Video
- Transitions
- Animations
This in turn further results in the following string of letters:
- P
- T/A
- S
- D
- S/M
- C
- G
- A/V
- T
- A
I held a small contest with my students to come up with a mnemonic to remember it. One of those entries rose to the top and is just too good not to pass on. Here is her mnemonic for remembering the order of presentation procedures:
- Powerpoints
- That
- Suck
- Don’t
- Make
- Cool
- Grades
- And
- Trash
- Averages
Updated!
The steps and mnemonic device have been revised to the following:
Determine the Purpose
Identify the Target Audience
Storyboard the Content
Select the Design
Edit the Master Slide
Enter the Content
Add and Format Graphics, Audio, and Video
Add Transitions and Animations
Practice
Revise as Needed
P
T/A
S
D
M/S
C
G/A/V
T/A
P
R
Powerpoints
That
Suck
Don’t
Make
Cool
Grades
And
Promote
Ridicule