POWERPOINT PROJECT Tech Stuff Critique Assignment 
This will be a presentation on a topic of your choice. These projects will be published for the others in your class to view and critique. Listed below are some interesting topics to get you started. You DO NOT have to choose one of these topics, but you may. Possible Topics by no means an exhaustive list, but a point of departure | The Political Effects of ____ Music The Role of the Lyricist in Popular Music Music That Scares Our Parents Does Music Promote Violence? The 27 Club Rock Music on TV Commercials Dick Clark and Rock and Roll The Effect of Music Videos on Popular Music Country Music Hooks Classical Music used in Popular Songs Is Rap Music? Social Statements in Popular Music Styles What is Real Country Music? The Subject of _____ in American Popular Music Early Women Rock Stars Music Plagiarism Is American Idol the Most Popular Music? What the Top 10 Singers (singles/groups/albums) Have in Common A History of Lip-syncing Classically Trained Pop (rock/country/jazz) Musicians Rock (country/pop/blues/rap) Song Parodies Is It Country or Rock? Singers Who Think They Can Act Actors Who Think They Can Sing The Psychology of Popular Music (Why we like what we like) Popular Music in Movies (television) Dance Crazes in Popular Music New Directions in _______ Copyright Laws Are Your Friends The "Crossover" Phenomena How the Mickey Mouse Club Launches Careers Do Rockers Have to Be Unstable? My, How You've Changed (a "then and now" look at a particular performer or group) How _________'s (performer/group/style) Philosophies Sabotaged Their (his/her) Career "American Pie": What Does It Mean?
Your best bet is to choose a topic that requires some conclusions - not just a narrative of what some artist or group has done, what albums they made, where they went on tour. That is BORING!!  One more thing - don't preach to the rest of us Example: "My opinion is the correct one because . . . " or "Music does promote violence and parents should . . . " or "Contemporary Christian music is superior because . . . " In other words, we are not really interested in your opinion, we want to LEARN SOMETHING. Feel free to take any position if you can back it up with research, but I have never heard any research conclusions that included the word "should." And remember - you don't have to use one of these topics. If you want to come up with your own, feel free to do so. If you're not sure about it, ask me. | | |
Project Requirements  | The presentation should be about 6 minutes long. |
| Depending upon how much text is on each slide, you should probably have 15-20 slides. However, more slides with less text per slide is the preferred default. |
PowerPoint Content | Put your name and the title of your presentation on the first slide. State the intent of your presentation (the conclusion you will support, the analysis you will undertake, the point to which your material will be directed). |
| A good rule to follow: 1) tell me what you're going to say, 2) say it, 3) tell me what you said. This is a simple matter of voicing your intent so that I know what to look for as you go through your material to make your point. Then, at the end, you will restate your intent (which should be your conclusion or analysis). |
| Don't just present a bunch of "Trivial Pursuit"- type facts and information. Analyze your information and draw conclusions. At the end of your presentation, I should not be able to say: "And your point is . . . ?" A good place to begin is by asking a question that interests you and your conclusion should answer it. |
| Almost all topics should include audio clips (see how to insert them below). If you think your topic is an exception, make sure you clear it with me first. Failure to include audio in your presentation will lower your grade one letter. |
| Use graphics and photos on your slides and not just text. |
| Your last slide should be a bibliography of sources you used. You can use any citation form you like. You should have three or more sources. Don't get everything from a fan-based site or Wikipiedia. |
Most Common Errors | Apostrophes!!! "it's" means "it is" - "music and its effect" (for example) should not use an apostrophe |
| Submitting the PowerPoint as a .pptx file instead of a .ppt file (I will send it back to you because it can't be opened in Blackboard.) |
| Making the file too big so that it can't be submitted - 30 megs is the limit. Trim your mp3s, or don't use so many. |
| Not including the mp3s in the folder with the PowerPoint before zipping. |
General PowerPoint Tips | Don't pick a background that fights your content. In other words, text should be plain and readable. |
| Make sure the photos, graphics you choose are not fuzzy or "pixelly" when sized to your choice. |
| Don't use a lot of animation - words and pictures flying in and out. A little of that goes a long way. A lot is distracting and annoying. |
| Same goes for sound effects. Unless you want to make a specific point, and usually only once, avoid those. |
Tech Stuff | How to rip CDs into MP3s These instructions use Windows Media Player, but other players use a similar process Right-click along the top of the window. Select Tools. Then Options. Click the Rip Music tab. Choose MP3 as the format.
| | How to use MP3 audio files with PowerPoint |
Please note: I know there are other ways to do this, but please follow this procedure Save your PowerPoint file in a new folder and name it Powerpoint_yourname Copy all of the mp3 files that you plan to use into the same folder (do this first, before you link them to the slides) Note: your Powerpoint is a file! You must put your PowerPoint plus the mp3s in a FOLDER. Folders look like this:  When you open the folder, you should be able to see your PowerPoint and the mp3's that you intend to use in your project. Below is an example of what your folder should contain: 
After you have placed the mp3's in the folder, on each slide in which you wish to insert an audio file, click insert - movies and sounds - sound from file and choose the mp3 from the folder containing your PowerPoint and mp3 files. This will link the mp3 to the PowerPoint slide. When you are finished with your PowerPoint and ready to submit, zip the folder (Download Winzip if you don't have a zip utility - it's free so there's no need to buy anything) Submit the zipped file in the assignment section as usual.
Note: You MUST drag the actual mp3 file into the folder with the PowerPoint. If you only follow #3 above, the music will still be on YOUR computer and will not play for me when I open your project. | How to use video links with PowerPoint (like YouTube, etc.) |
Bring up the YouTube video. While it's playing, select and copy the URL in the address bar. In your PowerPoint, type "video" on the page where you want the clip to play. Select that word, right click on it and choose "Insert" on the toolbar at the top. Choose "hyperlink" and in the blank provided, paste the URL that you copied. Test it (but you have to be in Slideshow mode) and when you click that word (that should be underlined now as a link) the YouTube video should play.
Note: This works the same way with any hyperlink | How to set up the PowerPoint presentation to automatically advance the slides |
Note: You are not required to do this. If you elect to do so, make sure that you don't advance the slides too rapidly (so that your audience doesn't have time to read the text) or too slowly (so that your audience must wait too long).
On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click Rehearse Timings. The Rehearsal toolbar appears, and the Slide Time box begins timing the presentation. While you time your presentation, do one or more of the following on the Rehearsal toolbar: To move to the next slide, click Next. To temporarily stop recording the time, click Pause. To restart recording the time after pausing, click Pause. To restart recording the time for the current slide, click Repeat.
After you set the time for the last slide, a message box displays the total time for the presentation and prompts you to do one of the following: To keep the recorded slide timings, click Yes. To discard the recorded slide timings, click No.
Slide Sorter view appears and displays the time of each slide in your presentation.
| How to submit your PowerPoint Project |
When you are finished with your project, zip the folder containing the PowerPoint and your mp3's (Download Winzip if you don't have a zip utility) Remember that the size of the file (after it is zipped) must not exceed 10mb Submit the zipped file in the assignment section as usual.
 Important:
| Blackboard has an 30mb limit, so your zip file must be 30mb or smaller or you won't be able to submit your assignment |
| How to zip your file |
Open Winzip (make sure you select Classic style.) Point to and Click on File (from the main pull-down menu - a submenu appears on screen) Point to and Click on New (you will see the following menu appear on your screen) Name your new archive file: Powerpoint_yourname.zip (NOTE: Be sure to include the .(dot) and Zip for the extension.) Point to and Click on Ok. (your screen will turn back to the classic screen) Point to and click on the Add icon button When you click on the Add icon, another window will open and here you can select the file you want to have zipped. You should have only one file - the one named Powerpoint_yourname that contains your PowerPoint and your mp3 files. Point to and Click on Add (you will be returned to the classic menu screen) To Exit the program.... do the following: Point to and click back on File (from the main pull-down menu -- a submenu will appear) Point to and click on Close Archive.
When you are ready to critique your classmates' projects . . . (This is not a requirement in summer sessions) Look above under "PowerPoint Content" above. Did your classmate follow those guidelines? Was the PowerPoint easy to navigate? Did you learn something? Did the student draw some conclusions and employ critical thinking within the specified topic area of popular music? Were they verifiable (from reliable sources, not just someone's opinion)? Did you find any mistakes? (misspelled words, incorrect grammar, incorrect information?)
Your grade will be based upon your constructive criticism of your classmates' projects. Point out the strong points and the weak points. Be specific. The instructions in the Course Outline suggest at least 2 paragraphs. Critique the projects in some detail (reference to specific slides or specific statements). DO NOT just say "good job!" 
Created and maintained by Vicky Boucher |
