¶ … media richness where ordinary Word documents can't. While word processing programs permit some embedded graphics, charts, and tables and the use of hyperlinks, PowerPoint adds the potential of including audio and video clips into a presentation. Moreover, PowerPoint is designed as presentation software: its format uses slides that lend themselves well to overhead projectors and large-screen monitors for use in group settings.
In nearly any field, PowerPoint can enhance a group lecture or discussion. For example, historians can include photographs of key figures, places, and events as well as images of primary source documents in their group presentations. Historians can also use PowerPoint to include audio files: for instance, a clip from a president's speech or a civil rights leader's public address.
At a group convention, a historian could rely on PowerPoint to convey theories and ideas. Opening slides would provide the audience with an outline or overview. Bulleted lists would enable students to take easy notes. The body of the presentation would include images and photographs, depending on the time period in question. Students and colleagues could also be offered a copy of the PowerPoint file for personal use and later viewing.
Using audio files and video files adds depth to the presentation and makes the report more engaging. For example, a historian could obtain an audio file of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. The auditory impact of the speech far outweighs the impact of Dr. King's words in print, because of the nuances and influxes in his voice. Similarly, a historian of music would be able to use PowerPoint to play songs, while at the same time offering historical data about the composer in text form in the same slide. Video clips can also be included in a PowerPoint presentation: historians of the modern age have a plethora of video clips to work with, whether of major events like September 11 or the Columbia disaster or footage of daily life in cultures halfway around the world.
