When thinking about PowerPoint and the multimedia principle as described in chapter three of ELSI, onoe thing in particular that caught my attention was the fact that graphics should support learning. It occurs to me that in designing PowerPoint slides we sometimes have a tendency to select clipart and icons that are cute or catchy but don't necessarily reinforce the content being delivered in text and perhaps speech. I also pondered the discussion in the Atkinson and Mayer article about how we have an inclination to format PowerPoint slides (or any multimedia, for that matter) in a certain way because the features within the program are most convenient or lend themselves to that particular formatting. However, research shows that these ways of organizing and delivering content are not necessarily effective or appropriate according to cognitive learning theory.
I think that the best way to present the multimedia and contiguity principles to my colleagues would be to demonstrate contrasting good and bad examples. Since PowerPoint is likely going to be the medium of choice for many of them, I would also show them a short YouTube video from Guy Kawasaki where he explains his 30 20 10 principle. It's a great way to sum up the best practice for text on PowerPoint slides.
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