Powepointless? There is much to be learned in creating a powerpoint even if it isn`t the most effective way to present. Students learn to summarize information and highlight the most important points. In addition this, they learn how to present their ideas by providing visual aids. I understand that slides have a tendency to be full of information and distracting to the audience, but I think that this is part of the learning process. Another thing to keep in mind is that students are uncomfortable speaking in front of an audience so bombarding their slides with information helps them simply read off the slides.
If I look back at my own presentation boards, I can remember them being filled with texts too small to read and being overloaded with images. It is the same mistake presented in a different way. I think it`s important to provide a template for students to use no matter what activity is being developed. This will help students understand the format and how to properly deliver the information. I often use powerpoints in my class and it serves as an example for students when they do their presentations, but it is a learning process. The guidelines proposed will certainly help students create more effective powerpoints, but I think other skills will have to be taught in conjunction with this such as summarizing, word use etc.