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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
How Powerful Is PowerPoint, or Is It Pointless? User Beware of Your Power
Last spring (March 2009) I posted a blog about PowerPoint, but realize some of you don't check the archives. Thus, I'm re-posting, because we can all use a refresher on what we do when we use multimedia tools. The power is in the hands of the beholder, not the software. Check this article, "Of PowerPoint and Pointlessness," and this YouTube Video, "Death by PowerPoint." Don't skip YouTube video; it will give you pointers for the next time you use PowerPoint.Post your responses. We want to hear from you. Check back to see what others have had to say.
Post your responses. We want to hear from you. Check back to see what others have had to say.
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10 comments:
In regard to the article, I think PowerPoint critics are being stupid. PowerPoint does is not just a pretty package for material. Those who think this of ppt clearly have not seen good ppts. Ppts use technology to aid and enhance learning, not just make it look good. However, pretty packages should not be overlooked. Oftentimes children need hooks and excitement to create interest in a topic. If you can create a ppt about a math equation, I'm sure it'll be a lot more interesting than a worksheet on that same equation. The added visual alone will help learners. I never considered myself a visual learner until I realized how much more I enjoy a lesson if I can see it and visual it. More students will benefit from this type of lesson.
As for the youtube video, i thought it made some simple, yet excellent points. So many times in my classes my teacher has reminded us not to use too many words. And every time, there are three or four groups that are text-heavy. These usually end up being the worst groups. I hate when people make wordy ppts and then proceed to read from them as their presentation. Well I can read it and you aren't showing me much knowledge if you can't speak intelligently with words that are not already on the screen. I agree that simplicity is key and that most can be spoken instead of written on the screen. Plus pictures are so powerful. These can always be used instead of text. Let the audience interact with the material through pictures and create their own meaning from your ppt. I may seem a bit harsh, but I really am sick of having people read PowerPoints to me as presentations.
"One of the criticisms that's been raised about PowerPoint is that it can give the illusion of coherence and content when there really isn't very much coherence or content," said Edward Miller. Wow so true. Often power point is so visually attractive that it can make a lesson full of jargon seem like something intellectual! I wouldn't say this is going to be the case all of the time though and the most important thing for educators to remember is to make the power point a useful tool.
I'm sitting through a course right now where we are required to read a scientific article and present the article on a power point. And, like the death by power point video, I am bored to death. Everyone is just taking exactly what we read in the article, putting it on a power point, and reading it back to us. Although it looks visually stimulating and intellectual, what are we really getting out of an hour of presentations week after week besides review of what we already read? This article was so true. We really need ot have a prurpose and passion for what we are presenting when we use it or it is simply pointless.
I agree with you Jess. Simplicity is the key. Less is more! We all need to remember to know the purpose of the PowerPoint. After reading the article and watching the youtube video I am reminded of an article I read that cautioned teachers to not use PowerPoint presentations as "shovelware"! The purpose is not to bore the audience with loads of meaningless information. I also never considered that too many sounds and motion pathways could distract learners from the objective of the PowerPoint. I also like the 4 key points if the video. Significance, Structure, Simplify and Relevant are 4 key simple terms we all can remember to make meaningful and memorable PowerPoints that engage students in learning.
I think that too many teachers require their students to use powerpoint because it "satisfies" some "technological advancement" in the curriculum. This is where you get those pp's that are wordy and should otherwise be made into documents. It is not always the student's fault however if pp is not properly modeled for them. I am guilty as well of creating and presenting pp's that are wordy and boring. It is only of late that I am seeing the many ways pp should be used. As far as it being "packaged up nice," that is a danger if teachers choose to use it as a replacement instead of as enhancement to curriculum.
I agree with Jess K's sentiments on the dilemma of powerpoint and the illusion of coherence. In my experience with offering powerpoint as a project for students is that they spend more time on "bells and whistles" than on the actual content I am trying to teach. I agree with Carrie when she mentions that teachers need to take caution when assigning powerpoint presentation to their students. It's important for teachers to take the time to discuss and model how use powerpoint to present. The Death by Powerpoint can be a good start to introduce this. Also showing exemplar presentations would give students a better understanding what is expected of them.
I felt the YouTube video went too fast. If I were to show this to students as Lilly suggests, I am not sure what they would take way from it as note taking while it is running is literally impossible. I also think the video would have made more helpful if it showed full PowerPoint presentations that were bad not just a few overcrowded pages.
I agree with Lilly about giving students some exemplar presentations so they know what is a good presentation. It is also helpful to model good habits.
I had to chuckle when Jen mentioned how groups still provide presentations laden heavily with text even after a teacher specifically suggests to not do so. I have sat through such presentations also. You know they know they are not suppose to do it as they always apologize about the slide being so busy and hard to read. If you know it is hard to read, then fix it in the first place!
I believe any medium you or your students use will have good and bad points. The trick is to use PowerPoint well and the points in the YouTube video are a good starting point (if you can get them written down to share or use).
I'm interested in the last quotation in the article that indicates students should have the experience of real writing instead of just creating PowerPoint presentations. Why on earth would any teacher consider this an either/or proposition? Whether students are using PowerPoint or some other system of visual support, they are practicing the crucial skills involved in public speaking. Research, passion, organization and considering one's audience are not just PowerPoint skills.
Students benefit from public speaking opportunities as well as essay or other so-called "real writing" opportunities. Language arts should emphasize speaking, listening, writing and reading in balanced proportions. As the video points out, PowerPoint can be a wonderful or drab delivery system. If presenters would put the sort of energy, focus and brutal editing prescribed in the video whether they are using PowerPoint or posterboard and markers, everybody wins. This level of commitment to conveying the heart of every matter will only help students become better thinkers, writers and communicators in every form.
I think that article was a little harsh when it came to PowerPoint. I do agree that some educators abuse the program by creating wordy and boring presentations. Many textbooks now provide PowerPoint presentations, I have seen teachers take advantage of this. I was in one classroom where the teacher used the slides created from the book, I was bored to tears and I love science! I think that educators have to be careful with this program. In order to make an effective presentation they need to take the time to create something worthwhile for students. The article failed to point out all of the positive aspects of PowerPoint presentations. I think that teachers should take the time to show students what they can do with this program. At the high school level I have my students create PowerPoint presentations. They generally do great things with this program. At the same time, I don't think that PowerPoint presentations should be a teacher's main avenue for instruction. Multiple Intelligence research shows us that we need to present content and curriculum in all different ways.
The YouTube video was great. I think it provides some great tips for creating PowerPoint presentations. Jess K made a good point when she said that students and some teachers try and make wordy presentations that serve no purpose. I often lose interest in presentations with wordy slides. Like the article said, audience members can read faster than a presenter can talk, therefore the presenter is useless. In conclusion, I will still use PowerPoint in my classroom, just in moderation.
If a teacher puts all the notes on a PowerPoint, and expects you to copy them then ppt becomes not much different than a chalk board. The major difference is, you don't have to wait while the teacher writes in front of you. The other difference is, the professor could have just printed the notes and handed them to you, and let you read them on your own. I think PowerPoint can be helpful in preparing many different types of presentations. Usually the presenter should add more than just what is read. They could do this by attaching sound and video. Pictures are a powerful addition to anything and like in the video, if you can use them to add humor - even better. The transitions, animation, interactive nature of PowerPoint do make it engaging to students. Like Jen said it may just be enough to draw in student interest.
I think the point the article and the youtube video is trying to make is that all technology has a a place. It can be useful but it can also be overused, used incorrectly or used as a substitute for teaching. A good teacher has the ability to take technology and use it for good! We have a chemistry teacher who uses power points for notes because it's an effective way to give the students information without requiring them to write it. She uses it in conjunction with discussion, lecture, mini assignments, labs, etc. It's a very dynamic class even if the powerpoint isn't. Another teacher uses it to do mini lessons on history in the middle school that are hilarious and engaging. Unfortunately I have also seen teachers use it in place of an active enviroment - basically displaying the powerpoint and students have to copy. Dreadfully boring. As illustrated in the video, powerpoint presentations don't kill, the people who create them do!
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