"PowerPoint is dead!" has been declared ad nauseam in education circles. The idea fueling the remark is that Microsoft's slide presentation software (and other slide presentation software for that matter) is too passive of a means for sharing and learning new information. But as with any other technology tool, the value or lack thereof isn't determined by the design alone. It is determined by how we choose to use it. In other words, PowerPoint is not dead. We just suck at using PowerPoint.
In the classroom, visual slide presentations offer additional entry points for learners to comfortably access content knowledge and learning. Again, the relative advantage of these presentations highly depends on how they are used. Patti Shank, PhD points out that, "text is where most PowerPoint users start to get into trouble." She goes on to say, "[teachers] put too many words on slides and tend to put them into dreaded bullet lists."
Still, PowerPoint and other slide-based presentation software can make teaching and learning more effective and efficient, even with a little bit of text here and there. If they couldn't, then how would we explain the popularity of online presentation sharing websites like SlideShare? The key to creating a meaningful presentation is not in the platform you use, but in the presentation's design and the presenter's preparation.
Good slide-based presentations generally adhere to a set of common design principles that work together to amplify the content over the presenter. As Jesse Desjardins shared in his presentation titled You Suck at PowerPoint, "You're not giving a document, you're giving a presentation. If your audience is reading what you're saying, then what's the point of you being there?"
To effectively share content through a slide presentation in the classroom, we must remember to build significance into our presentations. By doing this, we move beyond simply passing on information to actually making meaning with our students. If transformative learning is our goal for instruction, then we must understand that "Significance creates passion. Passion attracts attention. [And] attention leads to action." For our students, action means applied learning in varying situations.
PowerPoint isn't dead. When used the way it was intended to be used, PowerPoint creates opportunities for nonlinguistic learning, interactive participation, reflection of learning, active assessment, and efficient preparation and delivery of instruction for teachers. Though slide-based presentations should not be relied upon in every lesson, utilization of the medium is an integral part of a diverse teaching and learning experience.
Resources:
Desjardins, J. (2010, November 3). You suck at power point: 5 shocking design mistakes you need to avoid [SlideShare]. Retrieved from:
http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/view/5652173?login=jessedee&title=you-suck-at-powerpoint
Kapterev, A. (2007, July 31). Death by PowerPoint and how to fight it [SlideShare]. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint
Shank, P. (2011, May 6). Using PowerPoint effectively in your courses. Retrieved from: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/using-powerpoint-effectively-in-your-courses/
I agree very firmly with your point that the problem isn't slide presentations, its how people use slide presentations. I'm certainly guilty of throwing together a few bland slides at the last minute for some points I need to lecture over.
ReplyDeleteThe point about significance from the "Death by PowerPoint" SlideShare jumped out at me, as well. In my building, we certainly struggle to get our students to see the significance of our content and the difference in learning when we get that across is huge.
What I find ironic is that while we teach students to summarize, locate the main point, analyze author's purpose, etc. in Language Arts, we model the exact opposite when producing Power Point presentations.
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