Tuesday, June 17, 2008
PowerPoint Response - Summer '08 Class
PowerPoint… Evil?
After reading the article by Tufte and listening to the NPR segment on PowerPoint, what are your reactions to the opinions expressed? Are teacher-centered uses of technology more or less effective as student-centered uses of technology?
Please click on the "comment" link below to submit your thoughts
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
36 comments:
The NPR talk addressed student usage of powerpoint. It stated that students can get caught up in the presentation and organization of the PP that they lose the meaning of what they are doing and the subject matter of it. To contridict this, one of the speakers on NPR stated that it can be helpful because it does limit their scope and forces them to focus on points.
The Wired article slams powerpoint as a dumbing down of america.
I personally have never created a powerpoint, nor have I used it with my severly autistic students, so I cannot speak from professional experience. But, I have been to numerous presentation that used PP. Being an organized person, I liked it...it was direct, to the point, clearly stated. I do agree that it has to be done in limited amounts and/or incorporated into other mediums to retain listener interest.
As far as classroom utilization, I don't see it using it with my particular students, but do feel that it could be helpful as a teaching tool for the teacher to explain lessons or formats to students.
In my opinion, powerpoint is a great tool to use for presenting material, but only if it used effectively. If a speaker takes the time to incorporate useful images in the slides and summarizes what is written on the slides, then powerpoint is useful. However, if a speaker just reads off each entire slide, he/she are most likely going completely bore the audience. And as mentioned in the article "Powerpoint is Evil", "audience boredom is usually a content failure". In other words, the information presented will be a complete waste of time if not well thought out on powerpoint.
I don't want to completely bash powerpoint, but I also want to mention one more thing. Using powerpoint is great as a visual, but how is it good to use for a presenter to develop his/her speaking skills? If people are just staring at the slides and not paying attention to the speakers emotion of the content, how will the audience feel about the entire presentation?
Using powerpoint as a way of instruction is great, but the best way to get through to the audience is to use a variety of tools with powerpoint, such as video clips, hard copies of material that can be passed around the room, and other audience participation.
I have never realized the existence of this strong debate between proponents of PowerPoint and opponents of PowerPoint software. I have attended presentations and felt what Tufte refers to as an endless monotony of simple slides. Although, as someone who has stronger visual than auditory learning capabilities, I prefer to have an image or text to look at while someone is speaking. The PowerPoint slides help me focus on what the speaker is talking about and form a mental image in my mind.
And so, I disagree with Tufte that it only helps presenters and not the audience.
As a tool for teachers and the delivery of instruction, I think PowerPoint might be useful as an introduction tool to a lesson. But as the NPR segment referred to, the bullets of PowerPoint do not support inquiry based learning. I agree that the main ideas of many articles or concepts cannot be reduced to single bullet points. In this way, PowerPoint only perpetuates the delivery of instruction related to learning dry facts and dates, for instance.
Student use of PowerPoint varies greatly, I think. I have seen students use the program to create strong, clear, attractive presentations. After all, we do want to motivate students to produce and seek new information, and the use of creative tools is one way to do this. But I have also seen students who have issues with attention spend an entire class period changing fonts, choosing pictures, or adjusting color schemes. I think teachers need to carefully assess the needs of students to determine the usefulness of an assignment using PowerPoint.I am not so strongly opposed to the use of PowerPoint, though, as Tufte is.
Great points so far, especially about how it can both be an aid and a crutch (and the need to limit its use). Not to mention, how students tend to spend an inordinate amount of time on the "bells and whistles" rather than producing strong content.
Personally, I have never had a good experience with presenting material while using powerpoint--I usually worry too much about how I can make it look interesting and eye catching as opposed to its' content, which later becomes lost in translation because I end up reading what's on the slides...boring and daunting for those having to listen to me drone on and on!
I guess I have to agree with the Wired article that powerpoint is evil...in a way...I do agree with Michelle that powerpoint is useful when trying to organize thoughts prior to a presntation, and can be used as a guide for those with visual learning strengths, but it shouldn't be the basis of the presentation itself.
I think that PowerPoint can be useful, if used appropriately and in moderation. I had a teacher that used PowerPoint in every lecture she taught, and it only contributed to thoughtless, mechanical notetaking. I have seen powerpoint chock full of video clips and interactive data that were useful in furthering the understanding of the topic at hand. I do think that it is something that should be used, as any other piece of technology in the classroom, only if it is more beneficial than not.
I have been required in many classes to create a PowerPoint presentation as a project, and the cost is hours of time consuming effort being poured into a project that if your lucky will catch the attention of most of the students. Usually using tons of graphics, music, or videos is the only way to achieve it. Don't get me wrong, I think PowerPoint can be very useful, especially if it incorporates links off the web relevant to the material, but often times I think teachers try to cram it into a lesson for the sake of using PowerPoint.
I have to admit I use PowerPoint when I present. My reasoning is if I use it, then people will look up at my presentation and not at me. I do not see the “evil” aspect of PowerPoint. Personally, I feel the Wired article came off slightly jaded. He had so much angst towards a computer software program. I am not sure one program is truly leading to the “dumbing down” of America. Although the article’s point of view leads to an interesting read. I do understand that PowerPoint does present format over content and if the audience is bored with the speaker, slides will not saved the presentation.
Since I am not a teacher, I do have questions about how often students use PowerPoint. Do they use it that often? Are teachers not teaching beyond the bullet points (from NPR radio)? I think the important part of using technology is striking a balance where technology lends to the conversation of education but does not overpower it and take over. Is PowerPoint an assignment in itself? What I mean that this question is, I would think that it is in conjunction with an essay or a paper and PowerPoint is just the presentation piece.
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I use PowerPoint. I believe it helps to engage students who have to listen to my presentation. It allows all the senses to take part in a presentation. I feel it helps to make my presentation flow more smoothly. The Wired article states that it turns everything into a sales pitch. Is this really that bad to teach students? I have found that most things in life require a slight sales pitch to get your foot in the door.
I think teacher-centered technology and student-centered technology can both be highly effective. It depends on the way it is used. I believe this all goes back to the Dexter article and the three-step implementation process. Especially important is what value will teacher or student-centered technology lend to the classroom and does it truly help to engage and impress the knowledge on the students.
Like most of the other people who have commented so far, I don't believe that PowerPoint (PP) is inherently evil. Rather, I think that too many times people who are using the application are relying on it to do their job for them. A lot of time, it seems like people think all they have to do is slap some words and a couple of images on to PP and they have a great presentation. I've seen a lot of PP presentations where the presenter just reads off the slides and these presentations are mind numbing. I think a PP presentation can be effective tool when it is used to outline key thoughts and give the audience a basic summary of the main points of the presentation. But, to have a truly effective presentation the presenter needs to supplement the PP with other things (like kristeno said).
But, all that said, I do think that Tufte brought up some interesting points. For example, though I think it's a bit of an exaggeration, I do think that the following quote of his has some merit: "Rather than learning to write a report using sentences, children are being taught how to formulate client pitches and infomercials." I think that in many cases this is true. Rather than really developing their thoughts or ideas, students just type a few words and slap some images on the screen. And in doing this, I do wonder if they are really learning anything substantial.
I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but it looks like my post ended up appearing twice - sorry!
It doesn't look like I can delete it on my end. So Jenn, if you see this, can you please delete one of my posts?
Thanks!
I do have to agree with Christine and Debbie. Powerpoint is just a program that should supplement the actual presentation--not BE the presentation itself. Instead of reading off of the powerpoint slides, presenters should be using them to compliment the points that they are trying to get across--I believe that to be the original point of the program. But, for some reason, powerpoint has evolved into this phenomenon of copying and pasting information from the internet onto slides and using others words in replace of their own as just a way to complete assignments quickly and easy.
I believe that time is a major factor in how powerpoint is used. If the presenter has enough time to really focus in on their subject, reserach topics, and learn the material, I believe that he/she can put together a well thought-out presentation that does not have to rely on powerpoint slides...but in this fast paced society, the point of presentations--for the presenter to really know and understand their material--is dwindling. People no longer have the time to sit and take notes outside of the classroom and truly learn about their topic, and now the technology of the internet makes it easier for presenters to whip out a few quick slides with little to no thought involved.
Personally, i feel that power point is a major pain. I have used it in the past and i have watched many presentations over the years and they all seem to get very boring.
I do agree with Edward Tufte. He seems to have very valid points based on the program of power point. He is right when he says that the program takes away from the content. Most of the time a student is either going to be overwhelmed by the noises and movements; or to busy trying to copy down the notes that you are using to present the material. When students create the power points i believe that they do get lost to go along with noelle. They try and make it flashy and fun, but they are forgetting the most important part...the information.
On the other hand i think power point is a good tool because people can use it to organize their ideas. This year i had my students create five slides based on Abe Lincoln. They liked using PP and i found that their presentation skills improved. I am not going to say that PP increases students speaking skills, but i do think i helps relax the students and allows them to look at the PP for a quick review of what they are going to be talking about.
In overall i do not like PP. I find it boring and it takes away from the content presented. I will continue to use the program though because it does help organize information, which is helpful for students.
I use PowerPoint in almost all of my classroom presentations. It is a tool that is only as good as the artist that wields it. I have had some awful classes where too much information or too little information was transmitted through PowerPoint. As I have gotten to understand my classes (audience) better, I have honed my skills and become better at using the tool.
As a science teacher, the material I present tends to progress neatly. There are non-linear connections, of course, but I initially present the topics as simply as possible. In the laptop environment that I currently work in, students download my presentations in class and take notes right on the file. In my old school, I would often print the notes pages for my students. My students appreciate the organization and preparation.
As an auditory learner, I tend to teach more verbally than visually. PowerPoint helps me connect with more students. I also have horrific handwriting, so the less I write on the board and the more I present in clear text, the happier my students.
When I posted my response, I was wondering how teachers use PP. I just read Chris' response and his use of PP in his classroom. It must work really well. I think it is a great way for students to not have to suffer through a teacher's bad handwriting (most of us write like chicken scratches). I also think it is so great that his students can use his PowerPoint to take notes how. I always liked getting the teacher's notes because it made me feel like I had the key to the course.
I was pleasantly surprised with the debate on Power Point after reading Power Point is Evil by Edward Tufte and listening to the NPR story on it. I was able to view the debate on both sides--- both as an instructor who teaches students how to use Power Point as well as an audience member.
As I learned about the debate, I kept thinking about my Wednesday faculty meetings. Every meeting is presented through Power Point. And, each meeting gets harder and harder to sit through. I find that either the speakers read the facts point for point. Or, the slides are so chalked full of information it's overwhelming to look at.
I do use power point as a means to organize information. I teach third grade and there's little opportunity to incorporate power point with them-- at that age--- in every presentation setting. At the level of understanding they enter third grade with, power point is best used as a format to organize facts. We use it when we do research off of webquests for state projects. Creating a slide for each topic and inserting appropriate clip arts and graphics is manageable.
I think that it is responsible to introduce positive skills and habits that will promote strong public speaking practices in students. Learning to talk, learning to make eye contact, being able to identify with an audience are really the items that will let students thrive in presentations. They need to be taught how to have Power Point simply highlight important information--- and not showcase their speech as THE means of communication.
Tonight's class was helpful in seeing another use for PowerPoint. I feel that using non-linear Power Point in an interactive approach can be beneficial to students. I'm interested in exploring how to teach my students how to best use this non-linear approach to share their thoughts and ideas. I'm wondering, has anyone in this course used non-linear PowerPoints in an elementary setting? Please share!
I think more than the tool itself (in this case, PowerPoint), it’s the usage, without focusing on goals, that is to be blamed. If PowerPoint is used without realizing the purpose of the presentation, then it won’t deliver the desired results. It is important to have defined goals, and then evaluating the tool to be used, if it is good enough to generate the required learning outcome for all the students.
It is important to remember that PowerPoint is not a substitution for a real conversation or exchange of ideas between the presenter and the audience. In a classroom environment, it is educator’s responsibility to make sure that PowerPoint presentation should be used in a “value-added” manner. As NPR talk mentions, students of a 4th grade class used PowerPoint in combination with other tools like Producer, ClipArt etc and created a lesson which was more interactive and engaging.
And also the way Chris mentioned that he uses PP, seems to work for his students. In this cases, educator is not solely dependent on PP, it is infused with some essence of interaction and engagement between presenter and the audience.
One of Tufte’s objection to linear PP was that it just presents presenter’s perspective and seem to force it on the audience. It might work well with some content areas but not all. I think, as much as this is “age of technology”, it is also an age of “inquiry-based learning” and “multiple-intelligences”. Linear PP or non-linear PP, the main idea is to be able to add some value to student learning in an effective manner and to enable them to realize their maximum potential. No technology is worth while, that is used at the cost of student’s creativity or critical thinking.
As Sara Kirk mentioned, our in class discussion on non-linear powerpoint provided a good alternative for plain old powerpoint. I was impressed by the many ways we can create powerpoints like these without having look at slide after slide of information. I think it's really neat how students can click on various parts of the slide and navigate their way through what they want to learn about.
I also want to comment about ndhindsa's thoughts on multiple intelligences. Powerpoint shouldn't be the only teaching tool used in the classroom, but rather an option for teachers to use to present material to meet the the needs of their unique and growing minds.
Kristen I agree with you, powerpoint can be either a success or a failure and using outside sources such as video clips, websites,and hard copies for students to take their own notes on is a great way to make power point successful.
My first reaction after reading Tufte's article is that someone will always try to make a name for him/her self by expressing an opinion contrary to what the mainstream thinks. Someone in my class in France one day denounced the Disney characters as really ugly and scary (not ideal for young children), and then all of us who had not seen anything wrong with them until then started to think... "hum, now that you mention it".
Powerpoint in itsef is neither good or bad; it depends on how you use it. Technology should always serve a purpose and the purpose should be well thought out. You want to teach your students to be analytical? Well then Powerpoint is not the best instrument for that. But when it's time to be synthetical and condense your thoughts to the essential,then the bullets are fine.
Using a variety of techniques in the classroom is common sense. Powerpoint is only one tool out of so many. No need to invoke Stalinism!
Correction: I meant "evoke" Stalinism, not "invoke".
Reading the responses made me realize how much I do appreciate the visual aspect of being an audience member of a PowerPoint presentation. But even more, I feel that I gain the most from a presentation when I am given a copy of the slides with accompanying space for my own notes. This tool helps me avoid scrambling to write everything down, as Dom mentioned. I definitely agree with Chris that the presence of this tool makes me feel that the presenter is organized and prepared. And like Christine said, I feel that I have everything I need at my fingertips; if I miss something talked about, I can look back at the notes and find the piece of information I may have missed. And I simply remember things better after I see them in print.
In some respect, giving a hard copy of the slides to audience members or students also addresses what Tufte discussed as the presentation only being the presenter's perspective. When I take notes next to a particular slide, I am jotting down what the content makes me think about, links to other information, further explanation to help me understand, and questions for further inquiry. The presentation comes to have meaning for me different from everyone else's understanding.
As teachers, if we use this software tool for organized and planful delivery of instruction rather than a quick lesson plan as some others referred to, then we can use it to teach students to expand upon the information we present, while hopefully also setting an example for them on how to make interesting thought-provoking presentations.
To help with the boredom factor with PowerPoints, I have been playing with a PRS program (Personal Response System). The software I have been using is made by Interwrite.
The software adds a plug-in to PowerPoint where I can insert questions or prompts into the presentation. My students can respond remotely, either through their laptops, or through handheld clickers that can be purchased from the company. I can see their responses in real-time and pace the presentation based on how well they respond to the prompts. The kids see it as some kind of game show.
Like any new software/hardware, there is a learning curve. I have used it a few times this summer on a trial basis. The program got pretty good reviews from my students, so I am hoping to use it on a more regular basis next year.
When reading the article and listening to the radio segment addressing PowerPoint in the classroom, I immediately thought about differentiated instruction. Both the article and the segment mentioned the "intellectual danger" that PowerPoint may put some students in depending on their learning style. I feel that PowerPoint could be another useful tool in a teachers "bag of tricks" that may help a more disorganized learner make sense of a more complex presentation of information.
It was also stated that PowerPoint may only be useful to the presenter and have little or no value to the audience. In the segment, it was even said that PowerPoint may be detrimental to the comprehension of the audience. I do not agree with this, however, since an audience can make meaning out of the presentation using the mode of understanding that they are most comfortable with.
After reading the posts of my classmates, I began to think about teacher-centered vs. student-centered classrooms and the implications of both. I can see how using a PowerPoint presentation in class can be viewed as adhering to a more "teacher-centered" philosophy, however, I attended a presentation a couple of semesters ago given by a Norwalk alternative high school English teacher who used photography as a writing prompt. Instead of giving his students standard written text as writing prompts, he found that projecting images from the screen served to be more meaningful and created richer writing responses from his students. This reminded me how important it is to take into consideration the identity of your students as individuals and the constant changing "temperature" of the class. PowerPoint may cause strong feelings both for and against its use in the classroom but no one can deny that it is impossible to predict what will impact a student either way. As teachers, it is our obligation to create as many opportunites as we can for successful student outcomes and if that means employing PowerPoint then so be it.
After doing the PP assignment, I can now see how it can be used in Special Ed. This would be a great addition to a lesson and/or another methodology. You could link sight words, math problems, "what if" questions, social situations. I think that there a lot of possibilities for its teaching use that I didn't see before.
As I read Tufte's PowerPoint is Evil and listened to the NPR talk, I was struck by their extreme points of view. As with any tool, in any profession, one can learn how to use and implement their "tools of the trade" to their full potential. No content, boring material, poor presentation, will always show through. PowerPoint is a tool. If used creatively and appropriately, it has served it's purpose.
Personally,I don't have much experience in using powerpoint, although I imagine it would be very useful in organizing and supplementing my presentation. I must say that as a visual learner, and a very poor auditory learner, powerpoints and handouts are essential to me as a student. It's a way for me to connect with the lesson.
I appreciated reading other student's experiences, and I have to agree with Chris in saying that keeping it simple, presenting key points, is usually best for me if I need to sit through one. I find that all the extra fluff that people put in is very often distracting and takes away from the
object or content of the presentation.
My daughter's seventh grade History Day project was my first encounter with a Powerpoint presentation. The students in the class had spent much of the year researching their topics. I can't even remember what my daughter's topic was, but I do remember that she had spent a lot of time on it, and had gathered quite a bit of information and come to a good understanding of it. In the third quarter, the students chose their methods of presentation, and she chose Powerpoint. She was working in a group and they took turns working on the project at each other's houses and at school. Since we did not have Powerpoint at the time, they did not work at my house, and I did not see the final project until I attended the History Day presentation. I was very surprised that all of the material and comprehension of a rather complex topic had been reduced to such a simplified state. I felt that all of the time spent putting the presentation together could have been used in a much more productive and challenging manner.
If I hadn't seen the interactive method of using Powerpoint in class, I probably would have completely agreed with Tufte and the speakers on NPR who criticized the program.
The impressions I formed from my daughter's experience left me with no desire to use Powerpoint when I began teaching. As a freshman and sophomore English and Writing Workshop teacher, I spend enough time struggling against, as Tufte calls it, the elevation of "format over content" in teaching the structured essay. My freshman students write their first essay on their summer reading assignments, and although the essays are usually organizational nightmares, they are refreshing and fun to read because they are authentic. I then begin my duty in teaching the structured essay, hoping to bring some organization to their thoughts. I even teach the five-paragraph essay, which has also been deemed as evil. Once we start writing with this format, all authenticity and elaboration seem to go underground, as students focus on the format. It seems to take until the end of the year for the students to incorporate any original thought into the format.
To combat this "format over content", I alternate structured essays with creative writing, casual and informal writing, and projects, This is where I can really see my students thoughts and understandings of complex subject matter.
Based on my experiences with incorporating complex content into a format, I have to agree with Tufte that students tend to focus on the format. Powerpoint's special effects would provide even more of a distraction from content because they are fun to use.
This could be an argument for the use of Powerpoint, because it could create enthusiasm for a project. So, this could be an asset.
But overall, I think that Powerpoint could detract from content, and reduce complex material and critical thinking to a very simplified state.
It seems that Powerpoint is passe now and many people are bored with it. Here comes interactive Powerpoint and then audience response technology (some schools are already equipped)and then what?
Like videogames, the novelty wears off quickly in this digital age and we're going to have to think of something new soon.
I want my students to be ENGAGED and not bored to tears like I was in my 8th grade english classes. So i'm all for the gadgets that keep their interest level high. But at the same time I have a problem with it: my students expect to be "entertained" in the classroom and I cannot get them to memorize a list of 20 verbs (let alone a hundred like I was expected to learn).
I found it interesting to read everyone's comments and see where everyone stands on the whole PowerPoint issue. I agree with Dom and others who said that PP is sometimes more for the presenter as it is an easy way to organize materials. I liked reading Chris' comment about how he uses PP a lot in his classroom and how it is pretty effective now that he knows his audience and everything. I also have to say that my opinion of PP has changed a bit after working on the non-linear PP. I really like how PP becomes interactive for the audience when it is created this way. Rather than just having to listen and being somewhat passive, this method allows students to play a more active role in learning and I really like that!
I completely agree with Kimberly that PowerPoint acts as a quick and easy medium for presenting. When you have about 25 kids in a classroom and each of them or at least 5 groups need to present, there is not much time for inquiry and conversation. A teacher will have to allot a time limit for each presenter or group to follow, so the bullets provide a way to keep a focus on the most important points of the subject matter. When there is an allotted amount of time and too much information, the presenters may feel that in order to make up for some missed information, they will in turn try to jazz their slides up with special effects to sell themselves more. I feel that the discernment of PowerPoint presentations with its easy transition from slide to slide almost act as an unyielding chain in order to keep information flowing restricting room for discussion. I think that Tuftes makes a valid point about PowerPoint being pushy. I agree that it has definitely evolved into a pushy medium for communicating, and once again I believe this because we are always pressed for time in today’s society.
Sarah Kirk explained that it’s hard to sit through a PowerPoint presentation and that one is expected every week at school meetings. I can’t even tell you how many times my friends have complained about dreading to go to office meetings in a big company because that is all that’s used. Maybe PowerPoint is overused and not effective to its audience anymore, but maybe it is because we are using it wrong!
PowerPoint can still be a helpful learning tool in the classroom if students and teachers are taught how it can be used most effectively. I remember when I was first introduced to PowerPoint about 10 years ago in high school. We were taught that less is more and to try and not read word for word. This was a guideline to follow, but it wasn’t enough. Like Dominik explained to us, he had his students only use five slides for their presentations. Honestly, I have never seen a PowerPoint presentation that was only five slides long. But to me, it sounds like just enough because the focus should not really depend on the content of the slides; it should be on the presenter’s dialogue, who then in turn invokes conversation with the audience. Also, five or less slides are easy to navigate incase the presenter needs to go back to discuss something he previously touched upon in more detail later on.
After listening to the NPR broadcast, I do consider that maybe the use of PowerPoint, if used responsibly, is truly more valuable for children or even those who need practice presenting in front of a large audience in order to help organize their ideas or the facts they have gathered from different sources. Although, for the general being’s use of PowerPoint whether in corporate or the classroom, we should be more aware of our audience and ask ourselves if it is necessary for certain content.
Like everyone has been saying, powerpoint is a hit or miss. The presenter has to be interesting or the powerpoint is not going to help. If the presenter does not have the neccessary skills needed to present then a powerpoint is just going to be boring and useless. When a presenter is good and uses the powerpoint to include pictures or examples of what he is talking about then the powerpoint is useful.
Basically, the use of a powerpoint all depends on the speaker and how they are presenting the material. I believe our class has really explored the world of powerpoint and will make sure they are using it in a productive way the next time we are using it.
Brainstorming ideas for my interactive presentation helped me to see ways that Powerpoint could be used productively in the classroom. Since I had not previously used it, and had always envisioned the bullet points, it seemed that there were quicker ways to construct a summary. But in using text boxes and constructing a nonlinear presentation, I see that this program can be used in a less simplified manner.
The comments have given me some ideas as well. michellez and gbavido mentioned the benefit of using PP for visual learners. Nataliec mentioned the engagement factor for students. I am always looking for ways to generate enthusiasm, and I think that they would like this. Chris mentioned his horrific handwriting. I still use transparencies, and my handwriting seems to get worse every year. The students would have a much easier time reading a pp in my class.
On the other hand, pp is still time consuming, as colleenr points out. The content of pp for a student project would have to justify the use of time. There is also the accessibility factor. I am not set up to give pp presentations in my classroom (I have no multimedia projector) and a significant portion of my students do not have access to computers at home.
Overall, I think that pp can be a useful tool, depending on the content of the presentation. I will probably try it next year.
I think that sometimes the subjects teachers assign students to use PowerPoint for can be more effective with essays and papers. Also to me, a captivating and creative digital movie using passages from the essay demonstrates the creative process better. A program like Photo story 3 which caters to that option is really easy to use and probably takes just as much to time to put together as a PowerPoint. After trying out the new interactive PowerPoint as well as Photo story 3, I could see how much more engaging and fun it could be for students than the standard version, regardless of its novelty.
Interactive PowerPoint is an excellent way for students to review for exams in class, or at home if posted on a classroom website. I do think that it could be a little tricky and convoluted for using it to present subject matter in front of an audience if there are lots of links involved. Once again, I wouldn’t rule out the standard or innovative PowerPoint for classroom presentations. I think that PowerPoint, if done responsibly, can really help an inexperienced speaker with their presentation skills
Post a Comment