While my graduate classes have afforded me the opportunity to improve my writing skills, learn more about the students I hope to educate, and strategize new ways to teach literature, one of the main skills (and I do consider it a skill) I have mastered is the art of the PowerPoint Presentation. I cannot even begin to count the number of hours I have spent working with this software, google image searching for pictures, and downloading MP3’s to find the perfect song to complete my presentation. Now, several gray hairs and headaches later, I find my beloved PowerPoint criticized in Alsup and Bush’s book But Will it Work With Real Students?.
To be fair, Alsup and Bush do not completely argue against the use of PowerPoint in the classroom. Rather, they argue for an educated and thoughtful use of the software that is aware of why it being used and what it is hoping to accomplish. No one, myself included, can disagree with this point. Obviously instructors should always be cognizant of the objectives they seek to achieve, regardless of what technology they are using.
My arguement is simply that we don’t think that much about it. When teachers hand students a worksheet, give students book work, or use the overheard projector, they aren’t thinking about why that method is the best possible means for conveying the information. If we don’t spend the time analyzing our old school methods of instruction, then why are we holding newer methods up to a higher standard? PowerPoint has obvious advantages, namely that it is different. It breaks the cycle of worksheets and gives our kids something they actually might pay attention to. I’m in total agreement with critically thinking about what method is the most effective for accomplishing your teaching goal. However, if this long hard thinking causes teacher to become overly cautious and fearful of PowerPoint, then our students will suffer.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Ms. Best // Nov 8, 2006 at 5:15 am
I agree with the both of you (Ellen/Aslup and Busch). I am in love with Power Point, but I also think it needs to be used with discretion. “Educated & thoughtful” is just the beginning. I have seen an enormous number of boring Power Point projects that would put my students to sleep. Although they educationally rich I think their lack of creativity and youthful appeal will cause the entire motivation fo teh project (learning) to be lost. You sound like you really knwo how to make a Power Point interesting and influential to a young person’s learning which is necessary and needed. Another point to think about is overuse of Power Point. As you said, teachers should think about “Why?” they are using Power Point, not just to do it out of habit.
2 Angela // Nov 8, 2006 at 11:39 am
Ellen,
I have had my fair share of power point use over the years as well. I feel as though Power Point is just as useful as handouts due to the fact that a teacher can print the information/slides and pass them out to their students. This easy transition between Power Point and handouts makes power point all the better and useful for instructors. I didn’t necessarily agree with Aslup and Busch either. They state, “Students (and teachers) can get so caught up in the fun of using Power Point that they forget why they chose to use it” (Aslup & Busch 2003). I don’t feel that a fun Power Point will necessarily deter students’ learning a lesson plan. I feel it is the teacher’s responsibility to mediate class discussion and activities to make sure the information is being exchanged and learned according to the lesson plan.
3 Michelle Krill // Nov 8, 2006 at 9:02 pm
I’ve heard the anti-ppt comments and they always make me question myself. I think if PowerPoint is used as a tool to deliver interesting, relevant content then there is no issue. PowerPoint can be used as effectively as other delivery methods, and in many cases will be more effective. With teacher training (as it sounds in your case) ppt can continue to be used to create interesting shows for students.