Powerpoint in the Classroom?

I have become a bit of a crusader against the abuse of powerpoint, esp. in the classroom. What started me off was Edward Tufte's article in Wired Magazine. At the time it resonated with me, yet still, i took the stand that it is just a tool - which could be used well or used poorly. I even wrote a letter to Wired, which was published.

Since talking with students in my classes and reflecting on my own experiences, esp. as an audience member at Powerpoint presentations, I have come to the conclusion that - for the most part, Powerpoint presentations are not effective in classroom lectures. After reading Tufte's complete essay and a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled, When Good Technology Means Bad Teaching, I have become more convinced than ever..

I even bought Tufte's hilarious, though spot on, poster for my office.

Why do I feel this way? Well, I claim few original ideas here, but to summarize...

• turns students into passive observers rather than active participants


• most usages of PowerPoint are speaker oriented not audience oriented


• the teleprompter syndrome where each slide is read


• gratuitous effects which annoy and distract


• the material doesn't unfold - it is just "presented" and the slides are either very thin or very wordy - either way boring or overwhelming


• an academic lecture, is likely to be more complex than a sales presentation, and as such, less easily reducable to bullet points


• students don't like it. I recognize this is not always the criteria, but one of the main reasons given for the use of ed tech is that it engages the student more...


• Powerpoint tends to guide a speaker into a particular style of presenting. I have often seen people, that I consider good speakers, become less engaging when they use PowerPoint.

That powerpoint is not appropriate in the classroom should be a no-brainer, in retrospect. After all, to what degree are the goals of a sales presentation and education aligned? To be sure, i have seen some good presentations using powerpoint. however, most of the time it is not the right tool. as Tufte points out - some tools are simply better than others. And this is not to say that used sparingly, they can't be effective for presenting some visual aids. My suggestions concerning the effective use of PowerPoint are as follows:

• Use sparingly. There is no rule tht says you must use PowerPoint for every lecture or for entire lectures. Use it where it is a beneficial visual aid for the students. I have seen some very effective PowerPoint presentations - presentations that were truly enhanced by the use of the tool. However, the repetition of any presentation technique tends to dull the effect. It is a good strategy in general to vary one's presentation style.


• Remember, a PowerPoint presentation ought to be geared to the listener. It shouldn't be used as a teleprompter, or to plan your presentation


• Keep it simple: Simple graphics, not too wordy and no gratuitous effects.


• A PowerPoint presentation can be useful as a handout, or as an online resource for those that miss a lecture. A few cautions though: having a handout may guide students to be less active listeners and not take notes, as they have the presentation. Secondly, a PowerPoint presentation that is meant to "stand alone" ought be designed differently than one that accompanies a speaker.

I recognize that there are many teachers that love PowerPoint and may have a different perspective than mine - which reflects my own experiences. Do you have any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear them...