PowerPoint Presentations
What do you think of PowerPoint presentations? I found that they have been over used.
Hi Anne-Patricia,
PowerPoint presentations are like any other form of delivery, they have to be well done and not over used. They can't be the only form used or the student will turn off to them. I used every form ranging from lectures to small groups and everything in between. The key is variety.
Gary
When I taught Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC), the PowerPoint Presentations were available to default, and we have to use them as parts of the teaching/learning experience.
Now, I do not use PowerPoint presentations, but rather use the time for other presentations, such as out of the material lab work, etc.
Hi Robin,
I do not like many of the publisher provided Power Points as they do not fit my approach to teaching certain content. I think PP presentations have a place to play in the instructional process if they are developed and used properly. Example, I have the key words for one of my courses on a PP presentation, that is programmed to give the word and then the definition. The word is on the screen for 5 seconds and the definition for 15. As the class is getting settled into their work stations I run the PP. They can look up see the words and their definitions. It is an easy way to teach key words. I also use the PP for playing Jeopardy in my classes to teach common concepts.
Just some ideas you may find helpful.
Gary
Hi Anne,
Like Robin, powerpoint slides are provided in the Microsoft Official Curriculum, and I find them to be a great time saver as opposed to generating them yourself. But, here again, care must be taken that they are relevant, most of all that promote learning with your audience, I have found many times that certain audiences would be better served by some of the other techniques, such as tactile learning, or trial and error. Sometime the slides while being professionally generated, will lock you in a sequence that will not allow time for anything else, depending on the time you have. These days I rather have the lights on, and get my students engaged in practice inmediatly after exposing a concept, since the labs can be time consuming.
Andrés
Hi Andres,
Well said. Any form of presentation and/or technology has to be used in a manner that is supportive. Being creative is the fun part about teaching, meaning we can take things like a standard PP presentation and modify it for our use, test the results and then try something else. Our job is not boring that is for sure.
Gary
Hi Anne,
I agree with Andres, but in addition to tactile you can set up ppt's with your own slides that have some humor in them. Add music, look to third party software to dress it up, and don't be afraid to include video in the slide show as well.
Remember, your students have a finite attention span and in addition to being an educator, you are also an entertainer, like an edu-tainer.
Robert
To me Powerpoint Presentation is a must. It keeps the whole class informed about the subject you are talking about. Also they are partucularly handy when the subject is complex. having students visually focused is a plus.
I agree that any form of presentation has to be used in a manner that is supportive. I find I need to develop my own power point in order to coincide effectively with the course material being taught. Ready made PP seems like a dry outline most of the time. An occasional humorous slide can help.
Hi Christine,
This has been my experience as well. Using textbook supplied PPs has never really fit into my classes. They are not presented in my teaching style for the most part. I take the points and customize how I want them presented within my own PP. I say a big YES, to the occasional humorous slide. The students like them and they break the flow of content in a way that lets the student catch their breaths and then come back to the content at hand.
Gary
I agree with you Dr. Gary,
Power point presentations are like any other form of delivery, they have to be well done and not over used. I would like to add that I really appreciate what power point can do to our lecture quality and significantly increase our flexibility.
I also hope the author of these CD ROMs do more to enhance their PP quality in the future so we can use them more often.
Hi Abdul,
I support your comments about the CD ROMs and the quality of PPs. I am very disappointed in their quality and find I have to make up my own to make the same points that the commerical ones are making. I find I can do a better job of breaking down the information and sharing it with my students.
Gary
PowerPoint is a great tool but can be overused and/or done poorly. Many PowerPoint presentations are over the top and are too busy so the content is lost.
Keep it simple is the best way to go - not too many transitions, colors, etc.
Thanks,
Schawn Pedersen
PowerPoint is a great tool but can be overused and/or done poorly. Many PowerPoint presentations are over the top and are too busy so the content is lost.
Keep it simple is the best way to go - not too many transitions, colors, etc.
Thanks,
Schawn Pedersen
Hi Schawn,
Well said. PP presentations should use the 30-20-10 rule. 30 point type, no more than 20 minutes in length without an activity, and no more than 10 slides per thought or concept.
Gary
Hi Anne,
I find that after I have discussed each key point of the presentation, I will discuss experinces and/or elaborate on the information. This keeps the students focused and not just reading along. I find PowerPoint helpful to keep me on track and focused on the information need to be learned as well.
Power Point presentations can be a fantastic tool if used properly. I started teaching using overhead projectors with transparencies and I don't miss those days.
I try and keep the slides simple without too many features so the presentation is easy on the eyes. I also use it for key points only.
I find myself turning the presentation off a lot during the lecture and using a white board to convey some difficult concepts.
I agree the key is mixing things up. Death by power point is no fun for anyone.
I believe many have abused PowerPoint presentations -- using it as an alternative to lecturing. When used correctly, PowerPoint can enhance the learning experience. PowerPoint is a good learning tool to provide students with a visual presentation of the lecture material.
I provide my students a copy of the PowerPoint presentation prior to lecture so they may review the material to be covered and have an idea of what is to be lectured.
Textbooks tend to give students extensive amounts of information, which is great when you are trying to understand a complex concept. I find that providing students with a PowerPoint handout allows them to focus on the information at hand in a more practical manner.
My students read the PowerPoint presentation prior to lecture in addition to their textbook readings. When they are in lecture, I refer to the PowerPoint for reference so my students are not frantically writing every word I say.
In addition to the PowerPoint, I still use the whiteboard to address specific student questions. I refer to textbook figures in my PowerPoint presentation, but then will still take time to draw diagrams on the board for my students.
As I am using the Power Point Presentation I am continuously referring them to the page in their texbook. This helps to keep their attention and interest because they are highlighting and making additional notes.
Hi Mirwais,
You use a very good blend of media to present your materials. With this blending method you are enabling all of your students to have their learning preferences touched upon at one time or another throughout a course.
Gary
