Irish Times article about PowerPoint and teaching

onlyrocknroll

Did anybody see Ferdinand von Prondzynski's article in the IT about teaching without PowerPoint.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/education/2010/0928/1224279816075.html

His argument is that PowerPoint has become an obstacle to good teaching, and there should be a return to teaching without the aid of technology.

I think he raises good points but underestimated the benefit of PowerPoint when used well and sparsely.

pwd

He's beside the point.
Interaction > Presentation (generally).
You can use technology for either.

rainbowtrout

The main problem is that most people don't use it well and sparsely. Once they've discovered how to use it, classes/lectures become 'death by Powerpoint'.

I teach IT and Science and I don't actually use Powerpoint an awful lot, to the point where I resist using it. I found when I did use it that students (particularly the adult education students I teach) took the attitude 'She's using powerpoint, no need to listen really, she'll give us a printout of the notes' They might not have done this consciously, but I find that they are far more attentive when i use an overhead projector or have a discussion etc.

What I do find it useful for is if I want to display photos and pictures eg animal housing in science, internal parts of the computer and label the parts and the class can clearly see what I'm talking about.

Dionysus

rainbowtrout wrote: »

The main problem is that most people don't use it well and sparsely. Once they've discovered how to use it, classes/lectures become 'death by Powerpoint'.

From my own experience I definitely agree with this. The novelty of PowerPoint wore off very quickly. It's superb as an occasional method to teach, used as one of many different methods. Diversity of methods is an important key to successful teaching, in my experience.

run_Forrest_run

I'm not in the teaching or lecturing game myself but from going to college and now in IT one thing I've found with PP presentations is that people overload the slides with way too much text. It's as if the lecturer isn't bothering to explain the information verbally and is relying on the student to try understand it from the text.
Of course the problem with this for the student is that they tend to shut off once they see a slide loaded with lenghty points...that's what I did anyway.

gaeilgebeo

I have to say that using powerpoint has changed the teaching of Irish in our school for the better.

rainbowtrout

gaeilgebeo wrote: »

I have to say that using powerpoint has changed the teaching of Irish in our school for the better.

Cad é an Gaeilge ar PowerPoint?? :pac:

TheDriver

to use powerpoint effectively, you need to have it sparse and good teaching personality with it. Powerpoint suits those slick sales men much better than day to day teaching. Nothing worse than waiting ages for kids to write down stuff from PP, much better writing on the board at same pace they are writing with you so you can keep with them and them with you.

rainbowtrout

TheDriver wrote: »

Nothing worse than waiting ages for kids to write down stuff from PP, much better writing on the board at same pace they are writing with you so you can keep with them and them with you.

Yes, I always feel like I should be doing something while they are writing and I don't want to be explaining something because I know they are not listening as they are intent on getting everything taken down.

it can be useful for the classes that need to be watched liked hawks though.

dambarude

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Cad é an Gaeilge ar PowerPoint?? :pac:

'Cur i láthair Powerpoint' is what's usually used, ie 'powerpoint presentation':D.

Have to agree with what's being said here. Powerpoint can be a really good way of tying different media together, like photos, videos, music and some text, rather than having to go and individually open those files. There's nothing worse than powerpoints that are just blocks of text.

My LC biology teacher used ppts the odd time. It was basically a projected version of her notes (which we had printed in front of us), that she read out. Total waste of time, she didn't even include pictures/diagrams. What's worse is she thought she was the bee's knees showing us how technologically advanced she was. In her case, and in many others, the powerpoint was there just for the sake of it and served no purpose whatsoever.