PowerPOINTLESS

After Robin explained the PowerPoint controversy in class yesterday, I reflected on the PowerPoint styles that I have encountered recently and throughout high school. I think I can break it down to a few specific styles:

The frantic copier- Aaaah. Too much text on a slide, not enough time for the pen to busily scratch down every word. How can I decipher what is crucial and what is not when my teacher verbalizes every phrase on the PowerPoint?! Conversely, some of my professors have a tendency to elaborate extensively on a single slide while I lose my place and let go of all hopes of organization.

Technical difficulties- Don't get me wrong, I love my Stat professor. But his constant mumblings over clicking the wrong button or how to work the laser point or flipping back and forth between slides are incredibly distracting. I also love my high school Government teacher. However, his fear of his SmartBoard led to many interruptions during failed attempts at PowerPoints during class.

Slide overload- This inevitably leads to the "time-is-running-out-let-me-skip-six-slides-in-ten-seconds" trick. Class is almost over....the end of the PowerPoint is nowhere in sight! So, why not just fly through each slide? Wrong. Too many slides in the PowerPoint restricts time limits enough at it is. Flipping through the last slides to save time deprives important information from the lesson.

That's just too fancy- I don't understand why people insist on excessive animation on their slides. I don't care if my title slide flies in, flips upside down, bounces, spins, shakes, or changes colors. It just has to be there! Intricate backgrounds detract from the focus on the text on the slides and complicated formats make the slides hard to follow. Sometimes, fancy is fun. Sometimes, fancy is just too much.

...Luckily, I have had teachers who utilize the PowerPoint brilliantly, leading to enhanced learning and an overall better educational experience. Kudos to them. However, those who fail, usually fail miserably. PowerPoints are tools for rhetoric, allowing the presenter to effectively convey their ideas to their peers. Unfortunately, Powerpoints are also weapons for mass confusion.