Universities Should Ban Powerpoint

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Messdiener, Mar 24, 2016.

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  1. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

  2. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I've seen my share of terrible PowerPoint presentations, and I've also seen my share of terrible articles. Like this one. This article is bad. Really bad. Badfully bad. Bad.

    Alright- let's go!!

    No they don't. They allow the audience to see some form of your lecture notes. You do use lecture notes, right? Do notes discourage complex thinking?

    Wow, these Slides sure are bullies, aren't they? To think, all you want to do is teach and you have these menacing Slides pressuring you to do things that don't want to do.

    If you're incapable of simplifying a complex issue for the purpose of a presentation, then how is it anyone's fault but yours? Maybe you should stop being to harsh on Slides and start scrutinizing your own understanding of the lessons you are giving.

    So?

    This is a problem with the current generation of students, not with PowerPoint. What do you think the students will complain about when you stop using PowerPoint. Something else, that's what. It doesn't matter what it is, they will complain about it. However, most likely, they will complain that you are not using PowerPoint.

    So, again, Slides are bullies and millennials are babies.

    :irked:

    Interesting topic. Bad article.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 24, 2016
  3. expat_eric

    expat_eric New Member

    This was an interesting read. I think Power Point can be a very useful tool when talking about any topic. One thing I agree with the author about is that people just reading slides is not very effective. I can read a slide as well as they can. I prefer the slide to have charts, pictures or graphs and then have them talked around. I find I learn more that way.
     
  4. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Profs droning from PPT slides remind me of Ben Stein from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and his "Anyone, anyone?"
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  6. Tim D

    Tim D Member

    I think the article was to vague. Part of what is at issue here is that many textbooks have these generic PowerPoint slides. I believe they are often used because they are easy( In the old days professors used over heads too but not as the main focal point of the lecture). Now it is used to teach from by too many people.
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    PowerPoint is merely a tool. Boring professors were boring long before its introduction. They just had to clap the erasers afterwards.
     
  8. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I look at PowerPoint as any other tool; it can be very effective when used properly, but can be counterproductive when overused.

    I recently went to a training session where the Day 3 speaker was an expert on police suicide. He had the entire day, before & after lunch, so he had the floor for about 6 1/2 hours. His PowerPoint presentation had *maybe* 8-10 slides, which he only used as an introduction and to highlight his talking points. The rest of the time, he spoke extemporaneously, and everyone was riveted to his every word.
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    One time I was to give a talk, and when I got there technical problems stopped me from being able to show my slides. Fortunately I was able to give the same talk I would have otherwise. I was really glad that day that I'm not a slide reader!
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I took a seminar at the JFK School at Harvard one year. About 140 hours of instruction. Just one PowerPoint presentation that really wasn't; it was instead a set of slides one of the facilitators pulled from something else to show us something unanticipated. Maybe 15 minutes, and he cut it off when the conversation (as usual) got intense.

    You know that white binder you get at the end of a training session? Ours was tiny.
     
  11. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    My students complained because I didn't use PowerPoint. They also wanted slides uploaded to our learning management system. Basically, they just didn't want to take notes and were spoiled by other instructors.
     
  12. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    I like PowerPoint! But like any methodology, it should be used constructively.
     
  13. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    During my student days and my career field days presentations have evolved from chalkboard to vugraphs* to PowerPoint. The chalkboard, while slow, at least enabled me to grasp the engineering and math material being presented and provide time to for note-taking.
    However PowerPoint enabled illustrations and videos to be included thus enhancing presentations.
    Such presentations never preempted the reading of textbooks.

    [*I recall making vugraphs using lettraset (rub-on letter transfers) which was time consuming and boring.]
     
  14. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I'll see if I can find a name, but back in 2009ish, I watched a youtube A&P lecture series from an older female professor who was a total ROCK STAR. I remember she had a brain in a box...but anyway, the point is that students got ZERO handouts and ZERO powerpoints. 100% of what she taught went on the CHALKboard. Students copied their notes. I'll also add that she wrote in cursive, which I'm sure freaked out a good portion of the non-cursive writing class. I admire people who know what works and don't compromise just because something is considered new.

    EDIT: Marion Diamond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9WtBRNydso&list=PLA4BCBFB104AF8055
     

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