Get Your Students Hired
I have found that PowerPoint is overused and keeps the spirit of teaching lost.
It does have its place and a "GREAT" powerpoint presentation with color ,anamations ,videos Etc is great.
I wonder how many use powerpoint everyday just reading from a poor slide that they made or were given, no real energy just line after line oh put me to sleep now.
If this is the only way the teacher delivers the material to their students day after day then they need to learn some other teaching techniques.
Maybe teachers like myself who never use powerpoint are looked upon as boring and weak?
My classes are never boring if anything just the Opposite. I can't say I'll never use powerpoint But for now, I won't keep my class in the dark.
Tasia,
I am not a big fan of textbook PPs for the reasons you state. I have developed my own with activities and discussion components that keep the students focused on the PP content as well as the information being shared.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My experience is that Powerpoint presentations are distracting to both the students and the instructors. Our textbook comes with slides for every chapter but I never use them as they inhibit the ability of the class discussion to grow organically.
I use PowerPoint slides to condense the chapter readings for students to their essential highlights, but I also use them in a more interactive and effective way by introducing practice quiz/test questions that we can go over and discuss together as a class.
I could not agree with you more. Students need to feel more engaged. Although, powerpoint presentations can be a useful tool if they are used strategically. Essentially, a powerpoint slide should be used as an outline for the instructor. After creating an outline, then the instructor should elaborate more and incorporate the more traditional lecturing style as well.
Hi Jessica,
Good instructional formatting. This is what it takes to deliver content in such a way that keeps students engaged and focused on the learning opportunities in the course.
Gary
It's true that a bad powerpoint presentation is completely ineffective. I usually use a typed outline (with blanks for the students to fill in as we go if time allows). I write and draw on the marker board as much as possible, and I use powerpoint slides that only contain images, figures, or videos with titles. I use a white background in my slides so that I do not need to turn off all the lights in the room (usually only a few to dim the room a bit), and I never put content in text on a slide.
Hi Nekesia,
This is a fun project for students to do. In may classes I am always amazed at how creative the students are in their use of graphics and different media in their PP presentations.
Gary
I strongly agree! I have never been big on using powerpoints in my lecture but my students are required to do and present a powerpoint as a project in my class and they love it.
In our A & P course power points are used, but in an effective way. They are used as an outline and provide a visual in which the instructor can then expand on the topic. We don't just read from the power point.
It depends on the subject matter taught. Powerpoints provide a great visual aid to adress certain topics. It provides an outline of the subject matter that needs to be taught. It's like a lesson plan that the students could see as well as providing direction for the topics that need to be covered from the instructor.