Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Power Point
I remember when classes where conducted by using chalk and a blackboard (I guess I am dating myself there) and how visually unappealing the lessons were. Power Point on the other hand has helped us bring to life lessons and concepts that otherwise would be dull and boring. I personally believe Power Point is a great visual tool that can be used to convey a message in an exciting way with the use of sounds, videos, hyperlinks, pictures, and other eye-catching visual aids. Nevertheless, I can’t help but to think of my personal experience in some classes where the instructor has used Power Point to present material, making the atmosphere of the class not conducive of learning since we –the students- are expected to simply sit, listen and take notes rather that speak to our peers or instructor and engage in a meaningful conversation. If the teacher using Power Point is not careful, the valuable interaction between the instructor and the student will be lost. Indeed, the presentation in Power Point is better but the teacher’s skills are still more important than the visual method used to deliver the course’s curriculum.
As much as I believe Power Point is a great way to enhance our curriculum, I think that this program also has some negative aspects. I believe that teachers can get stuck into this “just the main idea” factor, and forget that teaching is more than just facts given in bullets. I believe that learning requires looking at an issue from different perspectives; as well as understanding how concepts, ideas and events are interconnected with each other. Needless to say, it will take more than a Power Point presentation to achieve this. Another negative aspect is that if the teacher overuses something like Power Point, the effectiveness of the program can be diminished. If the teacher uses too many slides and with too much information in them, the material can get boring and the attention of the students will be lost. Overall, I believe Power Point is a useful tool that can add and enrich a lesson IF used properly.
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I agree that powerpoint can be both a powerful tool and yet, if overused, students can HATE it. I had this experience my junior year. A teacher used powerpoints and packets every day... We had to read along his slides and fill in blanks in a packet. I remember NOTHING from this course. It is important to know when and how to use it or it can make one of the most boring formats ever.
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ReplyDeleteI agree completely with your assessment about the negatives and the positives of using Power Point software, Ximena. This software is at its most effective when the slide shows are five to ten minutes long, the background of the Power Point and the subject being taught match, and when the teacher uses transitions between each slide. While I believe that teachers who use Power Point, especially if they have access to this technology and the necessary tools needed to show it to students, rely on it too much, I also believe that only with the correct training can this software be effectively used in the classroom.
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