How PowerPoint is Killing Education

I constantly have to remind myself: technology is just a tool.

Educational Leadership published an article last month that highlights this idea as well:

How PowerPoint is Killing Education, Marc Isseks

Photo by michigancommunities

Since it can't be accessed without an account, here are a few highlights:

The Root problem of PowerPoint presentations is not the power or the point, but the presentation. A presentation, but its very nature, is one-sided. The presenter does everything-- gathers information, eliminates extraneous points, and selects the direction and duration of the presentation. The role of the audience is to sit and absorb the information. Yes, they may ask questions, but typically only those queries that directly relate to the slides are deemed worth of responses. What happens to thoughts and ideas that are not part of the presentation? 

The article goes on to discuss this downfall in simply relying upon the dumbed-down, bulleted lists created by teachers for their subject. However, it does present an alternative to the bulleted list:

Remove many bullet points. Class notes should be derived from discovery and discussion, not a predetermined list of facts. Create presentations that are rich with images, videos, political cartoons, diagrams, and maps - presentations that feature questions rather than answers.

Suddenly I'm thinking back to my last PowerPoint presentation, and I'm wondering...how could I make it BETTER? And I don't mean with fancy transitions and sound effects.

No wonder our students want to be spoon-fed, that's what we're doing with PowerPoint. Let's teach our students to think for themselves!