Comments on: Does PowerPoint Help or Hinder Learning?

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 21:57:58 +0000

I once tried NOT to use PowerPoint slides in my classroom instruction. My students went bananas and demanded that I make the slides available to them. Reminded me of a Pavlov's Dogs experiment…

By: Gloria G.

Gloria G. — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:51:20 +0000

I use PP in my lectures, it gives me the opportunity to incorporate questions regarding the lecture as I go. After one disorder is discussed, I may ask questions on that disorder and it lets me know if the students are listening and following along. I teach nursing at present Med/Surg.

By: Tina K

Tina K — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:10:56 +0000

I use power points for a general outline and then add to it with my lecture. I never just read the power points to them. I also ask them to print them out instead of just having them on their computer. Because I believe in "Muscle Memory".

By: plamonica

plamonica — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:36:00 +0000

The usefulness of PowerPoint depends on how PowerPoint is used. I have seen them all, "screenreaders" to the Pros, sure screenreader presentations are not worth a minute of time but a real pro uses a slide to bring up discussion points and topics of interest. From my point of view, my students can read the screen while I discuss why it says what it says.

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By: Rob Rockhold

Rob Rockhold — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:01:00 +0000

Dr. Weimer:

Regarding Powerpoint use, I am searching for a peer-reviewed reference concluding that reading text material on a Powerpoint slide while an instructor is speaking (essentially rereading the PP text) has been shown to reduce student comprehension of the material.

Are you aware of any such data?

Thanks,
Rob

By: Jerry Henkel-Johnson

Jerry Henkel-Johnson — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 20:53:34 +0000

I agree. Powerpoint, chalkboard, and overhead are often basically the same tool. i.e. a visual display of information. It's just that powerpoint is "prettier" and is a better way to have things organized ahead of time. The topic should not be whether PowerPoint helps or hinders learning, but rather whether visual displays of information help or hinder learning, and how can these displays be used effectively.

By: Joan Kraus

Joan Kraus — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 06:42:54 +0000

This discussion reminds me of the use of video in classrooms when it first became available. Most teachers used it as if it were a movie…turning it on and then grading papers etc while the students watched. (In all fairness, what teacher wanted to stop a movie and take a chance on it breaking or tangling?)

However, when video became available, teachers treated it the same way. When I asked for the remote for our school's VCR, so I could pause it and ask questions, the office said no one had ever asked for it. They had to look around and find it buried in a drawer!

Perhaps Power Point needs a similar modification. Yes, make the slides, but don't put so much information on them that students get lazy. Then print the slides out as a format to help them take notes on the printout itself.

By: Gina Burkart

Gina Burkart — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:25:01 +0000

Kristen–I have used Prezi also. Students love it! As you have mentioned, my students also started using it for their own presentations. I like that it is less linear and more recursive—like learning. I have also had students use Prezi for concept mapping with writing papers and studying.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:43:31 +0000

I use Prezi.com to create my lectures. Much more interactive and eye catching than PP. My students love it and have started using it for other college courses they're taking. I also make sure it's not just me yakking during the whole lecture. There are questions throughout it that I either have the students answer individually in class, sometimes make them get into small groups, or other times have them journal about the topic. I'll often include video or audio clips with in my lecture. I also make sure that my lectures are never over 15 minutes long.

By: ennilady

ennilady — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:06:15 +0000

A few years ago I 'flipped' my PowerPoint lectures into readings. Much of the content remained in point form, so they are a readable version of the content I had been providing in lectures. I have embedded questions in each reading; in class, I review my reading and the textbook reading for that week in the first hour of class (using PowerPoint minimally), and I use the questions as the basis of a discussion. The rest of class time is spent in lab activities in which concepts are applied, with a wrap-up at the end of the week. I have also used Jeopardy-like games to work on terminology and to apply concepts to vignettes. Students LOVE these games, and I get a chance to see how they think as they discuss in their groups what the right answers are. I have really enjoyed the class much more since changing the format — things are less in my control but are a lot more interesting for the students as well as for me. PowerPoint is just a tool — as with any tool, the important thing is how it is used.

By: Gina Burkart

Gina Burkart — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:54:49 +0000

As a learning specialist providing academic support to students and a college professor who has taught college students for 12 years, I relate to much of what Weimer discusses and questions here about PPT. Almost daily, I listen to students who are perplexed about why they are failing tests. When I ask them how they study, 99% of them tell me they print the course PPT slides and recopy or memorize the slides. This is exactly what Weimer fears in her article. Students assume what is on the slides is all they need to learn. After hearing this, I explain how to use the slides and the text together to synthesize, ponder, and predict. I introduce them to Bloom's Taxonomy and show them how to create their own power point of the material and create concept maps by inserting SmartArt into the PPT slides. I also teach them how to predict and write potential test questions to assess themselves. By doing this for each unit,students are essentially creating their own understanding of the material and wrapping themselves around it–as though they might teach it to someone else. Used in the manner, PPT becomes a powerful learning tool. But—students do not use it this way automatically. Most students remain at the level that Weimer feared unless they are redirected. The tune off in class and print slides–believing that is all they need to know for the test. Then, they set out to memorize the slides. Many even substitute the slides for the text.

As a professor, I have used PPT in my classes as a learning tool. Rather than create slides that would be viewed passively–I have asked students to form groups in the classroom and quickly create a power point presentation of the text material that represents the main ideas. In other words, they were to identify the key ideas and represent them in an organized way that conveyed meaning to the rest of the class. Each group was then asked to present their presentation and field questions from classmates. This allowed the entire class to discuss the material and see what other students found to be the main ideas. My role was to help point out the differences, facilitate discussion, and redirect or correct thinking and fill in gagps. It gave me an immediate understanding of what students were understanding or not understanding and what they were perceiving as main ideas. It facilitated active learning–rather than passive. It also required that they come to class prepared. They did not want to come to class and not have anything to contribute–that would be embarrassing and also affect their participation grade. It also taught students how to access material before class. They read and pulled main ideas in attempt to join a larger discussion with an academic community. And in class, they learned how to engage in academic discourse. Isn't this our goal? If so, PPT can become a powerful thinking tool. But, this also requires us to rethink how we teach. We must move away from being the "Sage on the Stage." Thus, the issue is not really PPT but teaching . . .

By: David Thompson

David Thompson — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:16:07 +0000

I wish my learned colleagues would learn to differentiate between the Power Point program itself and the all-too frequent misuse of it by too many lazy presenters. The idea of typing up some bullet-points on a slide and showing it (and maybe even reading it aloud to the audience), then believing you've "presented" the information is, I agree, utter rubbish. I detest listening to presentations like this. The Power Point program, however, has plenty of action and animation features, not to mention possibilities for embedding sounds and videos, which, if used intelligently and imaginatively, can animate a subject, give it dimension, and drive home a point. However, it means that the presenter has to take the trouble to learn how to set the program up ahead of time, an effort which I'm afraid too many of my colleagues are too busy, disinterested, or just plain lazy to do.

By: Gareth Gee

Gareth Gee — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:00:59 +0000

'Bullet points' are for idiots. And Powerpoint, as a method for displaying information and pushing forward learning and understanding, is UTTER RUBBISH. The commentators here who favour its use in classrooms would be well advised to become travelling vacuum cleaner salespeople instead, since PowerPoint's ridiculous built-in 'pitch culture' and almost-content-free format is perfectly suited to that line of work. They would be well advised too to read what Edward R Tufte and the mighty Richard Feynman have had to say about this awful software. A good place to start is http://www.zdnet.com/blog/storage/death-by-powerp…

By: raquel

raquel — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:44:10 +0000

Seriosly , is this a joke!!!!

By: raquel

raquel — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:43:09 +0000

Wow you probably had a large number of students with lower grades. Not many people can learn by listening and looking messy ppt. The class becomes so boring……….. absolute HATE powerpoints. Powerpoints are for lazy professors that doesn't know how to teach.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:30:59 +0000

As a student, i feel that using Powerpoint slides and summarise content is good because you can't expect every student to always be able to fully understand the content straightaway. By including dot points- students can note these down during the lecture, and add any notes they find relevant as the lecturer speaks. Too much information doesn't encourage students to go and review their work because they fall into the trap of rote-learning and spitting out word-for-word, the words on the powerpoint slide. It is also distracting because we're trying to read the slides whilst listening to the lecturer- and we may miss things that are said not on the slides. If slides are kept simple, it forces students to go home, re-listen to the lecture and do their own research to expand on the points. It is also a good tool for summarising content. However the content on the slides should be concise but not too simple…

By: Weekly Reader » Mauricio Luque

Weekly Reader » Mauricio Luque — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 05:21:31 +0000

[...] Does PowerPoint Help or Hinder Learning? “I’ve had some nagging concerns about PowerPoint for some time now. I should be upfront and admit to not using it; when I taught or currently in my presentations. Perhaps that clouds my objectivity. But my worries resurfaced after reading an article in the current issue of Teaching Sociology. I’ll use this post to raise some questions and concerns about the role of PowerPoint both in the classroom and in student learning experiences.” — Maryellen Weimer, Teaching Professor Blog, 8/1/12 [...]

By: Lola Francis

Lola Francis — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:46:33 +0000

I don't have a problem with PowerPoint itself. It just seems odd that since we know that there are so many different types of learning styles and ways to organize information, that we would stick to using a tool that is very limited in these two areas. Why not use an actual timeline tool to make timelines instead of listing the dates of occurance on slides? I think while PowerPoint has its uses, it really doesn't foster a lot of creativity, and more importantly interactivity, as well as some other tools do.

By: milagros suyu

milagros suyu — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:02:52 +0000

Just a few reminders when using powerpoint as a tool in teaching:
1. First , the technicalities of powerpoint preparation should be carefully studied and applied.
2. Never use ppt as your "codigos" in the classroom
3. Maximize the materials you prepare
4. Present your ppt on a big screen, not in your own laptop making them invisible from a distance
5. Don't be paralyzed in cases of brown-out or when your battery becomes low
6. Minimize the number of your ppt.
7. Dont abuse the use of ppt. You and your students might suffer from ppt fatigue
8. Variety in teaching strategies is still the key to effective teaching and learning.
8. Make it a habit that everyday there is something new and interesting activity that they will experience
9. lastly. we should not forget that the best visual aid is still the alive, alert, energetic and always prepared teacher , whose meeting with the students is always anticipated with pleasure