Is PowerPoint Really Evil?
Do you think that using PowerPoint in a classroom is a sufficient way to educate students? Many people are arguing that PowerPoint should not be used by educators within the classroom. Why? Well according to Edward Tufte Magazine, "The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch". However, I do not agree with these opinions.
I think that their are multiple benefits when it comes to using PowerPoint in a classroom. Using PowerPoint is a quick and easy way for students to learn. During lectures students have to listen or take notes on information that is usually too much to take in and learn at once. Whereas in a PowerPoint, students get bits of important information and main ideas which can help them grasp the concept easier. Students also benefit from a PowerPoint because they can engage in various styles of learning which can lead them to collect main ideas from other sources such as textbooks. When making a PowerPoint you can insert pictures which can cause visual impacts. Another important benefit that can come from using PowerPoint is that it helps students want to learn and become more focused. PowerPoint not only provides important information but can also be used to show and compare graphs.
Although I see why people think PowerPoint could cause a negative impact on students, I think that if used correctly it would do no harm. An argument against using PowerPoint in class is that students do not do as much reading during the school day due to the fact that PowerPoint summarizes information. I think that if PowerPoint is the only source of teaching in the classroom, that is when it can become a problem. Children need many different ways of learning to help them stay engaged. No matter if you are teaching them on PowerPoint, or any other source, if you are teaching them correctly along with the correct material, then they will learn from it and succeed.
I don't think power points are evil, I actually think the opposite of them. Like you said, if they are used properly they can be a beneficial learning/teaching tool for both teachers and students. I also think that they can be a visual learning tool for the students that need a visual image to learn and comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI agree that PowerPoint can be both good and bad. Used properly they can help with teaching, but only using PowerPoint presentations limits the entire teaching process.
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