PowerPoint in Education

Technology is useful in the classroom. There are many implementations, some of which work and some of which do not. The most important thing to remember is that the instructor is aiming to deliver information as efficiently as possible. PowerPoint (ppt) has become a standard in college classrooms as well as high school classes. I haven't been to an elementary school or middle school classroom in a long time, but I imagine there are cases where teachers use PowerPoint there as well. Now, we've taken on this idea that PowerPoint is how you present in any circumstance.

The professors at my school consistently use ppt for their lectures. This seems more like the "cop-out" method of teaching a class. I imagine that the professor takes their lecture notes, puts them in ppt form, then creates a few examples to illustrate their concepts as preparation for their class. I'm tired of professors reading from ppt. The presentation is only an aid in how you lecture. If I can learn everything from reading the PowerPoint, why do I need that professor to lecture me?

Reflecting on these ideas has led me to investigate which circumstances lead me to learn the best in a lecture setting. I now realize that this is an indispensable piece of information that will help my learning immensely.

Alternatives

I've established I hate PowerPoint, but then what else is there? I have been watching lectures on MIT's OpenCourseWare site, and each of the professors uses a piece of chalk. Along with this, the CS professors will use one screen to display the output and code that they might be demoing for that lecture. However, there is no PowerPoint.

When I say a piece of chalk, I mean a damn piece of chalk. The only chalk I have seen teachers use is that dinky chalk that is thin and creates the scraping sound on the board if you don't hold it at precisely 72.3 degrees in respect to the board. The chalk I see used is thick and soft to write with.

Crap chalk vs. awesome chalk

Using a chalkboard is a valuable way to teach. There is a lot of interactivity that happens when you write on a board and explain things through process, rather than throwing information at a student through a PowerPoint. As a note taker, it is immensely easier to follow along and not let the notes become overbearing. Because the professor is limited as to how much she can write down, she only writes down the important headings, ideas, theorems, etc.

The most fascinating lecture technique I have discovered is to lecture as if you're telling a story. Information should follow a natural course during the lecture. The ppt can either aid your story or hinder it. PowerPoints often follow a normal style: heading on top, followed by bullets listing the related definitions and ideas. This organization does not allow for information to flow as naturally. Most often, one piece of information leads to another, and that concept is more enabled when using a blackboard. A good ppt will have very few words that build ideas which lead into each other. This is important for note takers and those who learn like me.

Lastly, if you're a professor who needs to show code, you don't need a PowerPoint to do that. In fact, it's beneficial to watch a professor enter in code, write tests, and debug in class. It simulates what we do as programmers since we don't get it correct the first time.

I feel like I'm getting to this one a little late, but it's a concern I'm ready to voice.