Power-less PowerPoint Presentations...

Are PowerPoints effective in the classroom, are they a distraction, or are they just plain boring? After reading the article “Scoring Power Points” by Jamie McKenzie about PowerPointlessness, I realized more and more how important it is for teachers to be innovative. Sometimes we forget that making a PowerPoint presentation isn’t creative, interactive or fun, it’s the creativity involved which makes the presentations that make it different. If there is no creativity, interaction or fun involved, presentations are just like writing on the board only there are typed bullet points rather than chalk marks.

It is great to integrate technology in the classroom. Students need things to keep them motivated and excited about learning. They may lose focus quickly. What may work one day may not work the next; what may work for some students may not work for others. This is why creativity and effective speaking is so important.
Sometimes too much emphasis on making a PowerPoint appealing may lead to too much animation. When there are too many things going on during a presentation, students could become distracted.

Jamie McKenzie provided many points on how to make a PowerPoint presentation effective, and not “pointless”. Here are a few of the points mentioned: maintain depth, provide sufficient evidence, supplement slides with text and data, consider the audience, eliminate distractions, select powerful images, deliver dramatically, maintain eye contact, avoid reading off the slides, deliver sincere beliefs, and the list goes on. It’s actually quite interesting to see how similar different subjects of studies are, especially when relating to effective presentations. Jamie McKenzie pointed out many great points about how to make a PowerPoint presentation effective, and not “pointless”.
All of these are great tips for communicating effectively. It’s only adding extra aide when incorporating technology like PowerPoint presentations while teaching in a classroom. In my opinion, PowerPoint presentations are like icing on the cake. They add flavor and creativity to one’s teaching. When done correctly, students could really enjoy lessons when engaged with the teacher while they’re presenting.

Sometimes it feels great to know that there are many ways in which we can instruct a classroom with technology and creativity, however I also feel overwhelmed with the pressure to make every lesson “perfect”, whether it’s doing science experiments, research activities, or PowerPoint presentations. I’m not the best speaker and presenter. After reading this article, I realize even more where I need to improve. I believe teachers are to be role models for their students. If students are to learn to be great presenters and effective speakers, so should we! Teachers never stop learning.