Powerpointlessness

According to Jamie McKenzie's article, Scoring Power Points, (http://www.fno.org/sept00/powerpoints.html#anchor5.2) powerpointless is a term used to describe how useless powerpoints are when students devote more attention to special effects than devoting time to study the issue in depth.

In the article, she brought up how students will develop mentalsoftness.

"Unless we take care to develop the foundations for rigorous independent thought, we risk raising a generation of young people inclined to accept the sound bites, mind bytes, eye candy and mind candy so typical of the new information landscape. There are, after all, millions being spent on marketing to shape the thinking of consumers and citizens. Misinformation and infotainment are rampant, with simple answers to complex questions appearing like the dandelions of spring - bright, appealing, widespread and persistent."

I cannot recall a time where I have witnessed powerpointlessness. As I recall the presentations I watched as an audience member, I remember appreciating the use of powerpoint. It was different. It was cutting. It caught my eye more than a monotonous, note-card presentation. However, I do recall some presentations where the presenter simply read what was on the slide and did not elaborate further into the material.

According to Jamie McKenzie, we can do a number of things to teach studetns to learn to think and communicat thoughtfully with PowerPoint.

1. Emphasize ideas and logic. (Provide sufficient evidence and supplement slides with text.)
2. Design artfully. (Use powerful images, consider who your audience is, avoid being wordy, etc.)
3. Deliver dramatically. (eye contact, avoid reading slides, speak with conviction)

Powerpoint can be an effective tool to communicate with conviction, thouroughness and creativity. Eighty percent of one's time should be spent researching the topic. The other twenty percent should be spent on the presentation. If done in this manner, it will be effective and portray the important elements about a topic.