PowerPoint 2.0

Using PowerPoint to Guide Classroom Discussion

PowerPoint has been used for many years to create colorful multimedia presentations for the classroom. As a student, my biggest complaint with my professors who used PowerPoint presentations regularly was the fact that so many of them simply transferred their lecture to slides and read them aloud as we took notes. This was not only boring, but an ineffective use of such a terrific tool.

When I became a teacher a few years later, I promised myself that  I would not put my students through the torture that I endured as an undergrad. My conviction was that PowerPoint slides should illustrate or augment what the teacher is talking about, not repeat it word for word. In my opinion, the only time that a presentation should provide all of the information that a teacher would normally present through lecture, is if the presentation is being used as a Webquest or another type of student-centered learning activity.

Below, I have included an example of what I think is an effective PowerPoint presentation. It was created to discuss the life and career of Jerry Lipka - a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks whose career has been dedicated to his partnership with the Yup'ik Eskimos to develop effective multicultural education strategies that are now employed within the public school system that they attend.




I feel this is a good example of the effective use of PowerPoint because the presentation only offers summary information along with links and graphics that provide good talking points for the instructor to cover while giving students something interesting to contemplate while listening.

To see the full show, you'll just need to click on the thumbnail of the presentation.