Microsoft PowerPoint is the New Chalkboard

One of the great advances of instructional technology is the use of PowerPoint as method for imparting knowledge,information and ideas to attentive groups of individuals including students. Most of us can recall, with pain inducing clarity, the struggles we encountered in trying to decipher and record information written on chalkboards by teachers who had created such badly formed letters the chalk cried out in high pitched protest. Worse still were the left handed instructors who naturally wrote from left to right but unintentionally smudged or erased information with their elbow as quickly as it was written.

Using PowerPoint as means for conveying lecture notes removes this issue entirely from the realm of negative classroom experiences most students endure. Many professors, teachers, and instructors make ample use of PowerPoint not only because it renders the issue of bad penmanship mute, but also because it offers a number of significant instructional benefits.

First PowerPoint slides can incorporate illustrations, diagrams, graphics, charts,tables and text. Each slide can be organized to convey complex or simple concepts with artfully arranged information,or data presented in a comprehensible and visually appealing manner well suited for the 80% of students who are visual learners.

A second benefit of PowerPoint is the perpetual life created when anything is stored electronically and posted on a website, blog or public forum. Students who miss the lecture can have access to the notes vis-à-vis a class website or by email. This is quite a significant benefit since it allows students to view and review the lecture in the same manner it was originally presented without the loss of important details or corruption of the content.

A third instructional benefit of PowerPoint is the potential to share information with individuals world wide. Similar to the Randy Pausch Last Lecture slide show, many professors, instructors, and presenters post their PowerPoint slides on the web so that teachers and students from a variety of schools located in various parts of the world are able to benefit from the information posted. This accessibility allows instructors and presenters to serve not only their students and clients but also extend their influence to audiences of millions who exist well beyond the confines of the four corners of the classroom.

A fourth benefit of PowerPoint presentations is the entertainment value. There is something about watching a screen that keeps individuals focused, engaged and entertained by the process. When students or clients are interested in what you have to say they are more likely to remember what was said.

Perhaps the best benefit of PowerPoint is the ease of use. As simple as point, drag, and click,PowerPoint templates make even the most unimaginative person seem like a veritable Picasso. Simple presentation scan be crafted in as little time as it would take to record a row of sums on the chalkboard. Once the presentation has been completed the PowerPoint slides can be stored in an electronic file for later use. Try doing that with information written on a blackboard!

Increasingly,teachers and other educators are using Microsoft PowerPoint as an instructional tool. It is engaging and it leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Concepts are more readily recalled and information presented using PowerPoint leads to greater implementation. This makes PowerPoint a useful tool in industries like medicine, agriculture, education, business, sports and technology where many presentations are aimed at effecting behavioral change.

The effectiveness of PowerPoint as an instructional tool is likely responsible for the movement away from the chalk and chalkboard to the simplicity and versatility of point, drag and click.

Michelle Newlands