PowerPoint as a Mindtool

As I sit and listen to my administrator process through the second PowerPoint of the morning, I can't help but think of the article "PowerPoint is Evil". Here I am at a professional development session being lectured about how we need to take an interactive approach to engaging our students, all the while watching a linear, traditional PowerPoint. Boring! The wheels start turning and I begin to imagine what it is like to be a student, watching PowerPoint after PowerPoint...and I can see how PowerPoint can be evil, but it doesn't have to be. It has the potential to be so much more.

Ever since I read the article my perception of PowerPoint has changed. I never used to question its effectiveness and I assumed because everyone used it, that it was great. Don't get me wrong, I see the value in PowerPoint, however recently I have begun to can see how not to utilize it. Creating a nonlinear PowerPoint has helped me see how interesting and engaging PowerPoint can be. The key is to being creative with its use and not just using it as a presentation tool. The students can use it to construct their own understanding of the content. They can embed video, sound, and images. If the PowerPoint is non-linear it could be used as a sort of website or tool to create a portfolio of their work. The possibilities are endless. They key is to be non-linear and think outside of the box. To all the concrete sequential folks this may seem like a nightmare, but I think if we could focus more on the process and less on the presentation that everyone would benefit.