PowerPointless?

I think that both the article and the NPR news report make good points about the pros and cons of using PowerPoint in the classroom. I agree that it is very easy for PowerPoint to simply become a tool for the teacher or student presentor to use for him or herself when giving a presentation. It is a great way for presentors to organize their thoughts and put together a coherent presentation. However, using PowerPoint this way does not benefit the audience at all. When a presentation is given in this way, it usually consists of a bunch of bored students staring at an excessive amount of slides that do not require the students to really think for themselves and that do not explain the information they are trying to present well. However, PowerPoint can be an effective tool in the classroom if the teacher knows how to use it correctly. PowerPoint can assist teacher and students that have problems organizing information for a presentation. They can also serve as a supplement to what the presentor is already presenting in another format. I think the key to using PowerPoint beneficially is to remember that information cannot simply be presented through lists and abbreviated bulleted points. While information can be organized this way, one cannot think about things in terms of lists. One of the most important parts of learning is seeing how things relate to one another. Therefore, teachers should stay away from presenting material to students just as lists. Secondly, one must always have the audience and the goal of the presentation in mind when creating PowerPoint slides. PowerPoint should always be used as an additional way of presenting information to make the points of the presentation more clear and it should get the audience actively involved so that students' attention does not wander during the presentation.