From: Fornaciari, Dr. Charles [mailto:
cfornaci@fgcu.edu]
Hi Everyone,
I've been following the PowerPoint conversation with quite a bit of interest
and believe that a number of excellent points have been made concerning its
use as a pedagogical tool. It's given me a lot to think about and I
particularly think that William makes an excellent point concerning the type
of material that we should consider placing on a PowerPoint slide. For items
like graphs and charts, PowerPoint is often unbeatble while for simple lists
it can put even the most attentive student to sleep. At my university we
call it the "click-thud effect": click, the lights go out, thud, the
students' heads hit the desks.
I think another issue that I have rarely seen examined is rhythm of the
classroom and PowerPoint's rule in enhancing or detracting from the rhythm.
Further, all classroom time can be broken down into two components: time
where learning is taking place and time where it is not, and I've always
sought ways to maximize the learning time.
Most of us know the basics for maximizing learning time through techniques
like showing up to class 5 minutes early and taking attendance as students
show up. PowerPoint, and most technology, can be some of the most effective
killers of learning time and rhythm if not used properly--unfortunately some
of that is within our control and some of it is not. For example, at my
university, most classrooms are equiped with a teaching podium that is often
placed into the front corner of the class. To change the PowerPoint slides,
you have to walk behind the podium to access the keyboard. Besides the fact
that there is now a BIG bulk podium separating the professor from the
student, it is generally not the place that any teacher would choose to
stand to conduct a class. So, if we're going to teach a PowerPoint enabled
class, the rhythm becomes: talk, walk to podium (while putting our backs to
students and probably not speaking or speaking to a wall), look down at
keyboard, change slide, look up at monitor in podium to make sure it worked
(still not making eye contact with students) walk back to front and center,
talk, walk back to podium. In the process of a 1 hour course that winds up
with a LOT of down time and a very fragmented discussion rhythm.
Of course, one of our more common results is that many faculty often stay
behind the podium for the entire class (with all of the psychological
implications of a large physical barrier between the professor and the
student). Many of us would like to use an infrared mouse, but at our
university they are unreliable at best and you still have to be in a certain
physical position to use it: "Wait, hold on a second, the mouse will change
the slide. Oppss! It went forward 3 slides. Hold on a second while I try to
move it back. One slide back. Two slides. Come on, one more slide. Ah, there
it is. Okay, now what was I saying?" The net result in the above example is
that not only have we destroyed the rhythm of the class discussion, but
we've also created a lot of non-learning time (downtime).
I've been through a number of training seminars as a teacher over the years,
including receiving quite a bit of instruction as a technical trainer. I'm
still surprised at how little we consider learning time and rhythm in the
classroom. Adding PowerPoint and any other technology to the classroom makes
the issue all the more critical, IMO. My example above is only one way in
which technology interacts with our learning time and rhythm (I can think of
many others: "I have this great Web site that will illustrate this point,
but it appears to be down right now"; until recently we had to completely
turn out the lights in the classroom order for the PowerPoint presentations
to be visible--classes in the dark!), but I guess my intended contribution
to this thread would simply be to suggest that these items become part of
our thinking when we begin to consider adding any new technology to a
classroom session.
Have a good one,
Charles
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Charles Fornaciari, Ph.D., MCP, MCT Department of Management
Assistant Professor of Management College of Business
(941) 590-7384 Florida Gulf Coast University
E-mail:
cfornaci@fgcu.edu 10501 FGCU Blvd. South
http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/cfornaci Ft. Myers, FL 33965-6565
"He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars. General
Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer. " William Blake