That most powerpoint presentations are disastrous is old news; but it's not clear to me that the average non-powerpoint presentation is substantially better. It might be, in that writing legibly on acetate is hard so you naturally draw diagrams instead, whereas diagrams in powerpoint are hard so you naturally write text.
There was an unscientific discussion last tea about how the chalkboard is so much better (we had a tiny bit of empiricism: friend of mine found students liked it much better and rated him more highly at the end of the semester).
I agree, the average is presentation (powerpoint or otherwise) is simply not very good if all the years i have sat in university classes is anything to go by. :)
I think the chalkboard is much like powerpoint, it can be used well and it can be used badly. The presenter needs to be good at using their medium. Sometimes certain things are just better in one medium than in another though. We did this recitation a couple of weeks ago (on flows), that involved drawing graph, after graph, after graph. Would have been nicer with at least partially pre-prepared overheads or something.
For what it is worth, this is the text of an email I exchanged with a friend on the subject.
Gary,
I do not understand that finding and I challenge it. If you have a memory like mine and you tend to drop off like someone I know (in addition to my good self) you need to be able to refer to something visual to find out where the speaker is at.
There are good powerpoint presentations and then there are bad powerpoint presentations. I reckon a simple attactive background and a few bullet points with not significant artwork only makes understanding easier.
There you are, I know more than the scientists - again - and I am modest too.
Bruce
I don't suppose that this really deals with the issue you raise but I don't think we are going to see any decline in Powerpoint presentations as a result of this finding.
Yeah it is hard to take in too much information from just speech alone - particularly if it is technical, cause you have to give it 100% concentration 100% of the time.
Taking this back to primary school.... Trouble for chalkboarders is the moment they turn to the board the kids do cartwheels or thump each other.
And in a case of written presentation without appropriate verbal support, my first grade teacher claimed that we absorbed the alphabet by visual osmosis. It was written as a frame to the blackboard (not chanted, like in the good old days). I learnt to sing it somewhere - maybe from home. The same teacher complained to my mum of having trouble teaching me to read even though I already could. Regarding your generation, thank heaven for Sesame st.
You might be able to recite the alphabet but I can recite multiplication tables up to twelve times!
Here goes 1x1=1, 2x1= 2,..bit left out...12x12=144. and as an added bonus, 13x13=169. But there is more! (like the steak knives) I can probably do it in french too.
See I am not just a pretty face -and I didn't need a power point presentation to prompt me.
PS Should the alphabet recital when sung be .........qrst, uvw, xyz
Comments 9
There was an unscientific discussion last tea about how the chalkboard is so much better (we had a tiny bit of empiricism: friend of mine found students liked it much better and rated him more highly at the end of the semester).
Reply
I think the chalkboard is much like powerpoint, it can be used well and it can be used badly. The presenter needs to be good at using their medium. Sometimes certain things are just better in one medium than in another though. We did this recitation a couple of weeks ago (on flows), that involved drawing graph, after graph, after graph. Would have been nicer with at least partially pre-prepared overheads or something.
Reply
Gary,
I do not understand that finding and I challenge it. If you have a memory like mine and you tend to drop off like someone I know (in addition to my good self) you need to be able to refer to something visual to find out where the speaker is at.
There are good powerpoint presentations and then there are bad powerpoint presentations.
I reckon a simple attactive background and a few bullet points with not significant artwork only makes understanding easier.
There you are, I know more than the scientists - again - and I am modest too.
Bruce
I don't suppose that this really deals with the issue you raise but I don't think we are going to see any decline in Powerpoint presentations as a result of this finding.
Reply
Reply
And in a case of written presentation without appropriate verbal support, my first grade teacher claimed that we absorbed the alphabet by visual osmosis. It was written as a frame to the blackboard (not chanted, like in the good old days). I learnt to sing it somewhere - maybe from home. The same teacher complained to my mum of having trouble teaching me to read even though I already could. Regarding your generation, thank heaven for Sesame st.
Reply
Primary school teachers hated sesame st cause we all said "zee". Oh the horror of learning your alphabet from American tv.
Your first grade teacher sounds loopy.
Reply
Here goes 1x1=1, 2x1= 2,..bit left out...12x12=144. and as an added bonus, 13x13=169.
But there is more! (like the steak knives) I can probably do it in french too.
See I am not just a pretty face -and I didn't need a power point presentation to prompt me.
PS Should the alphabet recital when sung be
.........qrst, uvw, xyz
Reply
Great book. I just want to say what a fantastic thing you are doing! Good luck!
G'night
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