Powerpointlessness

Based on what I read in his article, McKenzie would define powerpointlessness as the use of technology, specifically Power Point, solely for the sake of using technology. He would say that using Power Point and an abundance of visual effects for the sake of having a flashy presentation, rather than using it as an enhancement of the information, is powerpointlessness. Basically, it is the use of effects and technology in place of actual information substance.

I have seen Power Point used poorly, both in professional and academic settings. Most commonly I see slides that try to put up to much information, speakers that rely on their slides to communicate to the audience and essentially read the slides as note cards rather than using them as visual aids, and spelling and/or grammatical errors that are distracting.

I think that in order to teach students to think and communicate thoughtfully with Power Point, we need to provide them with suitable examples of its use and also instruct them in the proper construction of a presentation. We need to be sure that they know the emphasis must remain on the substance rather than the style. The diagram in McKenzie's article lists several ways to teach students to use Power Point (his antidotes for Power Point Poisoning). I think that sharing this diagram and having a clearly defined rubric spelling out what is expected would go far in helping students to develop their Power Point skills. I think that perhaps the most important thing that we can do as instructors is have the students ask themselves, "What purpose does this element serve in my presentation?" Have them evaluate the purpose of their effects and slides. It's okay to have some things that are their to be visually compelling, but if a students' entire presenation is there to "look cool" something is probably amiss. We, as instructors, need to help them find that appropriate balance.