Most of forget that there is more information then ever. Just think of all the whitepapers and other info that is available on the web. Today a kids need to learn twice as much info as when people finished high school after WWII. So the challenge today is find more effective ways to teach our youth and other people. Powerpoint is a effective way for people to learn and get a good overview.
----- Original Message ---- From: Rick Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Main Discussion List for KPLUG <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 1:22:18 PM Subject: Re: better to give a talk w/ or w/o slides? [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Are PowerPoint slides during tech talks an evolutionary leap for mankind or a > step back? > That depends. Are you specifically asking if 'PowerPoint' slides or just a presentation package form of slide show is beneficial or not? I will leave the merits, or demerits, of Microsoft software to debate by others. The bigger picture concerns the use of presentation packages. I have an interest in cognitive science (CS). In the discipline of CS there are some ideas about how people learn. Most people learn through a visual style and these people find presentation packages very helpful. Assuming the person using the package understands the basics of graphic arts and good communication principles. One of the most disastrous examples of clueless people using PowerPoint is executives who dump a spreadsheet into a PowerPoint presentation and then project it onto an inadequate projection screen in a darkened lunchroom and then ramble on forever, stopping occasionally to try and explain what you would see if you could see 10 point type projected badly onto a movie screen lost among an entire spreadsheet page of too much information on a single screen. If you were the type in school who found charts and diagrams helpful in comprehending new material then you fall in the majority of people who learn through a visual style. On the other hand, the second most popular form of learning is through auditory presentations. If you are the sort who 'watches' television from another room simply by listening to the sound coming from the other room you are probably more auditory than visual. A good communicator knows that visual and auditory covers most of the bases for the majority of people. This is why television replaced radio for the masses in entertainment. If you are in the minority you probably found that learning in school sucked whether it was through charts or lectures. More than likely you fall into the third group which learns through body movement involving large and/or small muscle groups. If you learn more easily by taking something apart with your hands, then you are what is called a 'kinesthetic' learner. If you want to identify a kinesthetic learner watch them while they are concentrating on learning something new. They will more often than not be very focused on what they are doing and will not know that they are sticking the tip of their tongue out between their lips as they concentrate. The tongue is controlled by fine motor control nerves and it helps a kinesthetic person to focus. A good communicator will use visuals. A better communicator will use visuals with sounds or music. And a great communicator will use visuals such as illustrations and charts, sound and music including a voice which is full of inflections and varying tones, and will sweep up the others by having a hands-on workshop where everyone has a chance to put the material into use. Even if there is no chance of having a hands-on workshop a great communicator will make sure there are handouts that a kinesthetic person can hold and relate to during the presentation. Not just a photocopy of the notes but something with weight and texture that the kinesthetic can experience while taking in the visual and auditory. > I tend to think a talk with slides is somehow 'better' but some dissent has > appeared with people claiming PowerPoint is /not/ beneficial. > Perhaps it is more a case of people having disdain for something that they believe everyone knows rather than PowerPoint itself? After all, PowerPoint is a tool that comes with Microsoft Office and has a 'wizard' that will walk you through making a presentation. Anyone can make a presentation using the wizard. Very few people read the manual and even fewer learn what is behind the need for the tool. That makes the difference between owning tools and knowing how to use them. Think of something that you feel very knowledgeable about and are skilled in doing. Now think about how under-appreciated you are by others who do not understand your special knowledge and skills. They say familiarity breeds contempt. Public education fosters this. Lazy people go through public education and they learn ABOUT things. They mistakenly believe that if they have heard about something that makes them capable of doing those things. So, they don't think they are difficult or important if they don't need to do them for themselves. How often do you run into people who hear you are competent in your field and they are not impressed because they have you to turn to if they actually need your services? If on the other hand they needed your services and they could not afford them or could not convince you to provide them then you would be in more demand. It is a two-edged sword. That is why one of the more important functions of clubs and organizations of people with shared knowledge and/or skills is to provide peer support and respect. Rick [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
