As with any technological tool, PowerPoint can make a lecture awful, but it can also enhance a lecture.
I do a few things: 1. I always print out the PP slides to give to the students (in handout format, three slides per page, double-sided). This gives them room to write extra notes, but also frees them from frantically and laboriously copying the notes I project. 2. I use them to stay on task, but also find them useful when I have a student who may be pulling the lecture astray. (We all have them once in a while.) I just click to the next slide and it pulls attention toward the new topic. 3. I try to use as many of the bells and whistles as I can, such as embedding youtube clips, videos, diagrams, etc., but most importantly, I try to put only a few points on each slide and lecture from there, rather than load the slide up and *just read them.* (Shudder....) Students invariably write in my student evals that they appreciate the PowerPoints. Happily, the Tweet that Michael saw couldn't be from one of my students, since my classes are only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. ;-) Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=14316 or send a blank email to leave-14316-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
