What is the point of PowerPoint in the teaching-learning process ?

Technology and education are the “in” thing today. If you are really with the times, include cloud computing! Every well meaning citizen wants to contribute in some way towards improvement of school education. Just like them, I too am one such citizen – well meaning and wanting to contribute toward this cause. After a relatively long IT career, I switched to elementary education, full time. And like many of my peers I took a deep interest in connecting technology and education. Seven years into the education system, here are my thoughts on one aspect of ICTs/ digital technology and education...... Exploring the point of PowerPoints?

I was a user of the Office presentation software during my IT career. For the first time after seeing it used extensively in the education process I paused to think, why did I ever use a PPT ? (Just like copy machines have become xerox machines in India, so too have office presentations – PPTs). First, to remind myself about what to talk in meetings (You see I have a hopeless memory.) I also found it useful to anchor the audience with short sentences so they could follow my train of thought. I probably could use a white/black board to do the same, but then I have a problem – I can't spell ! Its a learning disability I have had growing up and one which I was conveniently able to get around thanks to technology – i.e. spell checks. Also the infrastructure that supported the use of digital technology was so good, that I never felt the need to put pen on paper. In fact when I decided to become a student again I actually forgot to take a pen for the exam! Now in the education system, while the IT infrastructure is still being built, it's a lot simpler to use paper and pen to get most of the work done. So, after almost fifteen years of keyboarding I was back to using a black board and writing in notebooks. Which actually made me realise my inability to spell (I always blamed it on poor typing skills)!

Now you might be wondering – What has all this got to do with PPTs? Well, in the education sector, this maybe a good tool for teachers and administrators to use while making presentations in meetings and discussions. But this is not where I see it used. Most teachers barely have time for meetings, let alone make presentations for them! It is being used extensively as a teaching-learning resource. I have had teachers telling me “Make a PPT madam and children will understand”. When I ask how children would understand, the most common answer was “because its attractive and can catch their attention.” Now, please think for a moment – What has attraction got to do with understanding and learning? I could walk in happy into a class and narrate an interesting story to catch my students attention. This, actually, has worked a lot better for me. A “good” presentation is one in which there is not too much text, where one is able to convey important points in precise and short sentences or phrases. In contrast, isn't the point of teaching elementary children about describing and elaborating so children can learn ?

There must be a reason why we think technology is going to solve our education woes. Yes, there are several reasons to use technology in education, and I am a huge proponent of it, when used appropriately. As for solving education problems, this discussion may have to wait till I take a walk in the clouds (!) If used effectively digital technology can, at best, be a good aid or resource.

First, it's inevitable that we will need to learn the skills of using technology – Mobiles, computers etc.. because that is the nature of technology. It is usually created to make life more convenient. Eventually as society embraces the technology, it transitions from being a luxury item to a necessity. I have seen many people fight the use of mobiles, but none who have been able to reject it completely. This is perhaps because it is no longer a luxury, and almost a necessity unless one has decided to take sanyas. Second, it is a great/easy/cheap (convenient) way to communicate. We know why the Indian postal system sent out its last telegram on Sunday July 14th 2013. Third, remember I told you I have a lousy memory – so, how did I get the exact date? Simple I used a search engine or “googled” it (yeah, “Search Engine” is one of those generic names that has vanished). Now I don't have to fret about remembering dates and facts, all I need is a simple smart phone. Fourth, I can hear music, see pictures and movies. I can even “talk” to my computer by making my resource dynamic and interactive – i.e. multi media. I can make my desktop into a planetarium or a globe. I can picturise fractions, represent an equation graphically dynamically and much more.

So, what really is the point of powerpoints ? It's usually just short text , sometimes a picture or two and you don't really need to see a movie using it. If a teacher needs to prepare her lessons, she can start with the textbook, search the web for extra information or ideas and select appropriate multi-media when she thinks it is necessary. I already told you it's a useless tool for children to learn. So there is, I think, very little point of using powerpoints!

And so, to all my well meaning friends, there is a shortage of resources especially in the Indian languages, and we need your help. But filling the lacuna with shortened texts is not going to help. Please think outside the slides while you eagerly participate in these processes.