From the course: Redefining PowerPoint in the College Classroom

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PowerPoint as a discussion generator

PowerPoint as a discussion generator

From the course: Redefining PowerPoint in the College Classroom

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PowerPoint as a discussion generator

- [Instructor] Some critics to PowerPoint argue that in a college setting, PowerPoint shuts off discussion, locking in progression of a class period along a predetermined track. This might be particularly legitimate in smaller seminar based sections, which rely on interactive learning as their pedagogy. And if the professor is using PowerPoint like a teleprompter, merely reading their lecture from bulleted slides, these arguments seem legitimate. But if reimagined, PowerPoint can also focus and enhance class discussion. Here are a few alternative ways of imagining slides in this use case. First, rather than thinking about slides as an accompaniment to lecture, think of them as anchor points for a discussion. Displaying a discussion topic on a slide along with a few critical points of context or detail can help give students a common set of facts or variables, which can keep discussion from veering off into the weeds. Furthermore, having several slides of preloaded content can help…

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