PowerPoint

= PowerPoint = Cuiling Lu

**Description and Uses of Technology**
PowerPoint is a multimedia-capable presentation tool developed by Microsoft Corporation that was officially released in 1990. The program can be abbreviated as PPT, and is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite. PowerPoint can be run on both the Windows and Mac operating systems. The PowerPoint presentation is usually made up of a series of pages called slides, and those slides can be easily printed out as handouts, outlines, or notes. It offers graphing, outlining, word processing, drawing, and other presentation tools. As a part of the Microsoft Office Suite along with other programs including Word and Excel, PowerPoint also can import files from those programs. PowerPoint provides ease of information organization, as well as ease of sharing, storing, and modifying information. It also can provide a well-organized structure to a lecture or presentation. The program itself is very easy to learn, and it is flexible and easy to modify (Lowry, 1999).

The PowerPoint program can be used in different education settings to meet the needs of learners representing various age groups, coming from diverse cultures, or having different learning abilities (Chien & Smith, 2008). PowerPoint is a very effective tool for lectures in colleges and other levels of schools. By offering a graphical approach to presentations accompanied by oral discussion of the topic, PowerPoint was first used widely in business and then in the educational field. Teachers can embed items such as text, music, picture, video, and audio files in PowerPoint presentations in order to make lectures more interesting (Chien & Smith, 2008). As a matter of fact, more than 90% of the electronic slides now used in teaching are made in the PowerPoint program. The program is considered to be a powerful tool for students’ learning. PowerPoint is more efficient in managing time than writing on a whiteboard or using transparencies (Telg & Irani, 2001).

Important Findings on Student Outcomes
The PowerPoint program’s appearance has changed the traditional methods of instruction at all levels of education. Before PowerPoint was introduced to the educational field, teachers used to use traditional methods of instruction, such as writing on a blackboard or whiteboard, or using an overhead projector or transparencies. After PowerPoint presentation was widely adopted in the classroom, students’ exam performances improved significantly (Lowry, 1999). Students give very positive comments on the usage of PowerPoint in the classroom setting. Students find that teachers’ using PowerPoint presentations as visual aids benefit their learning. In addition, students thought that PowerPoint presentations are more interesting and attention-capturing than the traditional lectures (Bartsch & Cobern, 2003).

PowerPoint encourages students to show greater self-sufficiency and more engagement in the learning process (Susskind, 2005). Students feel that it is easier to understand the materials when a PowerPoint presentation is used. Students are more motivated if the PowerPoint presentation is consistently used in one course. They may use PowerPoint to present their opinions or ideas, which helps to keep students engaged in classroom learning. In this way, students learn to express themselves and work in groups, which is an example of cooperative learning.

PowerPoint presentations may help prevent breaks in students’ attention span in the classroom (Lowry, 1999). As effective visual aids, PowerPoint facilitates learning, particularly for visual learners, and easily captures students’ attention and interest. For younger students, PowerPoint presentation’s visually-oriented features can hold students’ attention well. For older students, it can help students learn to use technology and to develop organizational skills (Telg & Irani, 2001).

PowerPoint is useful in assisting students with learning disabilities (Coleman, 2009). It can help such students to develop computer skills, improve their reading comprehension, and enhance their social communication skills. PowerPoint assists instructors by providing various possibilities for designing specialized instructional and learning materials for students with learning disabilities.

Emerging Trends and Open Issues
Regardless of the positive outcomes of students’ academic work and attitudes, there are certain issues with the usage of the PowerPoint program in the classroom. PowerPoint’s low resolution makes it difficult to display visual aids or informational data with text alone. Teachers may spend too much time on the design or format of the presentations (Lowenthal, 2009). PowerPoint also can be easily overused (Kaminski, 2003). It can be time-consuming and hinder attention. Potentially, the PowerPoint presentation could replace the presenter instead of being a visual aid or reinforcement. In other words, the presenter becomes the PowerPoint’s audio aid. In addition, PowerPoint may fail to deliver the presenter’s message by disconnecting the slides from the presenter’s objectives. PowerPoint potentially discourages complex thinking, reasoning, and writing, and can encourage pointless animation and display (Kaminski, 2003). Teachers and students may form a fixed mindset of using the PowerPoint presentation as well. Teachers may form a habit of relying on PowerPoint to hold students’ attention, which surely will not work every time. By giving instructions with the aid of PowerPoint, students are playing a passive role as recipients of information in the classroom setting.

New active-learning components, which are more student-centered, need to be introduced into PowerPoint instruction. For example, many review games by PowerPoint are used in students’ learning process, such as Jeopardy and Password (Rabinowitz & McKethan, 2010). As other new visual technology tools, such as the Interactive Whiteboard, are widely used in classrooms, there is a trend of integrating PowerPoint with other technology tools for students’ activities or teachers’ lectures (Reedy, 2008).

In conclusion, even though the PowerPoint program has some issues regarding its application in classrooms, it is still a very useful technology tool in the educational field. It provides great visual aids, and helps present ideas or opinions more effectively. It also helps enhance students' presentational and technology skills. Through further development and integration with other technology tools, the PowerPoint program will become more effective in the future and continue to be widely used in various fields.

**References**
Bartscha, Robert A. & Cobern, Kristi M. (2003). //Effectiveness of PowerPoint Presentations in Lectures.// //Computers & Education//. 41, 77–86.

Chien,Yu & Smith,Mariah L. (2008). PowerPoint: Is It An Answer To Interactive Classrooms?. //International Journal of Instructional Media//. Vol. 35, Issue 3.

Coleman, Mari Beth (2009). PowerPoint is not just for Business Presentations and College Lectures: Using PowerPoint to Enhance Instruction for Students with Disabilities. //TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus//. Volume 6, Issue 1.

Kaminski, Steven H. (2003). PowerPoint Presentations: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. //Retrieved from http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/Handouts/powerpoint.htm//.

Lowenthal, P. R. (2009). Improving the design of PowerPoint presentations. //The CU online handbook.// Retrieved from [|//http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/CUOnline/FacultyResources/additionalResources/Handbook/Documents/Chapter_12.pdf//].

Rabinowitz, Kernodle & McKethan Robert N. (2010). The Effective Use of PowerPoint to Facilitate Active Learning. //The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance//. Vol.81, Issue 5.

Reedy, Gabriel B (2008). PowerPoint, Interactive Whiteboards, and the Visual Culture of Technology in Schools. //Technology, Pedagogy and Education//. Vol. 17, No. 2,143–162.

Susskind, Joshua E (2005). PowerPoint’s Power in the Classroom: Enhancing Students’ Self-efficacy and Attitudes. //Computers & Education//. 45, 203–215.

Szaboa, A., & Hastings, N. (2000). UsingIT in the Undergraduate Classroom:Should We Replace the Blackboard withPowerPoint?. //Computers & Education//, 35, 175–187.

Telg, Ricky&Iranni, Tracy (2001). Getting the Most Out of PowerPoint. Retrieved from [|//http://training.ifas.ufl.edu/old/deft/produce/pptart.htm//].

Reviewed By: (Anne Marie Sengillo, Joel Sackenheim)