Is There Any Power in The Powerpoint?

"Please make a group of three and pick one of the topic in the module. Tomorrow, we'll have a group presentation..." 

    Have you ever heard those sentences? Of course, that are a saying that we often heard in our classroom in every subject. Even it become a 'favourite proverb' of all lecturer nowadays, don't you agree? Then, when we heard the word presentation, we always assume that it is a 'powerpoint' presentation. While in fact, presentation could be in a poster or even a piece of a4 paper. The issue of technology integration create a presentation stereotyping as a powerpoint presentation.

    We cannot said that powerpoint is useless or ineffective since there are a lot of evidences that support powerpoint as an effective and interactive teaching aid. It makes the teaching learning easier, because the teacher just only click the mouse or remote in their hand and the students who is 'anti-writing' could easily copy the slide after the session. Powerpoint also help the learning process since the powerpoint may provide animation and music.

    All of those things above are something that we already know even well-known in the some of our subject such as Multimedia Production, Technology Language Learning etc. Now, let's put off that usual 'hat' and now let's put a new hat which is a 'critical hat'. Have you ever yawned while your lecturer give their material in powerpoint presentation? Or have you think that it's better to have an activity in spite of sit and look at the powerpoint slide? I think almost all of us feel that both of those question are facts. A study published in the April issue of British Educational Research Journal found that 59 percent of students in a new survey reported that at least half of their lectures were boring, and that PowerPoint was one of the dullest methods they saw. Moreover, based on my 'mini oral research' that i conducted about the most boring event in their university is seminar which is presented by powerpoint presentation by someone that known as a great people called 'professors'.

    Dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, José A. Bowen, challenge his teacher to 'teach naked' which means teaching without computer. He said that he wants to discourage professors from using PowerPoint, because they often lean on the slide-display program as a crutch rather using it as a creative tool. He also contends that class time should be reserved for discussion. "Now the students can download lectures online and find libraries of information on the Web." 

    It doesn't mean that we have to be anti-technology! As a intellectual students, we've to think of the solution isn't it? Ok, now we have find out the weaknesses of powerpoint. Then, when we are think it deeply, we'll find out that the matter in here is not the powerpoint but the presenter/teacher/lecturer itself! The students are bored because of the presenter only read the slide without give any creative activity to encourage the learner motivation. Therefore the most important things are the presenter itself. Too much relying on the powerpoint is not recommended. Thus, Iam personally as prospective english teacher would like to say that instead of become the old-fashioned powerpoint user, let's become the advanced powerpointer to enhance the teaching learning process!

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