The Dialogue Question:
Does the use of PowerPoint presentations in class interfere with faculty-student interaction?

YES, the distractions caused by PowerPoint presentations outweigh the benefits.

The lights were dimmed and all attention focused on the images appearing on the screen. Well, maybe not all of the attention. Some of the viewers took advantage of the opportunity to check their text messages, and a couple decided that this would be a good time to exchange notes. But the presenter’s attention was certainly on the screen, as was most of the audience’s, as tidbits of information swooped, bounced, and careened in and out of view. And this was at a conference attended by adults who were naturally interested in the information being presented.

I’m not a technophobe. I believe technology has provided us with tools teachers can use to be more effective in the classroom. I’ll even admit that, occasionally, I have used PowerPoint presentations in the classroom. But I have found that the problems I encountered outweighed the benefits. Rather than building a bridge, PowerPoint presentations become a wall between my students and me.

As soon as the lights are dimmed, my attention goes to the screen. And instead of paying attention to the presentation, too many students start text messaging, whispering to one another, and so on. I do better when I speak directly to the students. We have eye contact, I’m more aware of those who are distracted and can engage them more effectively, and the students who are paying attention are communicating directly to me, not the screen.

Some of my greatest challenges come from trying to wean students away from their dependency on technology and help them learn how to actually socialize. I spend too much time convincing them that being entertained is not always the same as being educated.

* Phil Ray Jack, who has been a part-time writing instructor in community and technical colleges for 15 years, is the first part-time instructor in the state of Washington to be elected president of a union local. He has published papers on teaching in diverse classrooms and other topics.

Dorothy Altman *

PowerPoint presentations do not interfere with faculty-student interactions; they can, in fact, improve communication and enhance learning. One of the most striking examples of the successful use of a PowerPoint presentation has been at Bergen Community College with the development and use of a series of interactive PowerPoint modules on writing the research paper (www.bergen.edu/rpp).

This thoughtfully created series of PowerPoint modules is now an integral part of faculty-student dialogue in teaching the research paper at BCC, and in the many other college and high school classes around the country that have adopted the modules after seeing them demonstrated.

While a professor may, for example, show the class a model works cited page, the use of a dynamic, interactive PowerPoint that has rectangular boxes popping up sequentially with accompanying arrows to point out the “centered title” and “hanging indent” provides a visual that greatly enhances the teaching interaction. Students can also revisit this PowerPoint presentation online to review the modules and follow up on embedded links to Web sites and film clips.

I have also used PowerPoints in literature classes to present historical and cultural context for works and their authors.

* Dorothy Altman, an associate proffesor at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey, is co-director of the college's Honors Program and teaches courses in composition, literature, and creative writing-in the classroom and online. She is a member of the BCC faculty senate.