Powerpoint is Evil

**In a 2003 article, "PowerPoint is Evil" (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/pp12.html Edward Tufte says that the PowerPoint style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes contents. Thus Powerpoint presentations often resemble a school play-very loud, very slow, and very simple.

      This is not the first time I've heard that powerpoints are more or less useful. I've been in presentations in which the presenter used a powerpoint and I've felt like it was a complete waste of my time. I always felt that I could just read the slides on my own if he/she is reading directly from them. Many times I am wondering how many more slides are there until the end. I guess I am saying a powerpoint presentation has never made me smarter.

However, with that being said, I have used powerpoint presentations in my class. I thought somehow this would interest the students more. I always made it colorful and visually appealing. It was something new for them to get them motivated. Although I think it doesn't help as much in seminars or professional developments, I find it useful in the classroom. I am able to present the material to the students as I walk around the classroom to keep students on task. That beats staying at the board with my back turned anyday. I like using powerpoints with my students, yet not when they are used for something I am attending.

What about Technology?

**In Sherry Tucker's latest book, Alone Together:Why We Expect More From Technology: Why We Expect More From TEchnology and Less From Each Othe (2011), she says that "technology is changing how people relate to one another and construct their own inner lives" and people are making "convenience and control a prority while diminishing the expectations we have of other human beings". (See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/books/22book.html) Turkel's argument is that the virtual life made possible by technology tools is changing our "real"lives in fundamental ways. What evidence can you present that we relate to each other differently because of our techology tools?

        As I think about myself and those around me, I can definitely see how humans relate to each other differently because of technology. Every day we see people risking their lives to be one on their cell phone. Think about all the people driving and texting. Can we let that text sit unread until we park? I also witnessed a group of adults "having coffee" but were on their cell phones the entire time. Sometimes I would rather text someone than to call them. We are able to hide emotion from text. You won't know I am crying if I text you, however if we are on the phone you can definitely hear the tremble in my voice. Sometimes it is just easier to text. 

We can also use the iBot vacuum cleaner as an example. We can watch this robot clean our house. I know my grandmother would have loved that back in the day. Another example is how we can control the safety of our homes through our cellphones. We are able to make sure our home is safe before entering or control the temperature of our homes.

Technology is definitely changing how things are done and will continue to change society.