Hey, I'm Alex.
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Contributed by Alex Guichet
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Why prezi is terrible.
Also called: How our schools are failing.In my anatomy class, we're using prezi (instead of powerpoint) to present a drug presentation. And, well, it just plain sucks. This isn't education. From a massive facebook comment I left on one of my statuses:Prezi simply hides the fact that you can't present. If you can't present your topic in an interesting and effective way, why the fuck do you deserve my attention?
Sure, it's flashy. Yeah, it's an attention grabber. But the key thing is, it's not all the nice animations that you're learning. The exact movement of that 45 degree swipe and 2x zoom is not going to be on the test, or reviewed at the next board meeting.
This is where Mater Dei and EVERY OTHER SCHOOL FAILS. They're not teaching us to be the communicators. They're teaching us to let the computers do the work for this. I don't like that.
I'd much rather listen who knows their shit than listen to someone who is reading off their slide deck. Their own language, body expression, and well, EVERYTHING much better. Much more captivating.
Take Mrs. Anderson for example. She teaches everything twice. When she takes her time standing in the front of the class teaching with no powerpoint, she is amazing. captivating. brilliant. I learn a lot just by watching. But when she opens up her deck, I fall asleep. If I try to pay attention, I won't learn as much.
In the end, your slide deck should accentuate what *YOU* have to say, what *YOU* have to teach, what knowledge *YOU* have to impart.
After all, when all of your data is on the screen, what are YOU really teaching?
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Alex Guichet's Posterous
Hey, I'm Alex.
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What essentially happens is that students are able to zone out since they are just basically copying down information without really comprehending it. While the teacher thinks that their lesson is effective because the class is quiet and everyone is focused on the projector screen.
In my opinion, such a scenario isn't teaching, and it certainly isn't learning, all it is, is condensing a bunch of difficult information into a flashy presentation, and throwing it at the students without any real explanation of how to apply it or comprehend it. In other words, today's modern sideshow presentation is a crutch for students and teachers to give presentations. I mean really, all a slide show presentation is, is copying data from another source and putting it into the presentation. Hell, the person giving the presentation doesn't even have to understand the presentation as long as they can read off bullet points.
There's really just nothing better than a good old fashioned lecture. No notes, no "visual aids" just a teacher explaining the concepts while the class listens attentively and tries to comprehend what is being presented. That right their is teaching, because it requires absolute captivation of the class, and a sound understanding of the subject material in order to be effective.
To be honest, the only teacher who I think has ever used power point the right way is Mr. Viau. He lets the information present itself, but he uses the presentation more so as a guideline to present what he wants to say to the class.
Oh, and if it makes you feel better my Anatomy class isn't much better. My teacher doesn't even stand up when she gives her power points, she just hides behind the computer.