PowerPoint : Evil? Or not

In the article “PowerPoint is Evil”, Edward Tufte argues that the ubiquity of PowerPoint and the dominant style of few words in the form of bullet points, which are mostly read aloud, leads to presentations where form is elevated over content, thus degrading the quality and credibility of communication. He also laments the fact that the use of PowerPoint exercises in elementary school and up have largely replaced written reports and essays. He points out that PowerPoint presentations are relentlessly sequential and not well suited to present information side by side for a comparison. However , the conclusion he draws, “ PowerPoint, rather than supplementing a presentation, has been substituted for it”, does not support the thesis of his article. PowerPoint is not evil, rather like alcohol, it is easily misused with disastrous consequences for communication, teaching and learning. In Tom Rodkin's “ PowerPoint is not Evil”, reacts to assertions by some of his colleagues that PowerPoint represents a learning technology that is not very well suited to its task. He shows that much the same arguments could be made about textbooks. Yet we could not imagine school, colleges and universities without them. His arguments center around the fact that learning and teaching technologies are flexible and can be used in a variety of ways, the pedagogical value of technology, rather than being intrinsic, depends on the way it is used. Just like the physical tools available for a project will determine the approach taken in teaching . The author uses entries from the teaching journal of a fictitious professor to demonstrate his point. Most of the examples of PowerPoint are given by the professor are nothing like the typical PowerPoint presentations criticized by Tufte. Rather they support the teaching methods, serving as reminders during exams and group discussions,. Also in the form of handouts and uploaded to class websites they are an aid to learning; printed on overhead transparencies they can be used where modern technology is not as readily available. The conclusion to draw from this article is similar to the conclusion drawn by Tufte. PowerPoint is a competent slide manager, and it depends on the user whether it serves a useful purpose or encourages laziness.