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Some of the discussion on this (by the way, John Naughton is a colleague and friend of mine) is reminiscent of Mac users complaining about PCs everywhere. PPT can be used badly like Web pages and every display technology that exists. Equally, it can be used to provide a visually interesting backdrop and prompts for a presenter. Its simple, don't use bullet points and lots of words, use graphics and interesting images to help you get your message across to the audience. Joel Greenberg The Open University -----Original Message----- From: Ian Winship [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 28 January 2003 11:49 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Ban Powerpoint? List members may have seen the recent article in the Observer (http://www.observer.co.uk/business/story/0,6903,872912,00.html) in which John Naughton (journalist and academic) criticised the use of Powerpoint in business - "it reduces [public speaking] to the rhetorical equivalent of painting by numbers - not to mention reading out words and phrases which their audiences can perfectly well read for themselves." He has since pointed to some similar articles: Is PowerPoint the devil? http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5004120.htm (notes use in education) Ban It Now! Friends Don't Let Friends Use PowerPoint http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,9265,00.html and to a Powerpoint version of Lincoln's Gettysburg address as an example of totally inappropriate use: http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/index.htm I guess in this age of increasingly putting Powerpoint lecture outlines in VLEs and on the Web there's a pedagogic issue here about reducing everything, no matter how complex, to bullet points. -------------------------------------------- Ian Winship, Electronic Services Manager Learning Resources, Northumbria University City Campus Library, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST email: [log in to unmask] tel: 0191 227 4150 fax: 0191 227 4563