PowerPoint is Evil! Muhahahaha!

Although somewhat melodramatic, Edward Tufte makes some pretty solid points regarding the overuse, and probably misuse, of PowerPoint in corporations and schools.  I had never thought of it like this, but Mr. Tufte points out that through the use of fragmented slides in PowerPoint, we are teaching the Youth of America how to “formulate client pitches and infomercials”.  Although this may actually be useful to help them make some money, it’s probably not effective in teaching them how to write a report or story, or even string together coherent thoughts.  The most important point Mr. Tufte makes though is that “rather than supplementing a presentation, it has become a substitute”, which I think is extremely accurate.  I don’t think PowerPoint is a bad thing, it can be really useful and effective, but it needs to supplement what is being said, not actually “be” what is being said.  I’m just as guilty of this as the next person, but as they say, “The acknowledgement of our weakness is the first step in repairing our loss." (Thomas Kempis)