A couple of misconceptions on both sides of this discussion. The first is that listening = understanding is false. Powerpoint is a tool to allow for illustrations to points presented in a lecture… it shouldn’t be used as a tool to present a lecture outline. If the lecture is designed to teach then the powerpoints will serve to illustrate your points.
Second (and this is pointed to Editor B), just because you think you can multitask doesn’t mean you can. I don’t know how many students have come to me not understanding their performance in my class even though they spent a “great deal” of time studying. Whenever we sit down to see what it is that they are doing, it always turns out that they are memorizing factoids believing that they are learning “how things work.” Education isn’t about buzzwords or key points… it’s about understanding and being able to critically analyze information (using the key points) to come to a reasonable answer. It doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, it always boils down to critical analysis.
And here is the crux of the matter… humans have a memory system structure that uses associations… we don’t do well with details. In fact very few individuals actually have photographic memory which deals specifically with details. Our long term memory stores information based on the amount of repitition involved and by using cues (visual, auditory, etc.) To illustrate this point I often ask students if they are capable of driving from campus to the airport without consulting a map. Most say yes. I then ask them if they can give me directions of the same… none can. It’s the visual cues while driving that help us know if we are traveling in the direction we desire.
The same is true for lecture material. If a student is presented an outline, their brains aren’t stimulated and thus do not absorb the material. If the powerpoint is used to create visual cues, then those cues will be used to remind the student of the points being presented. How a student takes notes (either by typing or handwriting) is inconsequential, but a student cruising myspace and missing the lecture (and the cues) will always see their understanding of the material reflected in their grade. Often times the student believes they are capable of dividing their attention between 2 or more items of interest, but often not the least interesting of these will get less attention. Usually the student has to spend time outside of class reteaching themselves the subject that was presented… they just think this process is called studying.
I should make this clear, learning facts is not education… no one passes my class by memorizing my presentations. I require thinkers… students need to understand the material and be able to figure out the results even when all the facts haven’t been presented.
