Power Point is easy, convenient, and sort of fun. It’s zen for me to arrange pictures and text around in bullet points.

Here’s some quick info in just three slides.

Manassas National Battlefield Park

In this particular power point, I’ve created an area for quick information. But if it were something I were to orally present, the bullets would be shorter and there would be more pictures. Power points shouldn’t be able to stand alone (as mine, admittedly, does). They should be a way to display visuals that help with a lecture or emphasize a topic.

Critics (like Edward Tufte) say they impair the way students are processing information–contributing to the modern generation of incapable writers. And we’ve all heard that argument: kids today can’t write. But perhaps it’s the way power points are being used.

I stand by them. My power point is a quick summary of an event in history, but I could use these two slides to expand and broaden the subject for any audience. It comes down to the second P, Presentation.