Presentations?!

As a newcomer to the fairgrounds where Moodle militants gather, I am still under the charm of the novel words they use. “Let me stage my language stash before the MoodleMoot”, I may think and feel a whiff of magic energy.

This sandy enchantment made it all the more a surprise when, trying to learn about the outcome of the recent Dublin MoodleMoot, I bumped on a collection of down to earth presentations.

Presentations!

I abhor presentations.

One of the more rational reasons of my enthusiasm for eLearning is based on the conviction that its many features will liquidate presentations definitely, conclusively. Only to find out now that they have proliferated even at the heartland of Moodle.

I am aware I am part of a minority. In the university in Kampala where I worked, only two colleagues, neither one Ugandan, shared my aversion towards presentations. The most computer-illiterate lecturers managed somehow to make a passable slideshow. And the students seemed to love them.

What about critical thinking, social constructivism, thoughtful decision-making, multiple learning styles, the dual coding of memory? They didn’t seem to care. The numbing sensation that accompanies a presentation suited them fine as long as the slides were made available afterwards. They often printed them, and I felt sorry for the meagre amount of words lost in a big white paper world.

Now here’s eLearning, I thought. No more presentations when you have pages and logs, roles and activities at your command. Before an audience you still need a beamer of course, but you no longer shoot dumb-dumb bullets in the air. No more death by powerpoint.

I was wrong. I probably underestimated the bond that exists between presenters and presentations, the psychological comfort they offer each other.

Moreover, presentations could make a comeback even in my reluctant world. These last days, you see, I am charmed not so much by words, but by a rich media feature that combines video and, hm hm, a slideshow.