To powerpoint, or not to powerpoint...

Technology is great on so many levels. It is what keeps our world progressing and functioning. Some say you can't live without technology anymore. And I think that for the most part, if you want to live comfortable in the world, then this is true. In regards to education, I think technology, when used appropriately is a wonderful thing. I have seen many teachers, especially math, using powerpoints to teach! At first, I was all on board with this idea, thinking, "Wow, the students will be more engaged because things will be moving in a sequence and there will be more interaction between teacher and student." I was very wrong. All I saw with the powerpoints were teachers standing at the front of the room clicking through the slides and students either furiously copying down every single word, or students staring off aimlessly. I know that technology is supposed to be a great thing, but I do not seeing it being used effectively in many classes, especially math. My school provides slides for every section in our textbook and it is my goal as a teacher to look through these slides, decide if what they provide is beneficial to my students, or if it will only complicate things or fail to hold their attention. I have used them a handful of times when dealing with slope, something that is a very visual concept, and graphing, again, a visual concept. When used in these respects I told the students ahead of time that they would not be copying down any notes from the powerpoint, but only things that I wrote separately on the board. This worked out well and kept the students focused on the visuals provided and I was able to have them interact with me and the powerpoint. It is important not to lose site of the educational goal when using technology and I will continue to use this method when it enhances the education of my students.