The Powerless Pointless Presentation

Technology has made it possible for Machines to learn by themselves. But have humans learnt to learn?

The way education system in India is managed reminds me of the moment at the beginning of an examination, when the invigilator hands you the question paper. You look at it. From top to bottom. You know you are screwed. But for no reason, you start laughing, uncontrollably. Along with your hand scribbling and comparing the maximum score you can manage and the minimum required to pass.

The point being, YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING INSTEAD!

Nevertheless, my school made an ambitious attempt to revolutionize the way courses were being taught. It decided to replace the old school method of chalk and board with laptops and projectors! One of the best-in-market company was hired to install the equipment and the software in the entire school.
The first day of this paradigm shift — 8 in the morning, History class. Teacher enters, fires up the laptop, turns on the projector and off the lights. Industrial revolution is the topic for the day! As if I wasn’t feeling it already. 15 minutes into the movie presentation, I could smell tiffins, I could hear giggling, munching, dozing and I could see the teacher relaxing, turning her back towards us.

But most importantly, do you know what I could feel?
Ignorance, destruction of curiosity, absence of humanness.

The presentation voice was monotonous, the screen was full of pictures and texts that disappeared before anyone could fully grasp it. Science, Geography, Economics met the same fate.
Eventually, recess was the only thing I looked forward to, for the rest of my junior school.

Fast forward to this day. I am an undergraduate in one of the best schools in India .I am a usual first bencher in my class regardless of the fact that the second and the third remain vacant, quite often.
Part of the reason is that I enjoy understanding. I am curious about what the professor is going to write. I am curious to imagine the process being explained, as I take notes. I am curious about the story a Reaction Rate vs Conversion plot has to say.

But never ever in my experience of more than two years have I ever enjoyed a powerpoint presentation lecture. My ear-brain-eye co-ordination fails miserably. The professor throws vocal information, the slide shoots formulae while my eye tracks each one down, my brain is trying to sync and integrate everything before it finally gives up.
I believe, it is more enjoyable and comfortable to read an equivalent textbook, than a deck of slides. Text books take you slowly, step-by-step making sure you understand the context and the logic, even though they take more time.

But this isn’t about PPTs or Indian Education. Pondering about these experiences has given me an excuse to step back and take a broader perspective. I am not saying PowerPoint is a bad tool. Neither am I saying that Technology isn’t the way to go. The question we need to think about is — Are we ensuring a positive and lasting integration of Education and Technology?Since when did integration become all about replacement?

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