Whiteboards or PowerPoint? Which is Better?

My answer to a Quora Question: Do you think classes are more effective without PowerPoint presentations and only using whiteboards? Which do you prefer?

I think using a combination of the two is the most effective. A PowerPoint can be helpful if it is used as a guide and not as a way to give a long lecture. Students tend to disengage and tune out if the PowerPoint is extensive and has too much content on each slide.

I love using whiteboards with students working in teams of two because this increases student engagement. I am quite the whiteboard fan and in my classroom had 3 different sizes: large for work with a team of 4, medium for teams of 2 and small ones for individual work. I like whiteboards a lot because students can put their thinking down to share with others and easily edit and redo. They can also draw diagrams and pictures to help make a concept clearer.

However a PowerPoint can be useful used in combination with white boards if:

1. The PowerPoint has only 5–7 words on each slide with the primary focus being images that help illustrate a concept.

2. The teacher uses it as a guide to keep on track and not as the entire lesson.

3. The teacher has students “do” something with the information every 2–3 slides.

   
   

Final Thought: I prefer whiteboards over a PowerPoint presentation but the two in combination are the most effective if the PowerPoint is used as a support and not the entire lesson.