NPR story - Power Point use in the classroom

I have been using pp but now I also use Smart Board. 

I believe most teachers are using power  point in the classroom.  After reading the NPR story, I wanted to think beyond the program.  Technologies, like textbooks, are part of the tools or vehicles for us to facilitate our teaching.   We should not depend on the program, and forget students’ learning objectives.

In teaching Mandarin/Chinese, I insert pictures on power point.  I do not eliminate communication; on the contrary, I use pictures, like a painting to trigger students’ imagination.  It also invites students to raise dialogues to discuss the pictures. After the discussion and communication, I create a skit for them to use the language in a real situation. 

I also follow up with a project, to extend the classroom learning into a greater depth.  Sometimes, my guidance allows students to follow up with an oral or written homework.
I agree with Mr. Brown that we can develop deeper understanding on how to use it, such as importing sound, images, movies, or other programs into the power point.  I also design a pre-quiz and post-quiz to check their understanding.