2. As time progresses, how people receive and
distribute information has changed drastically. Times
before the Digital age, media was generally organized in a
linear information format. For instance, readers of a
newspaper would start from the beginning of the article
and continue to read till the end without interruption of
other sources media.
3. However, ever since the Digital age, people are shifting
towards non-linear format known as new media, where
people combine various complementing sources of
different media to provide a better understand of the
context.
4. We can see this transference occurring in our classes
every day. An increasing amount of lectures and
presentations are switching over from the traditional
chalk board and overheads to contemporary
PowerPoint presentations. This migration may result in
various beneficial results toward students’ overall
performance in class.
5. As a university student myself, how a professor presents
his or her lecture greatly affects my engagement as well
as the knowledge that I am able to absorb from the
lecture. Some may think that PowerPoint presentations
are a distraction as more focus and attention will be put
towards the visual presentation instead of listening to
what the presenter has to say. However, as a new
media, presenters can create PowerPoint presentations
with “media content to fit their individual interests and
needs” (Sterin 201).
6. The need for PowerPoint presentation is definitely
evident as students change their study habits
accordingly to the advancement of technology.
PowerPoint presentations can be adjusted easily to
what the audience demand unlike traditional media
platforms.
7. The media content may include visual aid like photos
and videos relevant to what is being taught. These visual
aids allow the audience to access media “content in a
nonlinear manner” (Sterin 201). The relevant pictures
and videos can create a superior impression on what is
being taught, especially to those who are visual learners.
Students may relate the various media to the text of the
PowerPoint which requires attention and engagement
in the lecture to know what to which piece of media
matches which piece of text. It creates superior
impression in the memory because the media may serve
as a stimulus of remembering what was taught during
that lecture.
8. They are able to benefit from these resources placed in
the PowerPoint as they are able to explore further
through hyperlinks since “linked knowledge grows
exponentially” (Sterin 201). PowerPoint plays an
increasing large role for presentations and lectures as
they are often clearer, legible and outlined despite it
being non-linear.
9. It assimilates into our changing ways of social
communication by allowing the integration of various
data sources resulting in a more transparent, cool
media. Lectures are hot media because they often lack
the involvement of students; utilizing the traditional
overheads which are also hot medium will only
encourage the lack of participation of the lecture.
10. It forces students to see the medium but it does not
engage the students enough to voluntarily participate
actively. By introducing a cooler medium with great
stimulus, a PowerPoint presentation, students will often
be more inclined to listen and focus on the lecture itself
as participation becomes necessary as not all
information are directly given though the medium.
Therefore by using PowerPoint as the medium, students
bring greater attention and participation thus impacting
their overall experience in a lecture or presentation.
11. Works Cited
Sterin, J. Charles. "Chapter 7/ The Dynamic New Media." Mass Media Revolution. Pearson Education, 2012. 201. Print.
