The blackboard sits neglected, chalkdust spread in a disinterested circle, not quite reaching the corners, no longer disturbed by the passing of words and numbers, lessons untaught and equations unsolved.

The overhead projector, that bright lamp of modernity past, has been forgotten, power cable now stripped bare of even its plug (needed elsewhere) while felt-tip-ink smears and dries around acetates no longer called upon to shine their out-of-focus lessons for distracted boys and girls.

As the older and unloved tools of education slip quietly into obsolescence, a more versatile, more involving, more effective alternative moves into classrooms and lecture theatres across the land. With Microsoft PowerPoint, lessons of all kinds can be given new life, helping students to engage with the subject.

PowerPoint can be used, quickly and easily, to produce visual presentations that can either be shown directly on the monitor screen or projected. Individual 'slides' (much like the acetates for the old overhead projector, but far more versatile) are created, and can bring together text, diagrams, animations, and images in a vast array of styles. As with a traditional projector, the teacher can then work through these slides at their own (or the class's own) pace - but with far greater convenience, all the slides being available at the touch of a button, and all with the visual benefits of the software.

Pictures that tell a thousand words

And it's that visual impact of a PowerPoint presentation that can make such a difference, that can leave such an imprint on the students mind. A PowerPoint presentation can be so much more involving than a traditional lesson; images of any kind can be simply inserted into the display to bring meaning to the words, visual schemes and layouts can be carried over to create consistency between lessons, and a wide array of diagrams can be constructed in order to illustrate any point clearly and comprehensively.

PowerPoint is adept at incorporating a range of visual tools; relationship, hierarchy and flow diagrams can be used to accentuate a message very effectively. Merely to teach, for example, a process for working in words alone will never have as much impact on the student as to show the process visually. With PowerPoint, a diagram can be generated quickly and easily that depicts this process in manner that is easier both to understand and apply.

The diagram can also be manipulated at any future point if its contents or method needs to change. Similarly, graphs, tables and charts can be brought into the presentation just as easily, whilst Microsoft's SmartArt technology can create powerful and appealing visuals from the most basic lists and tables.

Convenience and flexibility

Using PowerPoint for lessons can also save teachers a great deal of time. Templates can be created easily, or freely downloaded from an extensive catalogue at the Microsoft website, and can then be adapted for use in any number of academic situations. New slides can be dropped in to an existing presentation, or existing slides can be updated or changed to fit the demands of each lesson.

There is a further advantage for students, too. Not only are lessons made more engaging and stimulating, but these benefits can continue to be made available whenever they are needed. A traditional lesson, blackboard, overhead projector, begins at a set time, and ends at a set time. With PowerPoint, however, a lesson can be saved for future use; and, should a student be absent, he or she will be able to access what they missed. Saved lessons can also be used for revision purposes, with no extra time and effort spent on preparation (and leaving more time available to be spent on teaching).

Getting the most out of PowerPoint can make a tremendous difference to the educational experience offered to a student, as well as reducing the strains on the teacher's time. There are a range of courses to suit all levels of ability, allowing any teacher to enhance their classes and engage their students as never before.