What the author means by "PowerPointlessness" may be defined by using the words in the second sentence of the article: a "glib and disappointing" multimedia presentation. In other words, it is a PowerPoint presentation that doesn't really help the speaker present a clear and convincing argument to his audience nor does it help the audience gain a better appreciation of what's being presented. Instead, the presentation is a distraction that obscures the point of the argument.
(This is a link for the Dilbert PowerPoint Poisoning cartoon [#8]: http://www.powerpointninja.com/for-fun/dilbert-on-powerpoint-presentations/)
According to Jamie McKenzie we can teach student to think and communicate thoughtfully with PowerPoint by teaching them to combine "presentation software with other forms of communication, writing and reporting to persuade, convince, inform and enlighten."
This means that we teach students that the creation of a PowerPoint presentation is not the end of it in itself. It is not about making the flashiest looking slides. The PowerPoint presentation is only to be used as a guide, a visual aid for the audience, which focuses the attention in the speaker. Therefore the presenter must dedicate a vast amount of time researching his presentation material so that he/she will be knowledgeable of it and present it with confidence. The PowerPoint presentation should not eliminate communication skills such as eye contact and eloquence but rather integrate them.
After reading this article I realize that many of the PowerPoint presentations I have ever witnessed and most of the ones I have created are PowerPointlessness! I guess before I can teach students how to make good PowerPoint presentations, I first have to learn to make them myself.
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