Mouser - thanks for the link. It's articles and books like that that confirmed my impression that I was going about it all wrong. I haven't seen that book, but I've read a number of magazine, journal and on-line articles that stress that the slides should not overwhelm the audience with information and that, above all, the slide show should NOT replace the lecture but should rather augment it.
Like Lilly, I now use powerpoints very sparingly - more to display images and graphs than to display text. I find that when I do this, though, I often forget to turn to my presentation at all - i.e., everything is ready to got but I wind up talking for three hours and leave the technology alone. I like the fact that the class and I can deal with issues that arise during a lecture, without worrying about the fact that I KNOW that that exact point/issue is going to be repeated five slides down the line. What the students miss out on in terms of information transfer and, to a degree, structure, is made up for in being able to explore an issue "organically". Students feel that they can ask questions and interact with each other and with me naturally and as the need arises. As far as information transfer goes, students can read the textbook anyway - I think many Powerpoint based lectures fall into the trap of summarising the textbook - I know mine have. Powerpoints are great for presenting your own research, ideas, experiences, etc. but less so when the material being dealt is covered in the textbook. I used to find myself in the middle of giving a lecture like that and wonder what the hell I was doing in the classroom! Actually, coming from a British university, I feel much the same way about the textbooks that we use (though I did do my undergrad in Canada, about five minutes from where I was born!). Anyway, a Powerpoint lecture that walks the students through the assigned readings is GREAT for a newbie instructor finding his or her feet as it rigidly structures the flow and pace of the class. This is good for allowing the instructor to work up some confidence about public speaking. Once you hit the point, though, wherein you realise that you're only one step beyond standing there reading the textbook out loud to your class, it's time to move on...
Easy to see why I have no trouble talking for three hours, eh?
Sorry about the long-winded posts.
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I'm really not happy as I have become quite dependant on YDS/X1. Carol, did you have the same problem with YDS? I wonder if turning off X1's real time scanning of Outlook would remedy this?