Category: Learning

Most Reliable Car Brands

Dwayne Harapnuik Leave a comment

Most Dependable Cars

Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-most-reliable-car-brands-in-2026/

You might be wondering why I would include a post on most reliable car brands on my site which is primarily focused on learning. I have been owned some form of a Toyota vehicle since the late 80″s. While this does lead a boring ride, the benefit is that I have never had my vehicle break down on the way to a workshop or other instructional event. In addition, the time and money saved on a reliable but boring Toyota has allowed me to do so much more. A few months back I purchased my latest slightly used Toyota Matrix and while I was driving home I was lamenting how boring and ordinary the car was.

Sometimes boring and reliable is good a good life lesson to learn. That doesn’t mean it diminishes the desire for a car more exciting like a Porsche. Especially when my son has purchased his latest Porsche project which you can watch on Instragram – https://www.instagram.com/mostlyimpressive/

Please! Don’t Read From Your Slides

Dwayne Harapnuik 1 Comment

Many of us have struggled to comprehend or even stay engaged when a presenter is reading text directly from their slides. Why is this a wrong practice?

Sweller (1988) the author of Cognitive Overload Theory argues that when presenters read from slides, it overwhelms the audiences’ working memory because they are processing the same information through both visual and auditory channels. Richard Mayer (2005) suggests that multimedia presentations are most effective when visuals and spoken words complement each other rather than duplicate content (reading the slide). Andrew DeBell offers a helpful summary of How to Use Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning.

Nancy Duarte (2008) argues that slides should act as visual aids, not scripts, and should not be read. Similarly, Garr Reynolds (2011) also argues that slides should provide visual reinforcement, and must not be read verbatim because that disengages audiences.

Many experts will also suggest that reading from your slides is a form of disrespect and sends the message that you don’t trust your audience to glean your information or that you are the sole source of authority. There are so many reasons that you should never read your slides in a presentation or in a narrated video.

References

Duarte, N. (2008). Slide: ology: The art and science of creating great presentations (Vol. 1). Sebastapol: O’Reilly Media.
Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. Cambridge University Press.
Reynolds, G. (2011). Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. New Riders.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem-solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12, 257–285.