One of my biggest takeaways from CERN HST 2015 was a lecture/discussion realization. We sat through many really long talks, often akin to torture. Except one. It was an antimatter talk by Michael Doser. He was immediately captivating and engaged everyone. His secret? 1/2

He had zero prepared slides. In fact, he didn't even use a computer. He used a chalkboard and interacted with the audience as he explained and drew. Everyone agreed it was the best talk.

Went home and never opened my premade slides again. Engagement went up. So did note-taking.

I didn't realize how much I used prepared slides as a crutch, talking while they were up and maybe drawing a thing or two on them. I had already started to move away from them, but I began to realize how important drawing was for students, and that they needed to see it happening

And not just in problem-solving, but it beginning to form basic understanding of concepts. Diagraming, drawing, sketching, doodling, it's all key to forming solid connections with new ideas. If students are just copying a premade slide they are not really doing that,

especially if I am just talking over it. Students need the process of drawing and diagramming for understanding modeled for them. We need to encourage them and give them opportunity to make it their own.

If I use an interactive board I will sometimes just title a slide(s) that we will fill during discussion. But I really prefer the chalkboard, or it's inferior cousin, the whiteboard.

Couldn't find my picture of it, so here is basically the same pic I took but 3 years later from @jim_deane https://twitter.com/jim_deane/status/1017681644076126208

Hmm. Actually, it looks like you were in a nicer hall with AC then what we had, but still a chalkboard.