Alternatives to PowerPoint

NOTE: I mention PowerPoint throughout this article not to attack Microsoft or PowerPoint itself.  Rather, it is used as a generic term for most presentation software that presents ideas in a linear fashion (e.g. Prezi, Keynote, etc.)

In the midst of searching for an alternative presentation tool for a conference a few weeks ago, a thought suddenly occurred to me:

"Maybe we don't need PowerPoint alternatives but alternatives to PowerPoints." 

The more I pondered this thought, the more it troubled me.  I remember when studying English in college that a professor was discussing tropes that occur in film which would be totally foreign to any viewer not familiarized with them through her culture.  As an example, he discussed binoculars used on screen.  For instance, when you see an image such as this:

You understand that the character is viewing through binoculars.  But, does this really replicate the experience of binoculars?  No!  When you look through binoculars, the images are just larger and closer.  But, because we are accustomed to this image meaning that the character is looking through binoculars, we expect him to be using binoculars.  Our perception affects our thoughts.

So, given that, how has our experience of PowerPoint guided our beliefs, and those of our learners, on what a presentation should be? When we think of presentations, we almost always think about creating a slideshow.  But, think about what PowerPoint makes us expect in the presentation and how it affects how the presenter and the audience process the information.  We expect that the information in a slideshow will be linear.  That it will be left to right.  That it will be non-interactive.  In short, we expect it to be boring.

Learners today do not learn linearly, but information in PowerPoint is presented with the expectation of being linear!  When we use PowerPoint as a presentation tool, our students are rightly bored.  They do not receive information in this form in their everyday lives, but here we are, feeding them a steady stream of slides.

So, how can you present more effectively?  How can we mimic the non-linear nature of our learners' experiences.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Speak without visuals and use models.  If you have a concept, come up with an object or process that demonstrates that concept and show it.  Math and science teachers are very familiar with this concept.
2. Make it a game.  The game should be centered around the skills that you wish to teach.  Think of Dungeons and Dragons.  There is a leader/presenter and all players are engaged with the information coming from this leader.
3. Move.  Make the audience move around and follow you.  Instead of saying what you or someone else did, make the audience do it. Be a guide.

I'm interested in the methods that you use to present information.  Please let me know your ideas in the comments.