Is your computer a bicycle or a car?

I just read an interesting article about a dichotomy in computer usage:

• Bicycle: The computer amplifies your own capacities or abilities
• Car: The computer comes with pre-packaged formulas or solutions whose inner workings you don't have to understand.

The article discusses this in the context of presentations--it is the Presentation Zen Blog, of course. For example, students can be taught PowerPoint in two ways:

• This is how you make a slide. This is how you make a transition. Put a picture in by clicking this button. Use this drop-down menu to start the show. As a car. Or...
• This is how you tell a story. These are good methods for displaying data. This is how to edit effectively. As a bicycle

And of course there is lot's of good advice on the blog on how to make a good presentation.

Comment from cheryl jerozal on September 27, 2006 - 6:02pm

i thought i understood it but then it broke and i'm not sure how to fix it. :/ but i will learn. and in the meantime, just as long as i don't change gears...