Presentation Tools

By: Christopher Robison

In this weeks class we went over presentation tools that could be used in place of Microsoft Powerpoint. Within these tools, there lies many different specs and features to help you along while you create and also while you present. Before using any of these tools, the oh so common Microsoft Powerpoint was the way to go when giving a presentation. The lack of features and layouts and designs really pushed me over the edge to switch to these next few presentation tools.

The first and probably more well-known tool we discussed is called Prezi, the presentation software company founded in 2009. Prezi allows you to get started with templates that features a full library of beautiful presentations you can customize to make your own. Tired of constantly flipping through slide after slide? With Prezi, you can instantly tailor your presentation for each audience—without flipping through slides. Best of all, with Prezi you can track the success of your public presentations to know who’s viewing, what they’re interested in, and how to target your follow-up.

An article by Ned Potter explains the strengths and weaknesses of Prezi. He talks about how useful Prezi can be when used correctly and in the right situations. With Prezi you begin with a blank canvas or a template. With your canvas you position objects like text, images, embedded videos, or graphics anywhere you like. Then simply plot a path in between each section to specify the order you want these slides to move in. Once all of these steps are done and content has been added, you're done.

The next tool discussed in class was one even I had never heard of called Haiku Deck. Haiku Deck is such a simple tool that removes all of the useless tools you don't need that might be in other presentation tools. You can choose from a range of stylish fonts, layouts, and image filters for the kind of polish that graphic designers charge thousands of dollars to deliver. No more looking up pictures on the internet, saving them, and importing them into your projects anymore. With Haiku Deck, you gain instant access to over 40 million free creative commons images. Haiku Deck makes it easy to follow the best practices recommended by experts: simplify your message, use images to amplify emotional impact, and keep formatting clean and consistent.

In an article about Haiku Deck, author George Williams explains how to make simple, elegant presentations. He lists the pros and cons of Haiku Deck as he mostly loves it but it still has its downs. Here is his list:
Pros

• Radical Simplicity- Impossible to create a cluttered, confusing slide. Only 2 lines of words or a max of 5 line bullet list.
• Ease of Use- Interface for creating and playing presentations is incredibly simple
• Presentation Flexibility- able to present from anywhere

Cons

• Radical Simplicity- pro is also a con. Cannot deviate from default layout and design
• Occasional Hiccups- saving issues, exporting issues

The final tool we discussed in this weeks class is called Microsoft Sway, a presentation program first offered by Microsoft in 2015. With Sway, you can create visually striking newsletters, presentations, and documentation in minutes. Adding content to your presentation is a cinch with Sway, simply drop in photos, videos, and other multimedia — Sway is integrated with your device and the web. Sway saves so much time and money and overall just brings your content together beautifully.

The article titled "With Microsoft Sway, your next presentation doesn't have to suck" by Mark Kaelin gives the best explanation on how great of an application Microsoft Sway really is. Kaelin goes on about how easy the application is for anyone no matter how old. Sway combines features from Powerpoint, MovieMaker, and WordPress which makes even a little bit of multimedia go a long way and isn't particularly needed to put together a good storyboard.

During this weeks class, we had the chance to video chat with the U.S. Women's Curling captain, Jamie Sinclair. Jamie explained to our class how she created three different brands or accounts on each social media platform. One personal brand for herself, a company brand for her instructional curling videos, and her team brand for her competitive teams posts. She mentioned how important personal branding is and that if you do choose this path to have consistency throughout all the profiles. This means find a time in the day or week to always post and always post the same content in the corresponding account. Also, you should take time to answer as many emails or comments as possible as this creates a personal connection with your audience. Overall, Jamie seemed like a very smart girl who is an expert in social network branding.

This weeks reading of Untangling the Web was all about presentation tools as well. The book went on about the benefits of using web based presentation tools, such as cost, convenience, and platform flexibility. The visuals are now created in a way that are intended to stand on their own, without a presenter. Along with opening up new avenues of sharing information for teachers and students, these web based presentation tools are extremely helpful when sharing information outside of school. One example of this is called SlideShare, a social hub that allows you to upload and share presentations with anyone around the globe. If someone on SlideShare finds your presentation and likes it, they simply need to follow you and they'll be instantly updated when you post any new presentations.