Week 6 Blog: Action !

andddd... Action! 

So, I'm sure all of us have experienced the dreadful death by Powerpoint.  Slide after slide... nothing but words after words... so boring that you're falling asleep.  Admit it, we've all been there.  Now, wouldn't it be nice to have a presentation that does not make you doze off?  Oh, and maybe something a little cooler than same old Powerpoint.  Time to show you how to make your presentations come to life. 

This week in class we learned various programs that can help make our presentations more interesting.  The very first program is Haiku Deck. The focal point of this presentation software are the backgrounds of each slide.  This gives the presenter more of a chance to explain their topic instead of overloading with words on the slide.  This gives them guidelines, and good images for the audience. Another beneficial factor is that the presentations saved can sync directly to your iCloud. 

The second presentation maker we learned about is called Prezi. This one is pretty unique because all of the information is on one screen but each "slide" transitions by zooming in on one section of the page at a time.  This one is probably my favorite because of all the different information you can put on it with using the transitions.  Lastly, I love that you can play music throughout your presentation as well.  

Next up, is Powtoon!  This is a great way to make an animated presentation!  For maybe something a little informal or for a younger crowd.  Definitely a good tool to use!  Our next presentation software is slideshare.  This is perfect if you create a presentation on google slides.  You can upload, share, and discover new videos on this site.  Very beneficial if you are interested in other users slides!  

Furthermore, we have Emaze.  This is a great new way to bring your presentation to life.  This video shows you the perks of using Emaze!

As for this weeks reading, we read chapter three in Untangling the Web.  The three programs that were touched on that were not previously discussed are Slideshare, Poll Everywhere, and VoiceThread.  First, SlideShare is more of a social site where you can upload and share presentation.  This program is geared toward educators.  One of the perks of SlideShare is that you can even share word docs and pdfs.  Also, it integrates with other social networks such a LinkedIn and Facebook.  The presentations that are uploaded on can be viewed, liked, and commented on. It can also link up with Big Huge Labs and KidBlog. 

The second program that was discussed in this reading was called Poll Everywhere.  This is pretty neat because it's an easy way to make a poll and even easier to answer!  The responses immediately show up on the screen.  People can respond through texts, web-devices, private links, and even tweets! 

The third and final program is called VoiceThread.  This is basically a media based, which keeps the discussions focused.  This is a great way to communicate, collaborate, and connect.  VoiceThread has integration with other website, analytics, accessibility, and you can create your own custom page. 

Overall, anything is better than going slide to slide with more information than your audience's brains can handle.  These are just some different tools to use next time you have to make that big presentation.  Stand out a little and make it intriguing for your spectators.