Putting Some Presentation Tools to the Test

Recently I attended an Intel Summit for Teachers Engage.  Each participant was asked to create a short presentation to introduce themselves to the group.  

The variety and creativity of presentations that were submitted were incredible.  I love the fact that each participant was able to use a tool of their choice to present their information. Because the presentations contain personal information, I will not include them here. 

I do want to share with you all of the presentation tools that were used.  So many choices.

#1 Prezi - This presentation tool has transformed over the years and offers a lot of choice which helps to make each Prezi special and unique.  I really like the fade-in animation option that was added. 

#2 Glogster - This online poster maker allows for many forms of media including video, animation, audio, links, images, and text.  When I used Glogster with my students recently, they praised this tool and many of them told me they loved making a Glogster. 

#3 YouTube Slideshow Creator and YouTube Editor- This is such a great way to create a slideshow with images and video.  It is simple and easy to use.  There are many choices for transitions, layering text and music to add to your video.  I am hesitant to use this tool with my 5th graders, however, because of the content students would encounter during the time that they have access to YouTube.  
Here is my presentation:

#4 Animoto - One of my very, very favorite video creation tools.  Creating an Animoto is so simple that even younger elementary students can learn how.  The only downfall is that a person can only create a 30 second video for free.  To create a longer video requires signing up for a monthly fee.

#5 One True Media -I love the look of this video creation tool. The video is presented in a colorful player interface.  Just like Animoto, you are able to create a 30 second video for free and need to upgrade to a pro membership in order to make longer videos.

#6 Google Presentations - Hello simplicity!  If you can make a Powerpoint, you can create a Google Presentation. And you can even upload a Powerpoint to Google Drive and then right click to open it in Google Slides, which is basically a Google Presentation. Choose transitions and customize how the Presentation will play when embedded or just share the link.

#7 Magisto - very similar to Animoto or One True Media. The best feature is that this video creator is just plain simple to use.  In just 4 steps you can "Make a Movie" to "Tell Your Story".  If you make your video public, others can comment or like your video and also share your video. 

#8 Ribbet - You're going to love this collage maker / photo editor.  Let's just take a look at how cool this tool is:

I started with a collage and just added photos, stickers, text and a boarder.  This site has so many choices and possiblilties.

#9 Videolicious - This is a video creator.  Videolicious can put your photos, video clips and sound into a professional looking video.  But what is really great is the Videolicious App!  It allows you to show your photos and then switch directly to video recording.  Check out this awesome example:




#10 Tackk -  This site allows you create a "ridiculously simple" looking webpage.  The finished page can have any of the following pieces:

Check out my Tackk page I created by clicking here.  Pretty awesome, right?

#11 Augmented Reality with the Layar App - This application is so amazing that it will require its own blog post.  Sorry to leave you hanging, but it will be worth the wait.  I plan to post about the Layar app and augmented reality soon.