Author Archives: Valerie Robin

Website Building Tools

Date
Posted by
Comments0

Dreamweaver

taken from adobe.com

taken from adobe.com

ABOUT

Adobe’s Dreamweaver is a website building tool which is part of the Adobe Creative Suite. This software offers templates you can start with, as well as design windows, coding windows, or split screen views. You can build any style website without very much training. Dreamweaver does take training however, but once you learn the basics, you’ll be making websites to impress anyone.

EXAMPLE

Below is a screenshot from a website in the process of being built using split screen in Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver_screenshot_2

Timeline Tools

Date
Posted by
Comments0

Tiki-Toki

taken from tiki-toki.com

taken from tiki-toki.com

ABOUT

This gorgeous tool allows you to create timelines that flow from right to left in sequence. You can attach photos and videos inside the bubbles. But be careful – the software appears to be free, but you can only have one timeline at a time in the free mode.

EXAMPLE

Ivan the Gorilla

Video Tools

Date
Posted by
Comments0
taken from apple.com

taken from apple.com

 

ABOUT

iMovie comes installed on your MacBook when you purchase it. It is an easy-to-use software that allows you to edit your video, as well as add special effects, transitions, and stills, among other things.

EXAMPLES

Below is a video filmed using an iPad and edited in iMovie. It is about an event that happens here in Atlanta:

DigPed Meetup October 2014

Timetoast

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Timetoast

TimetoastScreenShot 2

 

ABOUT:

Using Timetoast, you can create simple, clean timelines that are shareable, and presentable. The continuum of dates along the bottom of your timeline uses plot-points that can be inserted that enlarge when clicked. Each plotted point can be filled in with images and data specific to the history or narrative you want to convey to your audience.

Pros

  • Creators can easily insert media (video, photos, audio clips)
  • Viewers can interact with the timeline to learn more
  • Spans of time can be added along the bottom of the timeline
  • Can have multiple events at the same time

Cons

  • Must add specific day/month/year
  • Pop-up explanations can sometime be distracting
  • Not much customization with the look and feel in the free version
  • Does not print, can only be shown online

EXAMPLES

The example below incorporates images and text on specific events in the timeline and includes spans of time to show when movements began and ended.

TimelineIDTExample 2

Uses

Timetoast is a great tool to use when creating timelines for classes like History, Literature, or even a report on the background of your favorite politician or scientist, especially when you want to incorporate more than just text. It can be used as a presentation, or can be something you feature in a blog post or a group project on another site.

Prezi

Date
Posted by
Comments0
Prezi

PreziScreenShot

ABOUT:

Prezi is a free  presentation tool that allows you to zoom in and out of content so you can present with more than just flat slides. You can chose from a template, as you can see in the screen shot above, and insert your own text, video, photos, and more, or you can start from scratch and build your own presentation with a book cover backdrop, or a photo that correlates to your research. Prezi moves from frame to frame in a fun way that can make a viewer dizzy, so be careful, but Prezi also allows you to zoom in ways that can make a presentation on, say, the solar system, quite amazing.

Supported

Prezi operates on Mac, PC, iPad and iPhone

Pros

  • Interesting and exciting if designed well
  • Embedding capabilities allow you to be able to play youtube videos and other media right inside the presentation
  • Backgrounds and images are fully customizable

Cons

  • Can be too flashy and distracting if not designed well
  • Free Prezi version is always public

EXAMPLES


In the above post, the student used a template that goes along with her topic. She did alter the template a little, which Prezi allows the user to do. Also, because the free Prezi tool is public, the user can share her content anywhere on the web, which is how it is embedded here.


The above Prezi is a book recommendation presentation that plays with the zooming feature Prezi allows. This student chose to use Prezi in a way that would enhance his presentation and take advantage of the storyline featured in the book he talks about.

Uses

Prezi can be used to present information, an argument, or to give a proposal. It is best for shorter presentations, as your audience could easily get lost in Prezi’s frame-to-frame movement. You want to make sure that the Prezi you chose is designed well and correlates with your presentation. Don’t use Prezi just because you think it looks cool. Make sure you have a reason for using Prezi over another tool.

If you’re not sure if Prezi is right for your presentation, visit the website and take a look around. They have tutorials and examples in plenty.