Category Archives: Presentations

Storify

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Storify

Storify is part social, part archival, and part storage. Record events in a readable stream by dragging in any media live on the web and share.

SUPPORTS

PC, Mac, iPad

USES

You could use storify for multiple course projects. It is completely free, and could be used for research storage, organizing open-access articles, and even presentation. If your class is tweeting, you can drag and drop tweets into a storify thread and organize them, for example. You could do the same for news stories that you want to present for a History class, or a discovery timeline. You can feature photos, videos, articles, and pretty much any social media available.

PROS

  • easy to use and very versatile
  • exists on the cloud so you can’t accidentally delete anything AND it’s easily shareable
  • supports loads of social media and news organizations

CONS

  • cannot link to or embed pay-to-access articles like many from our library databases
  • storify stories can become too long and cumbersome to read
  • there is potential to manipulate and twist stories depending on how you arrange entries

EXAMPLES

Below is an example of a storify featuring tweets from and English 1101 course

storify-example

 

#below is what would appear in a sidebar

SIMILAR TO

  • tumblr

ALSO FEATURED IN

  • Mind Mapping
  • Presentation
  • Timelines

NEED TO KNOW

  • Free
  • Cloud Based
  • Subscribe
  • Social

Strikingly

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Strikingly

strikingly logo

ABOUT:

Strikingly is a web building application that relies on scrolling as its main draw. That is – strikingly does not allow you to build your website as more than one page, though you can link out to other items easily and as often as you like. Strikingly is a drag and drop platform that is easy if you can’t code, but can be frustrating if you rely on coding to allow you to manipulate templates.

Supported

PC, Mac

Pros

  • Very easy drag-and-drop/WYSIWYG platform that requires no coding
  • Provides a clean, copyright friendly backdrop that is in trend
  • Looks great across devices

Cons

  • You are stuck with the template. If you want to code to manipulate it, you must upgrade.
  • If you want more than one long page, you can’t have it. This is your only option.

EXAMPLES:

Below are two kinds of strikingly websites. Click on the picture to go to the full site.

This first one is a very simple sports photography portfolio:

strikingly-example-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next one is a professional digital portfolio that is clean, yet thorough:

strikingly-example-2

Uses:

You could use strikingly in a variety of ways. You could use it in an art class to showcase visual work, or build a website that presents a complex concept. Or like George Clark III, you could use it to host a portfolio for your major requirements. Anything that you could use a website for – strikingly will likely be a good fit.

Google Slides

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Google Slides

GSlides-logo

ABOUT:

Google Slides (formerly Google Presentation) is an Internet presentation generating software that works similarly to Microsoft PowerPoint. You can create presentation slides, or embed  any kind of media just like you would in any PowerPoint presentation. But Google Slides also does so much more. Not only can you work alone inside the presentation slides, you can work at the same time as other people. Google Slides allows more than one person to type in a presentation at once. It also allows easy sharing and embedding in external documents. And there are comment bubbles and an instant messaging feature so that you can receive and provide feedback from other users. Google Slides is excellent for group work and collaborative presenting.

Supported

Mac, PC, Google Chromebook, Mobile

Pros

  • Google Slides is on the cloud, so you can never accidentally erase it forever if your computer crashes.
  • It is sharable instantaneously and all you need is an internet connection.
  • I makes group work a lot more convenient because you can create slideshow presentations with someone else without being in the same room.

Cons

  • Under the ‘anyone can edit’ feature, it is easy to lose track of who has generated which section.
  • It is sometimes difficult to find presentations that someone has shared with you.

EXAMPLES:

https://youtu.be/RdKuNrGapco?t=53s

Uses:

You can use Google Slides for versatile presentations, and more. You can embed a slideshow into a website and convert it to a Prezi. Or you can use it to collaborate with a group on a presentation. It is great for peer review, or even for just creating a slideshow you want to share easily.

Google Fusion

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Google Fusion

taken from blogoscoped.com

ABOUT:

Google Fusion is one of the many ways you can make maps yourself to show data, group places, or combine places with their data. Google Fusion must be combined with Google Spreadsheets for it to work, and once you create a map with Fusion, it cannot be updated automatically. You must collect all your data before you begin. Once your data has been created and synced, inside Fusion, you can change your pointers, which data is displayed, and even group pointers to show how data flows. Google Fusion, like all Google Drive products, allows you to share, and build with others, but because Fusion requires training and practice, it may be difficult to remotely meet with someone to map using Fusion. Last, Fusion can be published and shared, but it does not go live to Google Maps because it does not readily export as a KML file.

Supported

PC, Mac, Android

Pros

  • Once your data is created, it is easy to make changes inside Fusion
  • The visualizations are fun, and exactly like what you see in a Google Map
  • Navigating the visuals of your data is as easy as it is on Maps

Cons

  • It is not easy to learn Fusion. You will want to use lynda.com through the Exchange, or take a class to learn the basics.
  • Fusion does not sync to your spreadsheet, should you need to make changes. You must upload or merge a whole new spreadsheet.
  • Fusion does not go live to Google Maps. Instead, you must learn to plot on Google Earth for this feature.

EXAMPLES

Below is a screenshot of a map a student made in Fusion of study spots in the Atlanta area. You can see she made the plot points green, instead of the classic red. And you can see the information she included on the selected spot.

Learning_Google_Maps-1

Uses

There are many reasons you might make a map in Fusion for a class. If you need to present information containing places for a history class, or to map where all the oak trees are located near campus for Biology, you can use Fusion to do this. If you have data to present on gas pricing in a certain area, or want to plot where people live that own drones, you can do this in Fusion.

Tableau

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Tableau

it_photo_102724

ABOUT:

Tableau Software is a powerful collection of data analytic tools that is useable to anyone with big data. It is an interactive platform to show data, collaborate research, and find trends in statistical and methodological ways. Sharing data over the cloud makes it easy to present data to anyone with a computer, and Tableau’s wide platform support makes it easy to use any device to collaborate on projects.

Supported

Tableau is supported on Mac and Windows, with tablet support.

Pros

  • Easy to use tool to handle big data
  • Can be embedded for use on a project website
  • Features a wide array of tools to sort and filter through data
  • Can be integrated for huge amounts of data, including server support

Cons

  • There is a learning curve, but Tableau provides tutorials on their website.
  • Must get used to using spreadsheets for accurate data analysis
  • Individual accounts on other computers outside GSU’s CURVE costs money.

Examples

Tableau’s wide offering of support tools and interactive data analysis makes it easy to understand and learn about trends.

 

 

A live version of Tableau at work. Go ahead and explore the data!

Uses

Tableau’s main use is to construct business projections, markets, and trade values, but the gallery shows a great variety of uses by many different research groups. Use it for regional projects about specific country statistics or the entire world, and show the different levels that come with data analysis. Highlight correlations, details, and instances all on the same page with just a click of a button.

Tiki-Toki

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Tiki-Toki

taken from http://www.tiki-toki.com/

ABOUT:

Tiki-Toki is a sleak, easy-to-use, presentation friendly timeline software. It allows embedded photos and videos. Each panel is clickable, and enlarges to the screen, which makes this good for presentations as well. The application exists on the cloud, is visually driven, and is easy to use.

Supported

Mac, PC

Pros

  • Visually beautiful
  • Great for linear thinkers
  • Embeds a variety of media
  • Allows groups to edit one timeline together

Cons

  • You cannot store presentations. The free version only allows you to make one presentation – though you can erase that and create another, endlessly.
  • Unless you upgrade, you cannot embed content, or share with anything other than a link.
  • Easily invites over-design

EXAMPLES

Below is an example of a news story that was a current event at the time it was built. This tiki-toki was used as a short presentation. Click the image below to visit the example:

Tiki-Toki-example

 

Uses

Tiki-Toki can be used to present, or record events. You would likely use this in a History course, or any course where you need to create a historical record that features video, audio, or images.

tumblr

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tumblr

taken from http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/tumblr/ffa2fb4f-61b2-4075-ac7b-488846998b72

ABOUT:

tumblr is a social media that can be used in a variety of ways. It not only has blogging capabilities, but can be made to look a lot like an instagram feed, or on the opposite spectrum, a text-heavy informational feed. tumblr allows you to embed video, and images of all types. It also allows you to favorite posts, comment, and reblog other posts you want to share with others.

Supported

Mac, PC, phones and tablets

Pros

  • widely shareable
  • intuitive, easy to create platforms
  • variety of uses

Cons

  • social media aspect can be distracting
  • some themes can be too busy and can become distracting from a design aspect

EXAMPLES

In the example below, you can see how the authors used their tumblr page to both present and archive information that could be useful both in a presentation, or for people to visit like they would an informational website. Click the image to visit the full site:

Taken from http://america-underwater.tumblr.com

Uses

tumblr can be used as a presentation tool, an archival tool, a blogging tool, or in many other ways. One of the beauties of tumblr is its versatility.

Toondoo

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Toondoo

taken from http://www.toondoo.com/

ABOUT:

Toondo is a free online software program that can turn your material into a comic strip that you design. Create yourself giving a presentation using images and text that create a comic-narrative. Toondo design has a lot of choices so you can create a lot of different looks for characters, backgrounds, and speech bubbles.

Supported

online software only for Mac and PC

Pros

  • lots of fun choices for comic creation
  • a fresh way to present a narrative

Cons

  • choices are limited to certain body types and skin colors
  • not all audiences know how to read frame-to-frame

EXAMPLES

Plessy v Ferguson

The above example is a simple 4 panel comic showing the Plessy v Ferguson trial in an easy to follow way. You could easily present the details not pictured on the cartoon and use something like this as your presentation visual cue.

Uses

Toondo is appropriate for presenting any material that flows in a linear style, including history narratives, book reports, or even scientific discoveries.

Prezi

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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.