Prototype Wiki 1 | Tag | Mac

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.

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.

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.