Almost every time I´m listening to a keynote speaker I´m surprised that they don´t use the possibilities that comes with ICT today. Many speakers use handouts that the audience can use to follow the keynote and/or to make personal notes. Others supply the keynote after the presentation through a link or by attachment in a mail. This is doing things the way they have ”always” been done. Today it´s easy to share the keynote in advance or to use a presentation tool in which the audience can interact with the speaker to make the presentation more interesting.
Powerpoint – don´t need an introduction. Microsofts tool to make presentations.
Advantages: If you have the Microsoft Office Package you have Powerpoint. It´s a very common tool for making presentations, so most people are used to it.
Disadvantages: Haven´t always been that userfriendly, but if you have one of the later versions they´ve tried to improve that area. If you have an iPad there is an Powerpoint app nowadays so that you can view powerpoints. If you want to use the app to create or change presentations you need an Office 365 subscription.
Keynote – Apple equivalent to Powerpoint.
Advantages: User-friendly and a nice interface. As with many Apple products you can think ”Drag´n drop”, which makes it easy to use. If you have more than one Apple product (for instance a computer and an iPad) it´s easy to start working on one and then switching to the other and continue to work. There are some support functions that once you get used to then you can´t understand how you managed before them. For instance placing a picture in the center is done by lines that show when the picture is centered and they disappear as soon as you move the picture. Just move the picture until the lines show up and you know you´ve found the center. Keynote manages different formats and can open Powerpoints as well.
Disadvantages: Doesn´t work on PC (you can export a format that works, but you might loose some graphics7animations). If you´re used to Powerpoint it takes some time to adapt to keynote.
Google docs has a presentation tool that´s called Presentation
Advantages: Free
Disadvantages: A bit limited in functionality compared to Powerpoint and Keynote.
A tool that´s in the borderland between presentations and animations. There is a Videoscribe-app. A very good tool if you have a story to present, not as suitable for presenting facts.
Advantages: A visual way of presenting. The students can see the pictures emerge as the hand draws them.
Disadvantages: Since the concept is using clip-art and text to create a story it takes some effort if you need other pictures than the ones integrated in Videoscribe.
Advantages: You can look at the whole presentation at the same time (imagine a big paper where you have your presentation (instead of slides in a row)). The presentation then zooms in and out to show different parts. A visual way to present your ideas.
Disadvantages: The audience can get a feeling of motion sickness when you zoom in and out in the presentation. Making minor changes in the presentation is not as easy as in Powerpoint/Keynote.
Advantages: A competent tool for different ways of presenting information. Also great for making Infographics.
Disadvantages: Limited free version. Monthly fee to unlock more content.
Open office Impress/Libre office Presentation
Advantages: Free. Works on both PC and Mac. Can manage many different formats.
Disadvantages: Has some limitations if you want to do more advanced stuff in your presentation.
Advantages: Saves your presentations online, so that you can access them from anywhere (as long as you have an internetconnection). A very common way for speakers to share their presentations with the audience. Pretty easy to use and manages quite many different formats.
Advantages: The free version is limited in functionality.
Advantages: Free. Is available both online and as an app. Focus on pictures. Very little text on each slide. Easy to use. A good tool for students to use when doing presentations since they can´t write down everything they´re going to say.
Disadvantages: Sometimes you want more text than Haiku Deck allows.
Present me An onlinetool that record your presentation with divided screen, so the audience can see both the presentation and the one doing the talking.
Advantage: A good tool to use especially for those that use flipped classroom.
Disadvantage: Expensive!
Example of other tools that can be used:
Slideidea Interact with the audience during your presentation.
SlideKlowd Interact with the audience during your presentation.
Jux Adapted for making presentations with iPad and iPhone.
Slideshark An app to see Powerpointpresentations on your iPad or iPhone. Expensive if you want to unlock the pro-version.
Knovio Onlineservice where you can add sounds to your presentation.
Brainshark From the company behind Slideshark.
Deck.js For those that like to code.
Impress Similar toPrezi.
You can make presentations in other formats as well. For instance in the form of a comic. I´ll save those to other parts of of my serie ICT in schools.
Good luck with your presentations!