Research Thing 13: Presenting your research

I have used Prezi for Information Literacy sessions, but would love to use a presentation tool for perhaps a conference presentation. I have only used PowerPoint for such events.

I like Prezi but am a very basic user. I know there are some powerful features of this tool, but I am still learning. I love to download and view or search for presentations from SlideShare. There are some great presentations and subjects on SlideShare.

Other presenations tools I know of are Google Slides but this is not as intuitive as images cannot be embedded. A drawback is the inability to add images or video. There is no option to browse the camera roll for media, or even to copy and paste images from other sources.

Another visual tool that you can use on the iPad (as with the Prezi app) is Haiku Deck. When I was investigating presentation tool apps I looked at the Prezi app (so you can run a Prezi from your device) and also Haiku Deck. One unique and useful feature is its ability to search Creative Commons–licensed images to use in your slides. It is great for anyone who wants to create elegant presentations with a minimalist look. 

Depending on the purpose of the presentation, a researcher has many options to choose from. If they want a visual presentation with images and videos, and embedding it into other social media platforms, then Haiku Deck or Prezi are great (and the advantage of the mobile app versions). SlideShare is fantastic to share presentations and get greater exposure and imapct. 

There are so many options these days, is it a matter of knowing the purpose and audience and then choosing the right tool to engage the audience. Learning a new tool can require some time, but the end result is worth it and it adds to lifelong learning.

Research Thing 12: Digital curation and content aggregation

I use the following tools:

Feedly
Ever since Google Reader ceased, I tried Netvibes for a while but then discovered Feedly. Great app. for the iPad. You can organise your feeds into folders by subject and favourite posts can be saved to Pocket, as mentioned in the Thing's readings. This is the best way for me to keep my RSS feeds organised, and keep up to date. I also have some RSS feeds in Outlook that are work related, like Library Biz, which works well to not miss anything important for work.

Pinterest
Pinterest I use for fun, I have a home libraries pin board and a style / clothing pinboard. I also had created an apps and gadgets pinboard and a mood board.

FlipBoard
I love to create magazines of RSS feeds from my different social media accounts. You can curate things into magazines, eg. food. People can follow your magazine and get updates as you add content to the magazine. You can also follow other people's magazines. Love the feel of "flippping" the pages like you would a print magazine. Very visual.

Pocket
This and Instapaper makes bookmarking pages on the web and blog posts easy and also more accessible in terms of reading and viewing. The text is much more simplified and you can enlarge the text for easier reading if required. You can organise your bookmarks and pages you have saved to read later.

Research Thing 11: Web conferencing and communication tools

I have used Skype for personal purposes and also paid a small fee to be able to call home when I was overseas. It is sooo much cheaper to call a landline using Skype when overseas. I have used the chat, and video conferencing features and find it easy to use.

I have had a brief training session on Adobe Connect with an IT staff member as I hosted a webinar on it. At first it was a bit daunting, but then it was all OK. There have been occasions when using Adobe Connect, there have been some technical issues, but it is still useful for webinars nontheless.

I can see how these tools can be used, especially when researchers  collaborate or HDR students need a conference call with their supervisor.

Research Thing 10: Managing and manipulating digital images

I just did a search on Flickr for creative commons photos and typed in Research. I found a photo in a laboratory from the Argonne National Laboratory Materials Engineering Research Facility. This photo shows an instrument that separates and analyzes the components of a sample to measure and identify impurities.

So I can see how demonstrations and apparatus, or documenting research events etc. can be a useful record and for sharing with others.

Research Thing 9: Survey tools

I have used Qualtrics and Google Forms . I have used Qualtrics for quick staff feedback on internal training and also for infromation literacy and for external training such as at library events.

I have used Google Forms for Information Literacy feedback in the past and for collating what food people would bring for Harmony Day at Strathfield. I like Qualtrics for more formalised surveys as it has the ACU branding on it. Also it is easy to share and collaborate when creating a questionnaire and reports are easy generate. This has been good for evidence in PRPs. Google forms is easy too, but you all people who collaborate need Google acounts. It's free, however and for informal information gathering, it has unlimited response rate.

Survey Monkey is only free but with limitiations. For instance, only a certain number of respondents allowed and limited questions can be asked. You would need a paid version for unlimited access, hence why I liked Google Forms more.

Research Thing 8: Mindmapping and brainstorming tools

I started creating a Padlet at http://padlet.com/vicki_bourbous/60qb05fr5cz9

It seems easy enough to use - also has an iPad app. It is a fun way to brainstorm, although I like Socrative as a way to brainstorm live if teaching and save the results for sharing.

This, however, is for collaborating in a social networking way, to brainstorm, especially if people are in different locations. I do like it and can see its potential uses.