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.