Presentation Tools
Librarians as well as patrons need to know the most effective ways to present information to colleagues, professors, classes, in person, and online. Up until recently most people paid for tools in the Microsoft suite like Power Point. Today there are tools available for free online that can be used to give effective and persuasive presentations. Below you will find a list of the different software available to present information. Each entry includes information for the advantages and disadvantages of each program as well as what it is best used for. This is not an exhaustive list, but it lays out the different programs so that it easier to understand.
Other tools can be better used when conducting presentations live online. Some of the tools available are Join.me which can share screens between both Mac and PC users. Big Marker which can be used both publicly and privately, it allows screen share and has a whiteboard, a useful tool for tutoring. Vyew also has a whiteboard, "offers tools for sharing and discussing content with others. Upload slides or documents and annotate and discuss with other participants in your Vyew room," (Byrne, 2011). Scribbler is another presentation tool that allows, "real-time collaboration" (Byrne.2011) and provides a whiteboard. Zipcast is the last and can be accessed through the website Slideshare. This website can be used privately or publicly also and is done in real time with presentations and interactions with the audience. This list is not exhaustive, there are many more tools not presented, but this gives you a small introduction. than this short list
| Presentation Software | Best For... | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| PowerPoint, Google Slides and KeyNote (Mac use only) | Presentation slides both in person and online | Most familiar format with user and audience, templates, embed media | Oversimplifies a topic, and limits preparation. KeyNote is only for Mac devices |
| Beautiful.ai | Quick and easy presentation slide development | Templates, library of images, adaptive layout design, can download to a pdf | Limited amount of background templates for free account |
| Prezi | Alternative to standard slideshow due to non linear and zooming feature, presentation in person and online | Present on multiple devices, shareable, templates, embed media | Can only use templates, can cause a dizzy effect with motion and zooming of slides |
| Canva | Presentations, banners and posters, inforgraphics, cards | Easy to use, many custom design elements | Can be time consuming to design |
| Genially | Interactive presentations, visual media, infographics. | Easy to use, can create custom media to embed in websites or blogs | Best for online presenting because of interactive features |
| Adobe Spark | Social graphics, web pages, videos, interactive stories | Easy to use, web and mobile | Best for online presenting, video creation limit of 30 seconds |
| Piktochart | Infographics | Easy to use, many custom design elements | Can be time consuming to design |
[Revised by M. Jones: June, 2020]
Byrne, R. (2011). The Best Online Presentation Tools. School Library Journal, 57(8), 12.
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