PRESENTATIONAL TOOLS

Apps and tools you may not know... With thanks to Pete Fraser Pete's Media Blog HERE

Thanks to my friends @NYPotamitis and @dave_w_harrison, who use some of these tools on their diploma course and are able to recommend them for media projects. Some you may know, some you may use already, some you may find just do the same thing as other apps you use, but they are all free and online and relatively easy to use.

1. Padlet: this app allows you to put together a 'wall' of stuff. It looks a bit like Pinterest but is probably best used as a way of everyone in class putting up their ideas on a whiteboard, so it becomes like a 'live team wall' for sharing ideas and work done. Here's an example from a lower school english lesson:

2. Trello: this is effectively a 'digital to do list' and is ideal for long term group projects like coursework. You can organise things into three columns, for example, with 'to do', 'doing' and 'done' and gradually tasks shift to the third column, giving a sense of completion. Here's one from a diploma project:

3. Piktochart is an excellent tool for making infographics, which can look pretty good and express your information in really clear, visual terms. When you login, it even has fellow members online to help you with problems! Here's one on computer programming:

4. Simplebooklet allows you to create attractive booklets from otherwise dull material and stick them online. It is a bit like templates for desktop publishing, but can certainly liven up your material:

If you click on the image above, you can go into any of the booklets and see what is possible. It would be a good way of producing a summary of your research and planning work from your blog, for example.

5. Pixlr is a cut-down online picture editing tool. It doesn't do as much as Photoshop, but it is free and accessible anywhere. Give it a try.

6. Animoto: You may be familiar with this video editor, but if not, give it a try. It allows you to make up to 30 second videos out of stills, so is ideal for presenting bits of research as slightly more sophisticated slideshows.

Storyboard Preliminary PT 2

Christina's video above shows her storyboard. 

7. Finally, Kickstarter- why not think about using it in combination with some of these apps and tools to make your project that little more 'real'? really helps you to get to grips with issues of audience and institution!