Is it worth it? - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Emaze is an online platform for creating engaging presentations featuring a collaborative component where multiple users can work together to build a presentation together, an autoplay feature with audio recording capabilities, as well as the capability of embedding many other forms of content into created products. Also, previously created PowerPoints can be uploaded to the app and converted to a 3D presentation. It goes the other way too as Emaze presentations can be exported to .pptx files (PowerPoint format) for use on conventional computers offline.
The example above uses the Emaze online presentation app done in World History during our study of the Scientific Revolution. Emaze creates animated, 3D professional looking presentations and offers a large number of editable templates with all the features of Google Slides and more. See the screenshot for the assignment given to students. My reasoning for selecting this tool for students to use centered around the features it offers, its engaging format, and the ability to manipulate their templates with minor changes so students spend most of their time immersed in content and less with graphic design.
The presentation above was used in Economics class during our study of the structures within the labor market. I was able to manipulate the templates to fit how the content needed to be presented, as well as embed a YouTube video by CNN explaining the concept of collective bargaining. Each slide could have its own audio recording presenting the info, as this is a fairly new feature to this tool.
For this assignment, students partnered up to research 10 emperors from our study of the ancient Roman Empire and create a brief digital biography for each (see screenshot for requirements). Students had a choice between Smore and Piktochart, and most chose Smore.
The rational behind choosing this tool was two-fold. One, I needed the capability of an easy and efficient way for them to access each others' works. Secondly, my goal was for the products be be engaging and visually appealing so they would look at the info with multiple literary points of access. Because I am assessing them on their mastery of specific principles of Rome and not their skills in graphic design, this tool provided the capability without the students spending too much time on "bells & whistles" and more time on research and application with the content.
This is a Smore flyer I created promoting the SW Independent Study Courses I offer. I included it to show the various types of media that can be embedded EASILY (seriously, to add music and video, you just need to know how to copy and paste a weblink).
Bells & Whistles |
This blog introduces a number of Chromebook tools designed to increase engagement, reinforce specific academic skills, increase rigor/DOK, and illustrate how some of these tools can be incorporated with fidelity and benefit to any content area without "re-inventing the wheel". ArchivesCategories |