Presentation Tools

There are many presentation tools, other than just PowerPoint, now available through libraries.  Here are some examples of multi-media presentation tools:

Animoto

Animoto creates video pieces from digital images, digital clips, and music.; an alternative to PowerPoint.

Audacity

Audacity is free recording software you can download and use to record students talking; makes great audio for projects with Movie Maker or PowerPoint.

Blabberize

A blabber is a talking picture;make your photos talk.

Dipity

Create your own timeline or select from online ones in Dipity.

Download PhotoStory

Photostory is a free download

Drop-io

Use drop.io to privately share files and collaborate in real time by web, email, phone, mobile, and more.

Emoticons

In this High-Tech Dictionary from Computer User magazine, this is a list of the keyboard symbols representing facial expressions, like smiley faces and a lot more.

FlickrStorm

Get high quality pictures, and narrow the search to common domain pictures, which are free to use

ImageOid

ImageOid is free image modifier available on Firefox, Safari, Chrome BUT NOT Internet Explorer as of 5/11.

Jing

Jing is a tool that lets you take screen shots including video. Copy or save them to use in other documents.

Photostory

A detailed guide to creating PhotoStory presentations.

Prezi

Create unique presentations with Prezi.

SlideRocket

Use this tool to create presentations with unique templates.

The Newspaper Clipping Generator

Enter your own text to generate "newspaper" like articles with images,etc.

Voicethread

VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or phone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam).

Wordle

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide.

(from the Parkway Northeast Middle school’s website)

The Colorado Virtual Library offers another list, with some overlapping tools, but some new ones as well.

Common Sense Media – There might be some overlap of tools at this site – however, the list is one of the best I have seen!

Adobe Spark’s  design features capture visuals and turns them into social graphics, web stories, flyers, and animated videos and more! It can be used on a desktop or IOS device.

Animoto:  Photos and video can be put together in a professional looking presentation with your own style and music. Customize your photos and videos with text and get ready to present.

Canva is a tool for creating presentations, resumes, graphic design pages, or editing photos online. There is a useful design school section with tutorials, teaching materials and design courses to help users learn more about graphic design.

Go Animate: In less than 5 minutes, you can easily create a professional looking animated video that’ll tell your story out loud. It’s ideal for the classroom because it serves up information in a unique and engaging way, that’ll keep students interested. And, the unlimited subscriptions mean you’ll have complete access to unlimited creation, hosting and download.

Haiku Deck is a cross-platform, (Laptop, Desktop,  iPad, iPhone, and Android) slideshow presentation tool that uses amazing layouts/fonts for engaging slides. There is access to over 40 million Creative Commons licensed images and you can also integrate it with Google Classroom!

Photo Peach is an online presentation tool for students for creating slideshows using photos. Students can add background music and text to enrich their slides and easily drag and drop their images in place.

Powtoon is an online presentation tool where you can create animated comic style presentations. It has graphic templates to use that you add your text along with your own voiceovers. Presentations can be exported to YouTube, Vimeo and, even PowerPoint.

Prezi  This one has been around for awhile, however, Prezi keeps reinventing itself. Take a look at the updated features – presentations feature a map-like, schematic overview that lets users pan among topics at will, zoom in and out on desired details, and pull back to reveal context. Videos and images can be added to your own design or you can use Prezi templates.

Thinglink is a tool that creates presentations based on interactive images that are embedded with rich media links. Users can embed audio and video links that pop out from pictures to visually tell a story. One great feature is the ability to create interactive 360° image tours that can be viewed on mobile virtual reality headsets.

Vectr is a free graphics editor that students can use to make imagery and then download for presentations, websites and other projects. The desktop and web app has builtin help tutorials for students too!

Voki  Fun and engaging presentations are created by adding the customizable Voki characters, audio, and images. You will need Adobe Flash 9 for the free version. Paid versions are available too.

(from https://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/technology/digital-presentation-tools/)

What is similar about all the tools is that they offer multi-media, even interactive aspects with rich media links.  This offers rich media choices that can be used in teaching, informative, or sales presentations.

Digital Storytelling

“Once upon a time…” has gone digital.   The Stony Brook University library describes digital story telling this way:

“Digital Stories are multimedia movies that combine photographs, video, animation, sound, music, text, and often a narrative voice. Digital stories may be used as an expressive medium within the classroom to integrate subject matter with extant knowledge and skills from across the curriculum. Students can work individually or collaboratively to produce their own digital stories. Once completed, these stories may be easily uploaded to the internet and can be made available to an international audience, depending on the topic and purpose of the project.”

Roland, C. (2006). Digital stories in the classroom. School Art,105(7), 26. (http://guides.library.stonybrook.edu/digital-storytelling)

From one point of view, digital story telling could be viewed as just another medium of expression, an enhanced multimedia experience to “wow” your audience and keep the attention of the attention-deficit “internet” generations.  Movie makers have been telling digital stories for years, and that medium certainly has its place.  Video game makers tell stories using digital graphics and sound.  Even “books on tape” are a crude form of digital story telling.  But, today’s digital story telling is truly a multi-media experience, and many young people are accustomed to this sort of communication.

But, from another point of view, there is something to be said for the value of a good story told in print.  Could you really take a masterpiece, like John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row” and make it a digital story?  In form there is substance.  As Marshall McLuhan said, “The media is the message.”  In effect, the form of a medium is so intrinsically embedded in any message that it influences how the message is perceived, in effect communicating a meta-message along with the content.  So, digital stories have their place, but they are not a replacement for novels or short stories.  For example, although you could craft a digital story, illustrating Edgar Allan Poe’s “Pit and the Pendulum,” it would be wrong.  It was a story that was written for the theatre of the imagination, not to be limited by concrete graphics and sound.

Libraries In The Digital Age

Before the digital age, if you wanted to use the resources of a library, you had to go to a building somewhere.  Now, in the age of digital communications and the internet, extensive library resources are available to library patrons anywhere they can get internet access.  In fact, not only can library resources be accessed online, but entire university degree programs have been offered strictly on the internet.  On the webpage, “Guide to Online Schools,” (https://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/online-schools), in 2018 there are 593 online university programs, and every single one of them would be impossible without access to a robust digital library.

As an example of the kinds of resources that are available in university libraries online, I interviewed my parent about her library at Grand Canyon University, where she completed her MBA program a few years ago.  She said that all her text books were offered on-line and she was able to access books, periodicals, and research journals through the university’s online library.  In addition, she now has free access, as an alumnus, to alumni databases, such as Academic Search, Business Book Summaries, 1300 full-text business magazines and journals, and 650 peer-reviewed journals on business topics.  There are also 3,000 journals in nursing and allied health topics through CINAHL, 650 international peer-reviewed titles through Sage Premier; SAGE research Methods offers 100,000 pages of book, journal and reference content; and there are research methods cases also available on SAGE.  Other databases that are freely available to alumni are BioMed Central, DOAJ, ERIC (Government site), GreenFILE (with abstracts for more than 612,000 records), LexisWeb (the free legal search engine), and PubMed (with more than 20 million citations for biomedical literature.

My parent went to school for her bachelor’s degree before the digital age.  She had to live on campus and walk to the library to access its resources.  She had to take notes on 3x5 cards and make photocopies in order to do research.  Now, she has been able to study at home, Starbucks, or even in the quiet of a library, all because libraries have entered the digital age and their resources are available online nearly as much as they are by visiting a library building.  

VR in Library Science

Troy Lambert, of the public library association, said in his article, “Public Libraries Online,” “But what, if any, is the future of virtual reality (VR) in the library?”  To answer this question, you have to examine how VR is already being used in libraries, and then prognosticate, based on possible advances in how VR is already being used.

Currently, libraries are offering experiences beyond books, such as free Wi-Fi and computer access, 3D printing labs, computer-based storytelling, and presentation programs.  So, in one sense, libraries may offer VR as just another development tool, such as a VR computer lab.  But, VR offers a whole new experience that may be developed and expanded in the future by libraries.

Just as software programs exploded with the invention of personal computers, with the invention of VR, content providers may start developing more and more VR content for public consumption, such as VR tours, VR training, VR gaming, and even VR worlds where people can go and interact with other people throughout the world through avatars of themselves.  Also, new VR versions of textbooks, history books, and all number of other topics and titles may be created and libraries, to keep up with this media explosion, will need to expand, offering VR helmets and rooms where these new VR experiences can occur safely.

Troy Lambert, “Virtual Reality in the Library: Creating a New Experience,” http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2016/02/virtual-reality-in-the-library-creating-a-new-experience/) offers some other possibilities for virtual reality in libraries, such as:

1)     Virtual travel and experience.  Not everyone can afford to travel everywhere these days, and some places are not safe for everyone to visit.  VR offers the opportunity for an enriching experience with those places at an accessible price.

2)     Virtual gaming and new skills.  Gaming can offer a creative way to learn or to compete.

3)     Virtual reality levels the playing field.  VR can help people overcome issues with disability, or diverse issues such as height, weight, gender, or race.

4)     Story telling.  Apps like vrse may help libraries tell stories using VR.

5)     NASA education.  Not all of us can go to space, but NASA offers a VR experience through Oculus that allows users to experience the wonders of space craft exploration.

6)     Driver safety programs.  VR offers a unique and safe way to simulate an experience so that novice drivers can experience challenging situations safely and learn to be safer drivers.  This kind of simulation experience could also apply to many situations, such as flying a plane or operating heavy machinery.

7)     Field trips.  Google recently released “Google Exhibitions Pioneer Program.”  This and other programs like it could be used in schools to give VR “hands on” experiences for eager students.

Other ways that VR could be used is putting the library itself in a VR program, so that instead of just searching online by topic, title, or author, a patron could browse the library in VR, pull titles from the shelves and sample them, then check them out in VR then access the full version online, or pick it up later at the RL library.

One limiting factor for the utilization of VR will be balancing the acquisition budget of the library between traditional sources, internet sources, and VR resources.  What may be technologically capable may not be economically feasible, so VR may be limited for some time to “laboratory” access usage, where there are VR stations and any access to content may have to be purchased by patrons on a pay per use basis.  Still, VR offers a whole new medium for learning, storytelling, and experiencing the world as it is, as it was, as it may be someday, and even fantasy worlds.  Libraries will have to find a way to keep up with this next wave of media.

Virtual Reality in Libraries

In the article, “Making Virtual Reality a Reality,” Anne Ford, American Libraries editor focuses on VR usage and services at North Carolina State University Library.

I wasn’t even aware that libraries provided this type of service because of the price for technology and equipment since most libraries have budget constraints, but it makes sense to have and provide services for VR handsets and projects at academic libraries due to education, computer science innovations and modern technology design exploration.

North Carolina State University Library created a VR project known as the MLK Project that enables library users to can experience a re-creation of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to a crowd at White Rock Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina urging his supporters to continue nonviolent action while demanding their equal rights.   

VR is a service that can be used in many fields to educate or provide knowledge by using modern technology to visual display situations or places that might have never been seen or visually demonstrated. Some examples can be archeological sites that have not been accessible to modern society due to the fragile state of the environment or artifacts. In the medical field or the sciences headsets can be used for teaching techniques/purposes such as performing surgeries. VR headsets can be used in the different field beside computer technology and design, certain fields like psychology and education can benefit in VR uses.

NCSU Library began lending Oculus Rift VR headsets in 2014 but soon realized that users needed specific floor space designated at the library to properly explore and use headsets. After the first VR headset purchased in 2014, the NCSU Library quickly acquired and added HTC Vive to their services.  A VR Usability Lab was located near a library service staff desk to support with troubleshooting.

It is very crucial for libraries to invest in good VR headsets and high-performance computers that can power VR headsets.  For the most part, NCSU Library has not had major constraints with VR services, since students and faculty appreciate and take good care of VR headsets and computers.

Different ways VR headsets can be used:

Work Cited:

Ford, Anne. American Libraries. Sep/Oct2017, Vol. 48 Issue 9/10, p20-21. 2p. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=efaf9b1e-b8be-4646-900a-bbe3a06500ed%40sessionmgr4008. Accessed: 26 Apr. 2018.

Oculus. "Mobile VR is better than ever." Youtube, 29 Mar. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=l9o8MJKsU_0.

One Step Farther

When it comes to making presentations to groups, whether it is Dr. Suess to elementary school kids, healthy choices to high school students or a computer class to adults, we have a lot of options. We have come a long way from PowerPoint and googleSlides. Today we will look at a tool to create a whiteboard video, enhance the traditional slide presentation while chatting or texting on the site, and how to grab your audiences attention, even after days of lectures. 

VideoScribe allows you a free trial to try out their whiteboard videos. Loved for their simplicity and fun styling, whiteboard videos are an effective tool to teach and tell stories. 

BigMarker can be used for webinars, presentations, classes and so much more. You can chat and view the projects while you work on them together, making collaboration more efficient.

Powtoon takes you out of the traditional, boring slides. Making it easier to add audio and the like, Powtoon will easily help you bring your presentation to the next level.

Works:

BigMarker - Modern, No-Download Webinar Software. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2018, from https://www.bigmarker.com/

Create Awesome Videos & Presentations. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2018, from https://www.powtoon.com/home/

Dewar, S. (2016, November 10). VideoScribe Tutorial 1: Getting Started. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLe1f_VQa-M

P. (2013, July 22). Retrieved April 25, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRqO5MasiFk

VideoScribe (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2018, from https://www.videoscribe.co/en/

Virtual Reality and Libraries

     Virtual reality.  Long have I heard of it's coming into the mainstream.  Does anyone remember that old Micheal Douglas-Demi Moore movie from the 90s about a Seattle tech company and sexual harassment? There was an extended scene in the movie featuring cutting edge virtual reality technology.  Over two decades later it's still not in every living room or library for that matter...but perhaps I speak too soon.  Some libraries have begun to take notice of the technology such as Harvard and North Carolina State University and even some public libraries in California. 
     The McGill University Library in Montreal, Quebec has begun an innovation project featuring virtual reality.  They purchased high-end equipment and made it available to the entire college community with the goal of allowing students to explore the educational media and software available for both VR and AR.  Although interest was high bookings to use the equipment remained low.  But as popularity grows they expect the numbers to rise as well (Green & Groenendyk)
   I have no desire to strap on a pair of goggles and go hiking in the Grand Canyon but the idea that I could see and virtually touch ancient artifacts or rare books or art is very intoxicating.  That I would line up for and with the advancements being made and libraries open to the idea there is a good chance I may one day see the Declaration of Independence up close and personal.  Below is a video outlining Virtual reality and its uses in a library setting.

Works Cited

GREENE, DAVID and MICHAEL GROENENDYK. "Virtual and Augmented Reality as Library Services." Computers in Libraries, vol. 38, no. 1, Jan/Feb2018, pp. 4-7. EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=127369434&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Thalmann, Sarah. "Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Libraries." YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUjQ7VFPWxY

What To Do With Special Print Collections in A Digital Age?

As we know, the times, they are a-changin’. While many professions are expected to advance and evolve with technology and our ever-shifting society, there is real concern that the library will no longer be relevant. Either it will die a slow, pitiful death or it will limp along, trying to turn itself into a circus to keep patrons. Well, I’m here to tell you that neither of those will happen. 

Libraries have and always will be places of learning and knowledge. They are also a place of community and growth. They are a safe place and a place for resources, not just books. 

One of the ways libraries are changing to meet the digital age is to take the beautiful collections that we have in print and digitize them, therefore expanding accessibility. The Walter Havighurst Special Collections at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio has published an article on just such a project. As of 2015, the Special Collections Department held half a million postcards dating from the 1880s to the 1990s. They were from around the country and the world. Even the library staff didn’t know what was in the collections, as the majority of it was uncatalogued. The project faced many of the usual roadblocks, funding, noticeability, staffing, and took almost three years. 

Works

Bowden Postcard Collection Online Update: Donations, Maps, and More. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2018, from http://spec.lib.miamioh.edu/home/bowden-postcard-collection-online-update-donations-maps-and-more/

Shawn W. Nicholson, Terrence B. Bennett. (2016) Dissemination and Discovery of Diverse Data: Do Libraries Promote Their Unique Research Data Collections?. The International Information & Library Review               

                                                                           48:2, pages 85-93.