Presentation Tools - By Carlos P. Bulling

When we think of Presentation Tools, office software like Microsoft PowerPoint comes to mind. In fact, it may surprise one to find there are many applications available that power different forms of expression, creativity, and demonstration.

It's not all for business. Will Presentation Tools help you with work or with an organization such as Toastmasters? Definitely. Do Presentation Tools include posters and children's stories? Precisely!

One way to learn and create the quality thinking of a creative person is to tell stories using digital applications. This is called:

DIGITAL PUBLISHING

According to the University of Houston's Digital Storytelling website, it is the practice of using computer-based tools to create stories. The university's page describes it as including anything from documentaries to essays to electronic memoirs. It also mentions interactive storytelling, which brings to mind cinematic video games and virtual reality.

The University of Houstin's website also mentions education celebrating digital storytelling through all ages, teaching it in institutions from early childhood through graduate school.

A few programs students can use, particular the younger ones but also the old, are Make Belief Comix, which I've tried, in which you fill in templates of cute cartoons in order to arrange stories. Another is Canva, in which you can create flashy documents with ease from the comfort of your cell phone. The website, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning lists four others, aside from Canva and Make Belief Comix, including StoryboardThat, Adobe Spark, Animoto, and Pixton.

StoryboardThat includes fun historical and fantastical characters for users of all ages to pose in different dioramas or storyboards. Setting up storyboards on the web page is fun. So, far I see many characters and themes that are interesting, such as "Medievel" and "Mythical" themes. Adobe Spark is a software in which you can make mesmerizing video stories and graphics. It has templates for all kinds of graphics and flyers. Although I have not tried it yet, it looks similar to Canva. 

Next, we have Animoto and Pixton. Animoto is a program that allows you to animate stories through simple videos! According to its website, animoto.com, it's a tool that allows video creation to be easy for schools. I imagine it makes things easier for students, and if you are a student, teacher, or administrator for a school you can sign up for a free account. Finally, Pixton is an app that lets you create stories out of various characters and cartoons. It's limited to grade school students, teachers, educators, parents and business accounts so I have not yet tried it. But it looks similar to Make Belief Comix, and it has a comic builder and avatar character creation system. Pixton lists numerous accolades on its website, including recent awards from Tech & Learning Awards as well as Reader's Choice.

Digital publishing is sometimes overlooked. It's a great way to combine storytelling with the learning of digital applications. It may even be used for fundraising to encourage contributions, for example, a story could provide context to the importance of giving donations. Also, creating digital stories is just fun. Either way, stay posted if you want to see more topics on Presentation Tools that librarians and library students can use.

Work's Cited

Animoto. Animoto, 2023, animoto.com. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

Digital Publishing. University of Houston Education, 2023, digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edupage.cfm?id=27&cid=27. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

Kharbach, Med. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. EdTech, 2022, educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/list-of-best-free-digital-storytelling.html. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

Pixton. Pixton, 2021, pixton.com. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.