Whether online or face-to-face, teachers are always looking for ways to create engaging learning experiences. Integrating presentations in teaching is an accessible way to bring technology to the classroom and make the best digital tools available. A slideshow lesson conveys information effectively and supports learning since most of it is done visually.
Teachers and students can use presentations to support learning and develop creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. However, the final goal is to make information clear and easy to remember, as visuals complement words. For this reason, presentations should remain simple, focused on images and keywords. To achieve this, you need more advanced tools.
Digital tools for engaging classroom presentations
Here are eight digital tools to look for when creating the best presentations for your classroom:
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Google Slides
Google Slides is a free app that allows teachers and students to create and edit presentations using many features such as the multimedia embedding option and the variety of themes available. Users can also import their favorite themes from an outside source.
Creating new presentation templates can be time-consuming, so teachers can import other presentations they already have. Google Slides allows you to open, edit, and save Microsoft PowerPoint files. You can also present and share presentations on any device, browser, and even Chromecast Hangouts and Airplay.
Tip: Google Slides promotes collaboration and helps you assign teamwork. Students can work with Google Slides at the same time, and changes are saved automatically. Teachers, group coordinators and team members can leave comments and chat.
Read more: 4 Ways to promote collaboration in digital spaces
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Sway
Microsoft's Sway has a user-friendly interface compatible with any device to help users create striking presentations.
Sway offers easy editing, like drop-in photos, videos, and other multimedia files. You can choose from three available layouts, seven core styles with different content laying, decorators, image captions, color, and textures.
Users benefit from additional design options in the Customize style panel and can explore different styles on the spot with the Remix button.
Tip: Sway presentations can be co-edited for instant collaboration and visualized on any device or screen size via an automatic optimization feature. It’s perfect for teachers who want to organize their lessons and synthesize information for students.
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Nearpod
Nearpod gives users the possibility to create interactive slide-based lessons boosted by the extra tools available. Teachers can add a quiz, a poll, and open-ended questions to any slide-based lesson.
You can also customize any lesson from the Nearpod Lesson Library, including hundreds of already made slide-based lessons. A Nearpod lesson is easy to create using the drag and drop option, allowing users to import Google Slides, PDF files, or PowerPoint presentations.
Tip: Nearpod is helpful when you want to provide extra support for students, guide teaching, check for student understanding and improve student outcomes. Also, Nearpod helps students make real-world connections in integrated VR, PhET simulations, and Immersive Reader.
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Pear Deck
Pear Deck is an add-on tool for Google Slides that makes any presentation interactive. Teachers can present their content, include tasks for students to solve online, and check for understanding through questions and quizzes. Pear Deck offers a library of templates from which teachers can choose to support the learning objectives.
Tip: Pear Deck is perfect for online classes because you can invite students to actively participate in the lesson, monitor their work and offer instant feedback.
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Haiku Deck
Haiku Deck is suitable for any web browser, iPad, iPhone, and Chromebook and makes presentations straightforward.
Due to their professional design with stylish fonts, layouts, and image filters, each presentation will be beautiful on any screen. Teachers can also ensure a learning continuum using clear and consistent formatting options.
Tip: You can create meaningful presentations by emphasizing images over words which simplifies the message of any lesson and makes it easier to remember. Teachers and students alike can select from many templates and access over 40 million Creative Commons-licensed images with automatic attributions upon import, promoting digital citizenship.
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Sutori
Sutori allows teachers to offer lessons that focus on collaborative learning as well as promote research, inquiry, critical thinking, and collaboration in any school subject. Using Sutori in the classroom will enhance student literacy, creativity, and communication skills, providing the perfect ground for self-reflection.
With access to many templates and lessons, every presentation will provide structure to learning with the benefits of its versatility and simplicity.
Tip: Teachers can also add social media in their slideshows or scroll down presentations making the best visual quality and connecting to the digitally native world.
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Prezi
Prezi helps you create meaningful learning experiences through memorable presentations while providing information, explaining an assignment, or boosting test preparation in face-to-face or online classrooms. Also, students can use Prezi slideshows in the flipped classroom to access the resources needed to get ready for class.
Teachers can foster interactions and leverage emotional connections with their lessons using visuals and stories.
Tip: Prezi is perfect for online teaching, allowing teachers to present information in a slideshow while simultaneously interacting with students.
Read more: Creating more interactive learning spaces in the new school year
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Canva
Canva helps users design powerful and engaging presentation slides that provide a great visual component to support lessons.
Teachers can choose from hundreds of beautiful layouts, a wide range of presentation templates in various styles and themes, add animations, videos, and audio for the best slide-based lessons, which they can easily share with students.
Tip: Save the slides and use them as handouts.
All in all
Presentations are easy to integrate into face-to-face, hybrid and online lessons. With so many online tools available, teachers can share information with students, assist them in the learning process, ensure they understand and remember key concepts, and provide support.
