== Presentation Tools ==
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=== What are they? ===
Presentation tools are probably better known by their most famous exemplar, Microsoft’s !PowerPoint. They are, of course, the online equivalent of a traditional slide show, but are much more powerful. For example, you can include sound, movies and links to Websites in order to provide your students with a rich multimedia experience.
	
=== How can I use them with my students? ===
The traditional way to use a presentation tool is as an aid to lecturing, with text slides summarising the key concepts and facts which you want students to acquire, and images and movies to illustrate your words. However, you might like to consider the following additional uses:

 * Capture an entire lecture or talk and turn it into a [wiki:TechnologiesPodcasts podcast] using a tool such as [http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk/bbflashback.aspx BB FlashBack] (for Windows) or  [http://www.profcast.com/public/index.php Profcast] (for Macs). These allow you to capture audio and a !PowerPoint presentation simultaneously, and then combine them into a single file for distribution.
 * Create !PowerPoint quizzes.
 * Allow students to present their work in the form of a presentation, either to encourage their public-speaking skills or as an alternative for students who have difficulties with extended writing.

=== Examples ===

Interesting uses of augmented power point for elearning can be found in the [http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/casestudy.2.pdf "Explore new concepts"] case study from Fermanagh College, Northern Ireland.There are also video materials associated with this case study available from the JISC [http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning_pedagogy/elp_casestudies.aspx Effective Practice case studies] page.  

=== Where can I get one? ===
Most colleges and universities have site licences for Microsoft Office, which includes !PowerPoint. However, free open-source alternatives are now available, including [http://www.openoffice.org/product/impress.html Impress] (part of the [http://www.openoffice.org/ Open Office] suite) and [http://show.zoho.com/jsp/zoho_login.jsp Zoho Show].

You can find a [http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/presentation.html list of presentation tools] and related software, as well as further tips on how to use them, on the Website of the [http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/index.html Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies].

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