Appetite for more

Here are some online and mobile app resources that are especially relevant to this Week’s topics. We’ve been considering various aspects of speaking, including seminar participation, presentation delivery, group work, and social interactions.

Try  out  some of these  apps to see if any of them  are relevant and useful to you. Some are easier to use than  others.  They are free unless indicated as a paid app. 

In addition to the well-known Powerpoint presentation software, there are a number of presentation apps for creating, editing, delivering or sharing slideshows for academic presentations. You can choose one or more of these tools to ensure you have visual aids that enhance your delivery. In making the choice, it is helpful to consider your own priorities. For example, are you most concerned about ease of use, flexibility, or the ability to be creative with design? Do you want to incorporate video? How important is collaboration or online sharing?

Prezi is an online tool for creating and storing  presentations. Unlike other presentation software tools, Prezi is non-linear; instead it moves around one large canvas and zooms in and out on different views.  There is a free version for  students.

Google slides is an online presentation app with many standard features. It runs in your browser, so it’s easy to share a presentation for several people to edit at the same time.

Powtoon allows you to create simple animated videos and presentations. You can combine the animations with music or your own narration. Powtoon is free to use, but you will need to set up an account.

Easel.ly is a tool to help you represent ideas visually. You can use it to create infographics to embed in your presentation or to share online.

WeVideo is an online video editor that allows you to incorporate video content in your presentations.

Online collaboration tools can be helpful for group work when team members cannot get together in person.

Skype is an online conferencing tool that you can use for live group meetings.

WhatsApp is a popular group chat app that can also be used for academic group work. It allows you to share messages and photos with a named group of team mates.

And don’t forget about the productivity apps we looked at in Week 1, as most of them are very useful for sharing information within group projects.

Finally, here are two websites (not apps) that may be of interest in students who want to improve their speaking skills and learn more about seminars and presentations.

Prepare for Success is an interactive website for international students with resources on studying in the UK. It includes activities on seminar participation.

Using English for Academic Purposes is intended for international students studying in the medium of English. It has a section on speaking that covers presenting orally and group work.