Academic Tech Tips

iTunes U is a section within the iTunes Music Store that allows users to upload educational audio and video files for others to download on their computers and mobile devices. This gives faculty the opportunity to create an asynchronous course for their students, allowing them to view the courses in their own time. You would […]

PowToon is an easy to use resource that allows users to create animated videos and presentations. An instructor could use PowToon to enhance lectures or a student could use PowToon to create entertaining presentations. Creating a PowToon presentation allows the user to add visually appealing backgrounds and animations with audio and text that will keep […]

Top Hat is Loyola University Chicago’s new response system. This “bring your own device” web based platform takes classroom polling to a new level. Student engagement can be compiled through seven different questions types, including sorting and clicking on target, discussion boards, and even tournaments. Instructors have the ability to allow students to view old […]

VoiceThread is a collaborative online application that enables users to share a multimedia slideshow and make comments, as part of a group conversation. Once a thread is created, contributing users can comment using text, a webcam, a microphone or even by telephone. With VoiceThread, a group discussion can be securely captured and stored in one […]

SlideShare is a free Web-based sharing program that allows users to find, create and share presentations online.  With SlideShare, anyone can upload slides to the Web from PowerPoint, OpenOffice, Keynote or a variety of other formats, including PDFs, videos and prerecorded webinars.  You can easily sync MP3 audio files with your slides to create a […]

When it comes time to make a presentation, many people go straight to the commonly used PowerPoint. While PowerPoint is a reliable tool, you may want to try something new to engage your audience.   Prezi is a flash-based Web application that allows you to create non-linear presentations using text, images and embedded video. Prezi functions […]