Presentation Tools: PowerPoint, Keynote, or Prezi?
I am beginning the process of planning some presentations for various conferences in 2012. Historically, I have used PowerPoint as my presentation app of choice. (See What’s In Your Presentation Toolbox?) Given I have some time to explore, and some new tools are now available, I am re-evaluating my options.
Presenting With an iPad
Ideally, I would like to walk into a presentation with nothing more than my iPad. I know Apple has a Keynote app for the iPad, and based on some quick scanning of the reviews, it performs well. Still, many of the presentation tips I see relate to a presentation in front of a small group with the iPad serving as the only visual source (i.e. no projector).
How would the iPad perform in front of a live audience?
One of the newer (2-3 years old) apps I am looking at is Prezi, a web-based presentation tool. Prezi is a completely different paradigm than either PowerPoint or Keynote. First, and foremost, it is non-linear. The presenter can easily move from one area of a Prezi presentation to another with a simple click.
Perhaps the best way to appreciate Prezi is to see it in action. Here’ is their official intro video from YouTube:
Prezi has an iPad app, and I like the way Prezi automatically prevents a presentation from quickly becoming a series of (boring) bullet points. Still, old habits die hard, and PowerPoint and Keynote have a lot of stability and familiarity built into the apps.
My first presentation is in mid-January, so I will need to make a decision in the next few days.
Do you have any advice? Powerpoint? Keynote? or Prezi?
Get a Free App for Your Church
For some time, I've searched for the right app for our church. As a temporary work around, I've created a mobile version of our site using WPtouch Pro. It works well, but does not come close to offering the capabilities a dedicated app can offer.
For example, we employ a wide variety of services to deliver content. We use SermonAudio.com, Vimeo, Sermon.Net, Liberated Syndication (for podcasting), plus a host of RSS feeds for each ministry news stream as well as the main news steam for our church. Add to this Facebook and Twitter for our social media components. A dedicated church app allows you to bring all of these diverse sources together into a single, simple interface on a mobile device.
In searching for an app builder, I first looked for a tool that would allow me to build my own app. I'm not a programmer, and don't have time to learn all of the nuances of building mobile apps, but if there was a program that made it relatively simple, it would be a win-win. Unfortunately, there is no such beast. There are the hints of early development in this area, but nothing that jumps out that help someone like me build a quality app.
My next step was to begin looking at the companies that develop dedicated apps for churches. There are several to choose from, and they all seem to be fairly consistent as far as price and features offered. The common pricing model is to charge a one-time setup fee to build the app, and then a monthly fee for continued access to the app. Once the app is built, most companies offer churches a way to access a control panel to add content and customize the app as needed.
What helped me pull the trigger is an offer by Roar App to build 1,000 apps for 1,000 churches in December free of charge. Again, most companies charge anywhere from $500 to $2000+ to build an app. Roar App is offering to build it for free. Granted, Roar doesn't have (see clients) the many of the flagship churches that other companies have, but in reviewing their list of features, it looks like they are on par with the big boys in the neighborhood.
So, if having an app of your own is something you would like to add to your church's technology mix, this may be a good way to enter the playing field.
What are your thoughts? Do you see a need for a church to offer a way for the church congregation and community to connect via mobile technology?
Logos Bible Software & the Kindle Fire
I am learning to use my new Kindle Fire. My favorite Android app so far is Logos Bible Software. This, after all, is the reason I purchased the Fire. I’ve had mobile access of my Logos library for a year or more via my iPad, but as much as I love the iPad, it’s not my favorite reading device. When it is time to do some casual reading, the Kindle is my device of choice. I’ve owned a Kindle 3 for just over a year. If there were books in my Logos library I wanted to read on my Kindle, I had to export the text from Logos for Windows or Mac to a .rtf file, and then send it to my Kindle via Amazon’s free document service. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
When I saw the introduction of the Kindle Fire in September, I pre-ordered one on the spot. (It is an early Christmas gift.) I had two motives for purchasing the Fire: 1) access to my Logos library on a Kindle-like device; 2) the added benefit of reading with a touch screen rather than e-ink, which requires a light.
If I keep those two objectives in mind, then I am very satisfied with my Kindle Fire. In my opinion, the Kindle Fire is not an iPad killer. I don’t think Amazon designed it to be an iPad killer. The device is clearly built to consume media, and it does this very well.
With the addition of the Logos Bible Software app in the Amazon App Store, I am now set for reading nearly any book in my library. Unfortunately, the current development of the Logos app limits its value as a study tool. Before I can read a Logos book for serious research or study using any mobile device, the Android or iOS apps will need the capability to highlight text, create notes, and have my notes and highlights sync with my desktop version of Logos Bible Software.
According to the good folks at Logos, these features are on the way, but there is no mention of a timeline.
News of the Day: Black Friday Starting Before Thanksgiving Ends
If you are one who desires to simplify your life and lead a life less driven by consumerism, avoid television the week of Thanksgiving! I have been amazed at how obsessed the news media is concerning “black Friday.” It is so bad that Thanksgiving has become nothing more than an unavoidable bump in the road to the Christmas shopping season.
Folks, we need to take a step back and realize that there is more to life than shopping. Still, listen to our political leaders, and they will try to convince you that from an economic perspective there is so much riding on the holiday shopping season that everyone needs shop, shop, shop in order to support the economy. Am I the only one who thinks this is warped?
Earlier this week, the Congress failed to agree on spending cuts equalling $1.2 Trillion. No one wants to deal with the difficult reality that this nation is broke. Leaders should be encouraging our people to be frugal this Christmas season and seek out ways to celebrate Christmas without spending themselves into debt. Instead, it’s the opposite. No one wants to deal with the unpleasant reality of financial bankruptcy. As a country, we continually kick the can a little further down the road hoping that somehow, everything will fix itself before the entire house comes crashing down on top of us. Sooner or later, we must draw a line in the sand and say enough. America has become a consumer-oriented economy, and the consumers are broke.
What would happen if the majority (the 99 percent) agreed to shop only with cash this Christmas season? What would happen if the 99 percent agreed to give $1 to missions or a charity for every $1 spent on Christmas gifts? What would happen if the 99 percent agreed to invest one hour in real time with friends and family for every hour they spend shopping or planning to shop?
What ideas do you have to curb the compulsion to shop?
News of the Day: ISU Defeats No. 2 OSU
Wow. That seemed to be the single word the erupted across social media sites as news began to spread of Iowa State’s stunning upset of No. 2 ranked Oklahoma State. ESPN’s David Ubben summed up the evening this way: "Oklahoma State's title hopes? Gone. Brandon Weeden's Heisman hopes? Dashed. Iowa State shook up the college football races Friday night.” As #Cyclones began trending on Twitter, fans from Alabama to Oklahoma (OU) to Oregon began rejoicing that their teams were back in the chase for a chance at the national title.
This game was played at home for Iowa State in front of a sell out crowd and a national television audience. The first half of the game looked like the games was going to play out as expected--OSU led ISU 24-7 at one point. Then OSU began making mistakes and ISU began playing like champions.
Even as the game entered its second overtime, I think everyone watching just knew OSU was going to pull this out. The ESPN announcing crew kept reminding us that ISU had something like a 0-56 record in overtime against top two teams.
Then OSU’s quarterback, Brandon Weeden, had a pass picked off and ISU was able to score in a couple of running plays.
That’s when Twitter and Facebook lit up. Wow. Unbelievable. Oh. My. Goodness.
It was quite an evening for the Cyclone Nation, quote an evening for the state of Iowa, and quite an evening for college football.