An often overlooked part of Powerpoint or Keynote presentation design, is the initial class layout process. You may have all of the information in your mind, and may even have picked images, and activities for your upcoming class. However, many instructors jump right in and start making slides in their favorite software. If you can step away from Powerpoint or Keynote for for just a little while, and instead grab StickyBoard 2 for your iPad, the process of designing your presentation just might go a lot smoother.
The process of lying out your entire presentation before you begin creating slides can save a lot of time during the creation process. I used to use actual “old school” Post-It notes and a Sharpie for the planning process, and somehow it helps me to access my creative side and get the big picture view of my presentation. Thanks to the great folks at qrayon.com there is an iPad option that maintains the feel of post-it notes and a Sharpie, but gives the awesome flexibility of a feature packed iPad app.
I use this application for ANY presentation, or course that I design. I like the ability to quickly create notes that have my main topics listed on them, and then I use other colors for various parts of my presentation content. A nice feature of StickyBoard 2 is the ability to add handwriting and annotation to the notes. You can also easily move notes around on the page with a touch and drag of your fingertip. I have also found it convenient to just write a note of what image I may want in my presentation at a given point, and I do not get sidetracked searching for images during my planning process. I can then gather all of my images at once AFTER the layout is complete.
Give this a try on your next presentation, and please share your findings in the comments below!
Thanks, Frank