Technology is a must for school counselors. Everyday I try to learn something new. I am eager to expand my knowledge of technology because I really believe in the philosophy of working smarter, not harder. With so many new programs out there, there are lots of new things to try.
I was excited when Franciene Sabens of School Counselor Space blog put together the smore Linky Party. It definitely made me try smore as a method of putting together a flyer for my colleagues. Although I used it before, I am happy to say that I think I found several new uses by participating in the Linky Party and I am sure I will use smore again.
Susan Spellman Cann, a school counsellor in Canada, has put together some very beautiful Haiku Decks.
Haiku Deck is an online presentation software program that let’s you design simple, easy, and breathtaking slide shows. As it says online, start with a few ideas, add some amazing images, pick the perfect look and share.
What could be simpler than that?
Susan has inspired me to use this piece of technology and make a deck of my own.
Here it is:
Here is my personal review.
What I Like About Haiku Deck:
- Very simple, step by step instructions
- No need to fumble around looking for photos on your computer. Haiku Deck picks out your key words in your slide and finds hundreds of stock images for you to choose from. You can, however add you own if you would like, although I am not sure why you would
- Easy to add in statistics, charts, and graphs
- Very easy to share on a blog, facebook, twitter, and by email
- It is professional looking
- There’s an app for that
What I don’t like:
- You need internet (UPDATE: This can be downloaded so you do not need internet. . .cool!)
- You need to check with your school’s web filters to make sure it can be viewed. Some filter systems have blocked this (UPDATE: Works best in Google Chrome)
- Limited font styles (UPDATE: many more options with paid version)
- Cannot change speed of presentation(UPDATE: there is a way, but I am still not sure how to do this)
- Not meant for wordy presentations
Overall:
I would use this again. I think it will be great for my next Coffee With The Counselor as I talk about Early College Planning.
Do you use Haiku Deck? Let’s see some examples.
Looking for other ways to connect with school counselors?
Try one of the ways below:
