Sway is another alternative to PowerPoint in terms of a presentation tool. Each of PowerPoint and the various alternatives such as Haiku Deck, Prezi and Google Slides to name a couple, each have their plus points.
Sway could easily be used by students to create a presentation of their key learning much in the way PowerPoint might be used. A key feature I like is the linear nature with which Sway presents itself as a continuous single scrolling presentation opposed to the series of slides. This encourages students to consider the transitions between points in more detail than they tend to do with the likes of PowerPoint. It also presents a more mobile friendly output in that the user can scroll through from start to finish as opposed to having to tap the screen repeatedly to progress from slide to slide.
Sway also takes care of the animated aspects of the presentation, making it a little more engaging, without the fiddly setup required when working in PowerPoint.
I also like the ability to add a stack of images as a single item which users can flick through. This might be an easy starter activity for a teacher where students need to use the image stack to identify what the lesson topic for the lesson is. Another alternative might be in an English lesson where students need to use the stack as prompts for a story they need to write.
Maybe students could use Sway to create a digital CV complete with images as evidence of some of their experience, skills and attributes.
Now I have only just started making use of Sway and already I enjoy using it. It is very simple and intuitive to use. I don’t however see it as a replacement for PowerPoint, Prezi, Haiku Deck and Google Slides but more as an additional tool to add to the list of presentation tools which teachers and students can use.
Technology and Learning 