Tech Review #2: Haiku Deck

I first learned about Haiku Deck when I went to the Waukee PLAYDATE, a professional development opportunity where I spent the morning simply “playing” with technology. 

Haiku Deck, an app on the iPad or usable on the Internet, is a program that allows you to make presentations in a simple, fun, and visually appealing way. The program can be accessed for free by visiting their website or downloading the app. The website below gives you access to both options. 

https://www.haikudeck.com 

To create “a deck,” as they call them, you will first select “new deck.” From there, you will choose the layout of the slide on the left hand side of the screen. These enter text and image boxes for you. As you type your text, Haiku Deck automatically resizes the text as you type to fit the screen. The less text, the bigger the font. 

Next you would select an image, background color, or chart. You can upload your own or select from their beautiful options by entering key words to narrow the search. The image on this slide is one I found on Haiku Deck.

There is also a chance to change the font or theme (top of the slide.) This automatically changes the font and size for you. Once the slide is complete you can add more slides as you wish. Once finished, you can export the slides to PDF or PowerPoint format or share the slides on the Internet.

This program doesn’t necessarily give you a lot of freedom when selecting font, font sizes, font placement, etc., but these same restrictions can be very useful and powerful when used in an elementary classroom. Haiku Deck is also very user friendly, walking you through the tool in simple steps! 

What I like most about Haiku Deck is the visually striking images. I can see this being used very powerfully in a classroom for students to create posters to then be hung up in their classroom. They will be very visually appealing and students have ownership of class rules, philosophies, etc.

It could also be used as a visual to go with a poem students wrote. These beautiful images have the capability to really bring student work to life, making it seem more "official" when published.  

Another way to use this program would be to create a class book that features student work. When compiled onto Haiku Deck, this book now has the capability to be shared with the world, an authentic learning opportunity for students. Here is an example of a few slides from a class book I found in Haiku Deck’s gallery: https://www.haikudeck.com/anacondas-education-presentation-OVVbKYQ3TJ

What are other ways Haiku Deck could be used for an educational purpose within your classroom?