Have you been to a presentation where the presenter went on and on without really thinking of their audience? Have you been that presenter?
Increasingly, our audiences get distracted in presentations, partly due to digital devices. But are there ways of keeping them engaged using the same digital devices?
There are many audience engagement software out there. This year, Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALTC) presenters have the chance to try out Wooclap software. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join the webinar but I did watch a personal link sent to the recording. The software is seamlessly integrated with presentation software which is great. However, the font size of the software was raised as a concern by participants of the recorded session. In fact, two in five participants asked about this but the software font size could not be made bigger. I was worried when watching the webinar as someone looking for accessible solutions. But being a browser-based solution, I wonder why zooming was not tried. A participant also reported difficulty with iPhone SE screen (the same model that I use).
Despite being given the chance to use this new software for the presentation, I have decided to use Slido. This is based on several reasons including my familiarity, it is a web-based system, and the ease for the audience. If I had more time to test Wooclap with some of my office colleagues to make sure the audience experience is what I want it to be I would have gone for it. But at this time I am sticking to the software I am used to.
I am a Learning Technology Researcher and the Chair of the Online Learning Research Centre at the University College of Estate Management. My principle research interests lie in the area of social implications of information and communication technologies, especially eLearning.