A very useful Web 2.0 application is 280 slides. It is a site that allows the users to create and share presentations and slideshows online. If you travel or do not want to carry any hardware, you can access your presentations anywhere there is a computer and an internet connection. You do not have to register in order to start using the editor. Just launch and get to work. But you will need to register to save your work. At least, you can get a feel for the program before you give out any information. It only asks for your email address and a password. Concerning its use, 280 slides is quite similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. The user can make its slides as they wish. They can change the background as well as the colour, the size or the type of the letters and they can also choose the layout of their slides. A very important feature of 280 slides is that it allows users to import images, photos and videos in their slide-shows from various sources. You can use the material found in the site’s gallery or your own material. You can also add material found in other websites, such as Flickr and Youtube. These are some of the reasons why 280 slides is considered to be one of the best sites for creating slide-shows.
Here is a sample lesson for B1-level students:
Ask your student to create a slide-show about their holidays or about a place they want to travel to, using their material (photos, videos etc.). They will also have to write a small passage in each slide. I think that this is a very good task, since students will practice writing, vocabulary and grammar in an entertaining way.
You may see a tutorial here:
