Finding Media for Presentations
You can import still images, clip art, video, or sound directly into your computer-generated displays by downloading the files from the Internet.
For downloadable digital images, try the following websites:
- Corbis.com (www.corbisimages.com): Contains more than 2 million photographs, prints, and paintings, 35,000 of which you can download for your personal use (for a fee).
- Google (www.google.com), Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), and Bing (www.bing.com): Popular search engines that offer extensive image searches.
The following sites contain free photographs and other still images:
- www.flickr.com/creativecommons: Access to thousands of photographs shared by amateur and hobbyist photographers.
- www.exalead.com/search/image: An innovative image search engine with over 2 billion images.
- memory.loc.gov/ammem/index/html: Free access to still and moving images depicting the history of the American experience.
The following sites offer downloadable music files and audio clips:
- www.mp3.com
- www.soundclick.com
- www.archive.org/details/audio
- www.dailywav.com
- www.freeaudioclips.com
The following sites contain useful video clips:
- CNN Video (www.cnn.com/video) and ABC News Video (abcnews.go.com/video): Especially useful for speech topics on current events or timely social issues.
- video.search.yahoo.com
- www.bing.com/videos/browse
- video.google.com
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULLY USING PRESENTATION SOFTWARE IN YOUR SPEECH
Don’t let the technology get in the way of relating to your audience.
- Talk to your audience rather than to the screen. Maintain eye contact as much as possible.
- Have a backup plan in case of technical errors.
- If you use a pointer (laser or otherwise), turn it off and put it down as soon as you have made your point.
- Never shine a laser pointer into anyone’s eyes. It will burn them!
- Incorporate the aids into your practice sessions until you are confident that they strengthen, rather than detract from, your core message.
Avoiding Copyright Infringement
Be certain to abide by copyright restrictions when using visual and audio materials from the Internet or other sources. Recognize when material is available under fair-use provisions. Even if fair use applies, cite the source of the material in your presentation. Consult your school’s information technology (IT) office for statements of policy pertaining to copyrighted and fair-use materials, especially from undocumented sources such as peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing. Improper acquisition or use of a copyrighted object could lead to loss of privileges on your campus computer network or, worse, to legal consequences.
ENSURING LEGAL USE OF MEDIA ACQUIRED ELECTRONICALLY
- Cite the source of all copyrighted material in your presentation. For example, include a bibliographic footnote on the slide containing the material.
- Be wary of sites purporting to offer “royalty free” media objects; there might actually be other costs associated with the materials.
- When time, resources, and ability allow, create and use your own pictures, video, or audio for your presentation slides.