One resource we tend to recommend frequently to staff who are either exploring emerging technologies, or just wanting to know what some of these things are – is a really great monthly crib sheet from Educause called “7 things you should know about…”.

Each month they look at a different, new or emerging technology and explain in plain English – what it is; how it works; who’s using it; what the potential is and why it’s relevant to Higher Education. Each crib sheet is only 2 sides and all are quick and easy to read.

Previous editions have included RSS, wikis, podcasting and Google Wave. There’s well over 30 of these, so it’s worth taking ten minutes to have a look through at the ones that might interest you.

This month it covers –  Next Generation Presentation tools:

New kinds of electronic tools are emerging that allow instructors to craft presentations that more closely reflect new approaches to teaching and learning. For instance, many of these tools allow collaboration between multiple authors, and some use nonlinear branching or sequencing so that class discussion can guide the presentation..

You can find the whole back catalogue from: http://www.educause.edu/7Things