This week I want to introduce Microsoft Sway.  Sway is a program designed to help users create projects that are visually interesting and incorporates some interactive components.  It is a little difficult to describe what Sway is, so instead here is an example that I created.  This is a short project describing one of my hobbies, canning fresh foods.

Sway provides the user with a number of existing templates to choose from (for example I searched for ‘communication’ and Sway had a template ready for me with ideas of what to include) or to create their own. The basic building block is called a ‘card.’ These cards can be text or media based. Additionally there are different options for grouping cards together.  Another nice feature of Sway is the ease in finding media.  Sway holds a library of images and videos that are part of the Creative Commons License, so you can be confident that you are allowed to use the images you search for.  All of the images in my Sway example came from their library.  All I had to do was use a search terms (e.g. “tomatoes,” “chopping food,” “canning tools”) and a number of options were presented.

Bringing images in is done through a simple drag-and-drop action. In addition the user can include information about the image and include alt text (text that screen readers can read) for those who are visually impaired.

A few ways that instructors might choose to use Sway can include giving students a slightly different way of presenting material.  This tool allows for a story telling approach that PowerPoint may not do well.  Student may also use this tool to create electronic projects.  Stories, Informational Projects, Marketing materials, Research Presentations are just a few ideas.

If you are interested in seeing a Sway build in action take a look at this short 4 min video I made.