Haiku Deck is a simple, beautiful, and fun way to make and deliver presentations.

Haiku Deck is simple to learn. The user interface is intuitive and even young children can pick it up quickly and easily. This presentation format does not allow to extensive text, so it forces students to be concise and choose their words carefully.

Haiku Deck uses beautiful pictures made available through Creative Commons, so there are no copyright concerns. Users can also upload their own photos from their iPad or computers, or add photos from Google safe search. Remember though, just because an image comes from Google images doesn't mean it is free to use. You can even make a picture bank with pre-selected pictures.

While Haiku Deck may not have all the bells and whistles of a PowerPoint presentation, it also is direct and to the point. The message is not lost in the medium, yet the end result is professional looking and rewarding. Not worrying about words flying in and out and special sounds makes this a less frustrating medium. Less frustration + beautiful product + ease of use= FUN

It's free!! One of my favorite reasons to check out Haiku deck more carefully! This tool can be used for iPads and on the web. There is a free account, but you can upgrade if you prefer for more options.

Haiku Deck can also be made or seen at home. Privacy settings can be changed from public, to private or limited to those who have the url. Each presentation, or deck has its own url. You can add speaker notes, but they cannot be seen by your audience.

A few ideas are presented here, but the possibilities are numerous. With some creativity, willingness to try new things, and some exploration, you may be able to add many more uses for Haiku Deck in your classroom.

At the beginning of the school year, students can make personal decks showing who they are and what they like to do. Introducing their decks to the class is a great way for students to practice their presentation skills. This is a great tool to have available if you have a new child move into your classroom.

Many classrooms get together at the beginning of the year to make a set of classroom rules. Make this presentation together or have students make their own deck sharing what they think are the most important rules for a classroom to run smoothly. They can show what these behaviors look like by choosing appropriate photos.

At the beginning of the school year, or in time for open house, make a Haiku Deck to introduce yourself to your students and their parents. You or your students can design a deck showing off their classroom too.

Before beginning a new unit, introduce content vocabulary using Haiku Deck. Words and definitions can be matched with images to reinforce meaning.

Make non-fiction units come alive with the most important ideas outlined and supported with visual evidence.

Part of the Common Core requirements is to develop persuasive arguments. Haiku Deck allows your students to choose sides, express opinions, and write persuasive arguments.

Students can take a stand on issues that are important to them and the school community. Public service announcements regarding bullying, playground safety, library book care (my issue!), or any other important issue can be shared with the school community or the community at large on the school website.

Students can create their own tales. With limited space for text, haiku deck forces your students to choose their words carefully. Alternately, students can tell stories with pictures alone, practicing their inference skills while exercising their creativity.

Have students upload pictures they took on field trips and post details about their favorite place or event. Or, bring along the class iPad and have each student responsible for one page of a field trip journal. The journal will serve as a great reminder of the field trip for the whole class.

Whether you are contrasting plant and animal cells, the Patriot and British Revolutionary War armies, or cumulonimbus and stratus clouds, brief descriptions with visuals can make all the difference. Maybe I wouldn't have failed my "cloud" test in 6th grade if I had had Haiku deck with great pictures.

New concepts like parallel, perpendicular, intersecting lines? Use Haiku Deck to illustrate these very concepts. Better yet, have the students find examples of these concepts from their surroundings, take pictures, and make their own deck. Perhaps you are studying metaphors or similes. Students can show the difference between literal and figurative language by illustrating both and uploading their own photos.

When students share book talks or book reviews, they can get other students excited about reading. It also gives them a great opportunity to find the most important details to share about their book. Summaries, character analysis, setting descriptions must be concise and to the point, but they can be enhanced with photos.

New "biographers" may be overwhelmed by the plethora of information on their subject, but by breaking the assignment into different topics (slides), students may be able to find the important details, organize their presentation with ease, and have a product of which they could be proud.

Haiku Deck allows your students to organize their collected data into graphs. Conducting surveys and presenting their results in graphs is a valuable skill, made easy by Haiku Deck.

On your classroom website, add a link to the homework assignment Haiku deck. No more excuses, "I didn't know we had to do that!" when the assignments are online for both students and their parents. Since Haiku Decks can be made quickly and easily, adding assignments to your class site is a piece of cake! You can also break down assignments or processes into smaller steps; for example, break down the steps of the scientific process.

Students can make Haiku decks with pictures of their favorite pieces of work to show their progress throughout their year. These decks can be shared with family and administration to show off the great accomplishments of your students. If you use student work to make a deck, be sure to have permission from their parents to use their work. Children have copyright rights too!

For those new kids in class, how about having your students make a deck showing off their new school? Or maybe your town has some great historical sites or fun places to go. How about showing some civic pride by having students make a special town Haiku Deck. Share this with your community on your school website.

What else would you do with a Haiku deck? Why, write haikus or other poems using sensory details.

Students can practice their speaking, listening and questioning skills by interviewing different staff members for an "It's your Life!" feature on your school website. What about those family histories? Most Americans are descendents of immigrants, so let your students share a bit about their backgrounds with the class. Or, students can make their own personal decks to honor their families and share with them on your classroom website.

Give students a list of types of leaves to find, clouds (here we go again...) to observe, vocabulary words, ideas, or concepts, even items beginning with the "B" sound and have them take pictures to match these items. Items to show could be concrete or intangible.....what does "peace" look like?

English Language Learners benefit greatly by seeing realia or images along with learning new language. Haiku Decks may help your ELL students grasp and retain language more readily.

Document the highlights of your school year with photos taken by you or members of your class. This will serve as a wonderful reminder for your students of the fun they had in your class.

If using this deck as a professional development tool, have the participants write out a "ticket to leave" by suggesting ways they foresee using Haiku Deck in the classroom.

Links to the reference sites:

1. https://www.haikudeck.com/10-ways-to-use-haiku-deck-in-education-education-...
2. Free Technology for Teachers: 76 Examples of Using Haiku Deck in School
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/02/76-examples-of-using-haiku-deck-in...
3. http://blog.haikudeck.com/tag/edtech/