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iPad App Review: Keynote


App Name: Keynote

Cost: $10

What does it promise?  This is Apple’s in-house counterpart to Microsoft’s PowerPoint. Keynote allows the user to create and edit entire multi-media presentations via iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac and save them as PowerPoint files to be used via PCs.

keynoteDoes it deliver? Completely. Designed specifically for Apple’s mobile products, this app allows users to create world-class presentations, complete with animated charts and transitions.

Users can highlight data with stunning bar, line, area and pie charts, animated with new 3D features such as Crane, Grow, Radial and Rotate. When a chart or graph is complete, users can view it in full-screen mode and present it right on their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. When presenting to larger groups, users can preview slides and notes on their device and then use video mirroring to display on an HDTV.

Keynote works with iCloud, so presentations automatically stay up to date on all synced devices.

The best part about this app is its freedom from compatibility issues related to file format. Users can create a PowerPoint presentation on a PC at school, then open it up and edit it later with Keynote on their iPad at home. Likewise, any Keynote presentation can be opened, edited and displayed via PowerPoint.

Can I use it in my classroom?  Given the prominence of PowerPoint presentations in the K-12 classroom, a cheaper, easier-to-use mobile version of the software cannot be overlooked.

All apps can be found in the iPad apps store under education.

Related resources

Explore the use of the iPad App Store in the classroom.
See additional EducationWorld reviews of iPad apps.
See other product reviews in our Tech in the Classroom archive.


Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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