Hi Jim,
As you suggest, it is the teachers' teaching paradigm that can limit the usefulness of the tools. My daughter's current teacher invites the students to present their research however they like - the research and the reflections are the important part not so much the presentation.
In response to your second para, these projects are no more subject to the accessibility requirements that other students' works, such as the cardboard and glue models or posters that other students made. They were not designed to be presented to the class, just marked by the teacher.
Cheers,
Margot