Recently I have been introduced to Prezi an online presentation tool that can be used in the classroom. I was impressed by the free flowing nature of Prezi and the almost movie like navigation that is sure to get the attention of the students. The tools for creating a Prezi are easily learned for beginners, especially with the use of the tutorials that are provided by Prezi. What I really like is the ability to share the Prezi on my classroom webpage by embedding it, which will make it accessible to all of my students. Currently I am using activeinspire the software that comes with my active board. I love the software, but my students are not able to open presentations at home. I can do many of the same things with the activeinspire software, but it is not free and it is not as free flowing as the Prezi. On both I am able to use animations, sounds and embed videos. I am able to access both from home. Both Prezi and Activeinspire have websites (www.Prezi.com and www.promethean.com ) where authors can share their creations and collaborate with each other. One thing that I like about activeinspire is that I have the ability to write directly in the presentation. I also have the ability to put quizzes and questions that the students can answer using handheld voting/texting devices. This allows me to assess and for the students to receive feedback immediately. The whole active board and its software and accessories is not cheap. As long as I have it to use I will probably use activeinspire.
When I think about having my students create presentations I think that students will really enjoy learning how to use Prezi. My concern is the time it would take them to learn how to use it. Many times my 6th grade students come to me without the skills to create presentations and need the structure and linear thinking of PowerPoint and other similar presentation software provide. As students become better at creating and getting their thoughts out in an organized fashion, I feel that they could really benefit from using Prezi to create presentations.
Correction: The website for promethean is www.promethanplanet.com
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I was also impressed with the ingenuity that could be used in creating a Prezi, but I agree with you that students need more structure when creating a presentation. I think that Prezi would be a great tool for teachers to use to keep lectures interesting and fun, but students should stick to Powerpoint, especially since most of them have very little experience using it. I also like all of the tutorials that are available on the Prezi website. This is great for teachers that may not be as tech savvy, as well as for those of us that forget things. My only concern is the reliability and the fact that the only place your presentation is stored is online. This makes me nervous because the Internet is not always stable. I would hate to do a bunch of work on a Prezi and have it disappear, as I have read has happened to others. I wish that there was a way to save the presentations to a file on your computer or USB drive.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your Activeinspire software. It sounds really neat. I have a SMARTBoard, so I have software that is similar. I also use the clickers and I LOVE THEM! They make grading and analyzing trouble areas so much easier and the bonus is that the students think it is a game! The only difference is that I don't think that I can share my SMARTBoard presentations online like you mentioned you could do with the Activeinspire. That is a really cool feature. You have challenged me to research to see if maybe my software does do that and I have not figured it out yet. Thanks for sharing!
What a great idea using Prezi with the students. I agree that students do not have the necessary 21st Century skills. I know that I assume that because kids are on the computers all of the time that they have skills. I guess the computers are more of a social network than used as a tool for learning.
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