Prezi is the latest presentation phenomenon on the market and is rumored to have lain to rest the popular Microsoft Office application PowerPoint. Created by a team of web 2.0 gurus, including Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, Prezi allows presenters the freedom and creativity that PowerPoint doesn’t. With Prezi, designers can create a more holistic demonstration of ideas. Using what Prezi terms as a “digital napkin,” designers can place a series of overarching thoughts and images in whatever order desired and even conveniently frame particular parts of the presentation for emphasis or cohesiveness. Creators can then zoom in and out of the digital napkin (or map) when giving their presentation—allowing them more opportunities for inventiveness than just presenting a series of slides. Sound confusing? Check out this Prezi presentation I recently created for one of my education courses.
User friendly? Using the online presentation tool can be tricky at first but one becomes accustomed to the tool with little practice. Plus, Prezi provides plenty of demonstration videos and textual instructions for users who may become confused.
The good stuff: Prezi is free, with the possibility of upgraded packages (for a fee of course) and it’s done online—meaning one can access it whenever online and more than one person can edit the Prezi presentation.
How can teachers use Prezi? Students are continually flooded with information. With Prezi, teachers can present themes or specific concepts to students and discuss their meaning and application rather than just inundate students with slides full of facts. Teachers may also use a Prezi presentation to provide students with directions for an activity or game, or may use Prezi to show the connections between topics, since Prezi is formatted to view projects as “big picture.”
Happy Prezi-enting!
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