Prezi

Prezi is a virtual whiteboard that transforms presentations from monologues into conversations. It enables people to see, understand, and remember ideas using innovative web presentation techniques.



A Day in the Life of a Discovery Educator
 * Here are two examples of Prezi in action:**

**Here is a tutorial on how to use Prezi:**

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= **Strengths** =
 * Allows you to create dynamic online presentations.
 * flash based application, which breaks away from "slideshows"
 * gives you the freedom to customize your entire presentation to your liking
 * Gives students the opportunity to select safe photos and images from creative commons.
 * Allows people to connect and work together worldwide
 * student groups can easily work together.
 * For example, if a student is absent, the rest of his/her group could e-mail the link to the Prezi for the student to work on at home and then the following day students could finalize together.
 * User friendly
 * entire slideshow is built on one page (you can easily map out presentation)
 * you can alter your presentation on the fly by quickly seeing entire presentation map
 * ability to organize and reorganize information makes it possible to "get it right."
 * tutorials within the site offer help and tips which will benefit students using Prezi for the first time.
 * Dynamic Presentation Format
 * the ability to zoom out can give the student a view of the "whole picture" of the presentation.
 * movement can be utilized to create focus and retain student attention during presentations.
 * creates a more fluid, more effective, and more attractive way to present desired ideas
 * Free version available
 * has 100 megabytes of storage
 * Users can embed pictures, movies even PDF and PowerPoint slides
 * has a PowerPoint import feature
 * prezi presentations can also be embedded into other presentations
 * Once created there is only one URL for a Prezi presentation, so even if there are further edits the link stays the same.
 * Apps available for iPhone and iPad

= **Weaknesses** =
 * The free (public) license only offers limited features and space
 * unless you buy an upgrade, you can only edit while online
 * to have access to other features the cost ranges from $59- $159 annually
 * the subscription is a yearly recurring fee
 * everything is public in free version (although with the educator version you can make it private)
 * Interface
 * without a normal toolbar, students might be intimidated by the design of its bubble menu.
 * resizing items with the "zebra" can be challenging.
 * students may become overwhelmed with the zoom-in and zoom-out aspect of generating a presentation.
 * Ease of Use
 * can be time-consuming without prior planning of content.
 * it does not play all types of videos. You may have to convert to another media type and this may be over student's heads.
 * as it is completely different from the normal presentation software, it may be challenging to people who are not computer savvy.
 * quantity of format options and themes are limited

= **Opportunities** =


 * Provides new way to present content visually
 * can be used to revolutionize presentations
 * encourages a wide range of expressive capabilities
 * can be used as a form of authentic assessment
 * allows children to display knowledge in a meaningful way.
 * gives students ability to expressive at whatever technical level they may be.
 * much more engaging for younger students than the traditional presentation

= **Threats** = >>> students might focus more on the timeline of the material and less on preparing their presentation.
 * Novelty factor
 * the novelty of the presentation may take precedence over the material being presented
 * the time to create may be longer than the material being shown.

= **Ideas for the classroom** =
 * Students can create more interactive slide-shows.
 * Used to promote authentic assessment.
 * Students can use this technology to create timelines with embedded images and interactivity.
 * For example, imagine students using Prezi to "tell" the chronological events of a historic event.
 * Use to create a visual for a piece of poetry
 * Use to showcase "student of the month"
 * Can use Prezi Meeting for students to collaborate on group projects.
 * students could brainstorm writing content into a Prezi and then shift content around and use grouping tools to be able to organize for writing.
 * Viewing their Prezi might help students see if their organization is ready for drafting or if they still need to work in the prewriting/organization phase of writing.
 * After a lesson, have students work in groups to "reteach" the lesson using a Prezi.
 * This would require them to recall, organize, and present information learned.
 * Could be used as an icebreaker activity.
 * All students, and the teacher, could create Prezis about themselves and then share them with the class.
 * Teachers can create a Prezi with missing or incorrect information.
 * The students then must edit the corrections into the Prezi and present the corrections to the class