For this assignment, I created a presentation using a program called Prezi. Prezi is a presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint, except it's completely different. One major difference is how Prezi uses a blank canvas instead of slides. As I was creating my presentation, this was one of the hardest adjustments for me because I kept feeling like all of my presentation material was disorganized. However, on the other hand, this feature allows Prezi to deliver more powerful presentations because you have a lot more freedom with the way you present the material.
Another big difference between Prezi and PowerPoint is how the slides are ordered in the actual presentation. Since PowerPoint uses a "slide" approach, the slides are easily numbered and the presentation presents itself chronologically per slide. I must admit, I really missed this feature as I was building my presentation and it made me realize that I take it for granted every time I present in PowerPoint. In Prezi, there are no slides so you create "paths" that connect each of your points in the order you want them shown. I believe it sounds easier than it is. At first I was going through and dragging the paths from point to point, but Prezi kept messing up the order and zooming in too far so it was throwing off my presentation. I couldn't find any information on how to correct the zoom, after many tutorials and forums. I was getting REALLY aggravated until I realized that I could position the information on my screen exactly how I wanted it, and choose to add my current view as my path instead of having the drag the cursor to each point. This made me really happy. At the end of the day, all of my hard work turned into this presentation. You can also check it out below.
All in all, Prezi is a really cool program and you can create a presentation with a lot of impact, but you better have loads of time do it. I could be saying this because I'm not as familiar with Prezi (this was my first time ever hearing of it) as PowerPoint, but I do think that all of the tools, frames, zooming, and paths take a ton of time to get used to and it would take a lot of practice to create a truly powerful presentation like the ones in the video examples. Sometimes too much freedom can be a bad thing, or at least for me. PowerPoint has a lot of capabilities, I love the way it's organized, and I think it's much easier to use.
In my opinion, this assignment touches on all five NETS standards. Using and sharing this program with my students would expand our technology skills, while promoting critical thinking and inventiveness. By designing a presentation using this contemporary tool, I would also be exposing students to innovative technology and helping them grow as learners. Throughout my presentation I would exhibit legal and ethical behavior, and ask students to do the same if they used the tool to present information. Since this type of assignment entails so much, it could easily fall under each point of the NETS standards.
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