Sunday, April 28, 2013

Prezi - The Zooming Presentation

 


One of my favorite websites is Prezi (www.prezi.com).   It is a site where you can make presentations online.  The presentations zoom and slide from one idea to another. Unlike PowerPoint which is very linear, Prezi allows the creator to place information, images, videos, files, shapes and graphics on a canvas.  From there, the creator can either set a path for presentation or click and zoom anywhere on the canvas. 

Prezi has several different templates to choose from depending on the type of presentation the creator needs to make.  I prefer the blank canvas because it allows me to put everything wherever I want it.  The creator can add images from Google Images, from photo files or from Microsoft Word clipart. The creator can also choose the font, color and size of all text and graphics.
 

I made a Prezi for my methods class that presented the numbers zero thru twenty.  I was even able to imbed a YouTube video within the presentation.  A Spanish teacher I know has used Prezi to present grammatical information and has also made flashcards that include a picture of the each vocabulary word with its Spanish version hidden inside the picture.  I have included links to some of them at the bottom of the page. 

I think Prezi is a great way to present or review information and can also be used by students to create presentations about a variety of topics. I have seen a few where students have used Prezi to build and label all the parts of their “dream house / la casa de mis sueños" and others where they present information and images about themselves and their families, their likes and dislikes and even presentations about cultural information. They were very expressive and creative. 
 
One drawback to Prezi is that all the sliding and zooming can make the viewer sick to their stomach so it is best to keep the zooming and sliding to a minimum when possible.

Some Prezis to check out:



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