Category: Presentations

Prezi

PreziI discovered Prezi today via a bookmark from Dean Mantz. I spent about 10 minutes looking through the site, the tutorial and the three examples on the homepage.

Here’s what some are saying.

When it comes to presentations, Microsoft Powerpoint is the desktop tool that most of us use. Apple Keynote delivers better visuals and is preferred by creatives. Google & Zoho presentations bring a subset of the functionality to the web and allow collaboration. Slideshare introduces community – following the strategies of Youtube (video) and Scribd (documents). But Prezi flips the paradigm of presentation inside out to bring you simple interactive presentations like you’ve never seen before. (Source)

Prezi allows anyone who can sketch an idea on a napkin to create and perform stunning non-linear presentations with relations, zooming into details, and adjusting to the time left without the need to skip slides. (Source)

With the help of Prezi you can create maps of texts, images, videos, PDFs, drawings and present in a nonlinear way. (Source)

Josh Lowensohn of CNET stated that Prezi is a presentation creator that ditches the idea of individual slides in place of a giant expanse that can be navigated with a mouse, keyboard, and eventually touch screens. The end result is pretty incredible and feels a lot like Google Maps. (Source).

Educational Uses

I must admit that while browsing through the site I almost gave up and left twice, but I’m very glad that I didn’t! It’s an interesting tool and holds untold educational potential. Here are a few thoughts that came to mind.

  • Presentations could become more dynamic, interactive and hopefully engaging. Prezi IS the message.
  • The ability to easily incorporate most any digital file or media allows teachers/designers to account for a variety of learning styles (audio, video, visual, etc.).
  • Prezi could be used as one of the (if not the) most robust concept mapping/semantic mapping tools that I’ve seen.
  • Teachers and students could find it useful for organization, collaboration and project management.
  • I like the idea of using Prezi to help during the design and development phases of lesson planning, unit development, team planning, cross-curriculum mapping, etc. In some instances (such as a typical presentation) your design and development work actually becomes part of the final product or learning artifact.

1 Thing Teachers Should Know about Teaching with Technology

GUEST BLOGGER
Mike Fisher

Part of the ongoing 1 Thing series.

What do you think? Please share your ideas with Mike and the rest of us in the comments.

Mike FisherAbout the Author
Mike Fisher
Nationally Certified Instructional Coach and Consultant in Western New York.
Site and Twitter

The Art of Possibility

Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and on the faculty of the New England Conservatory. “Zander is a prophet of human potential…Watch as he helps unlock the boundless potential of a 15 year old cellist and teaches the entire…audience what it means to live in a world of possibility” (Source: Pop! Tech). Zander’s presentation is high-octane and will challenge your thinking about teaching and learning.



Here are just a few of the things that I really like about the presentation.

  • It’s low-tech (or no-tech) yet his message is clear and powerful.
  • I appreciate the downward spiral analogy and his point that negative comments are not statements of circumstances but rather a reflection of one’s attitude.
  • I’m a believer in goal setting and like the notion of learning contracts (as a means of students taking responsibility for their learning, setting their own goals and motivating students). I’ve approached this with a variety of strategies in my classes throughout the years, but I’ve never used the exact strategy that Zander shares. I’ve made a mental note of his idea, though, because I, as a learner, would really, really like his approach.
  • “Michelangelo…said in each piece of marble there is a beautiful statue. All you need is a hammer and a chisel just to get rid of the stone that is in the way of that beautiful statue. That is a theory of education! It’s not the one we use.”
  • I like his suggestion about how we should react to mistakes. What a change in attitude that would foster.
  • I cracked-up about the whole one-buttock-playing aside. You’ll have to watch it to find out what I’m talking about.
  • Kudos to his young participant, Nikolai, for his talent and bravery!
  • “Time doesn’t matter in possibility.” This rings true with me in so many ways.
  • A leader is one that can distinguish the downward spiral and has the capacity to refocus the nay-sayers on the possibilities and the vision.

Collaboration in a Web 2.0 World

The event will be Ustreamed and presentation notes and resources will be shared on this wiki.

The Advanced Learning Center is pleased to sponsor the following Faculty Development Sessions on Student Success during the fall semester.

Collaboration in a Web 2.0 World
November 18, 2008, 11:30 AM CST – 1:30 PM CST
FedEx Institute, Room 226 (drinks and dessert will be provided)

Are you interested in learning more about Web 2.0 applications for collaboration and professional networking? This session will be presented by University of Memphis faculty using Web 2.0 in teaching and learning, including Dr. Clif Mims, Assistant Professor, Instructional Design & Technology and Dr. Trey Martindale, Associate Professor of Instructional Design & Technology, and will provide effective uses of current Web 2.0 technologies that demonstrate collaboration and student engagement. Join us for an open discussion with other faculty members from across the campus. (Source: Advanced Learning Center Announcement)

Schools 2.0

Chris Lehman shares some of his ideas about school reform. I challenge you to consider his ideas with an open-mind.

Just a Note

I think the structure for presentations at this event is clever. Speakers could use 20 slides with 15 seconds allowed for each slide. I think I’m going to begin using this strategy in several different areas of my work. Maybe we could begin something like this in Memphis! Anyone interested?

Did You Know?/Shift Happens: The Remix

Karl Fisch‘s famous presentation has undergone another iteration as Sony BMG Music Entertainment remixed it to be shown to “150 of the company’s top executives gathered in Rome for [their] annual Global Management Meeting. As part of Sony BMG’s mission to improve the music experience for consumers living in “exponential times”, the video illustrates the demand for change.”