Sunday, November 24, 2013
Prezi - Web 2.0 presentation tool
This is a more in-depth look at Prezi then the one in the copyright and creative commons post. I personally really like prezi for the fact that it has very good templates and transitions that can help you showcase your creativity and produce a presentation that stands out from the majority which are usually made in Microsoft's PowerPoint. Some of the templates available, like; timelines, ideals, family tree, mind maps and more, can help you emphasize your point or tailor your presentation to your topic. The ability to start from scratch with a blank template is also available and again opens up more possibilities than other similar services but I haven't ventured down that road yet.
With great templates and unique transitions come more restrictions however as you have to keep your content within the boundaries of the template. That can sometimes by problematic if you need more slides than the template allows for. Images can also only be re-size proportionally which I found restrictive. Text only has three different available fonts and 30 colors. When you are used to working with the full array of options available in other tools, the limitations quickly become evident.
As for ease of use, I am a bit thorn because if you are just looking to add text and pictures in a template then odds are you will find it rather user friendly but if you have specific ideals in mind and want to customize the template a little, things quickly become unintuitive and even complicated at times. Despite my limited experience using Prezi, using other tools that are less complicated leads me to believe they could still make it easier to use. In the end it's all about compromise, if you are making a basic presentation without any bells and whistles, Prezi probably won't be your go too tool, but if you like to create something more unique that will stand out, you probably won't mind spending the extra time needed to reach that goal and will therefore probably love Prezi.
One point I touched on in the aforementioned post was Google Docs' superior collaboration capabilities but I have recently discovered that Prezi also has a surprising array of collaborative capabilities. I still think that collaborating in Google Docs would be a more pleasant experience but if you decide to make Prezi your go to presentation tool, you will be happy to find out about their collaborative options, as long as you don't mind paying for those capabilities.
Taking the comparison between Prezi and other similar tools, in this case; Microsoft PowerPoint, here is a nice comparative table I found using my PLN. As you will see, the Scribd created table below confirms some of the points I elaborated on in my analysis of Prezi.
Tapping into our previous learning about creative common licenses in my last post, take the time to look at the license for this Scribd by Chris Clark, located at the bottom of his table.
In conclusion, if you have been relying on presentation tools like PowerPoint or Google Docs and have never tried Prezi, you should really take it for a test drive. We all know how boring presentations can be for learners but if you are willing to invest a bit more time creating with Prezi, you may just manage to keep their attention instead of loosing it.
Good luck with your discovery.
Share your feedback below about your personal experiences using Prezi.
Thanks
Mat
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mat,
ReplyDeleteI've been a loyal PowerPoint user for several years and I've enjoyed using Google Presentation as it is very similar. When I was first introduced to Prezi earlier in our course I opted not to use it as it was not similar to PowerPoint and I had difficulty navigating through the program. However, after seeing your presentation and reading your post, I going to give it another try.
Thanks!