Week 5 - Tool Group 3 - Prezi

After exploring the options provided in the Learning engagement activities, to me Prezi was the obvious choice. Prezi is a presentation tool that offers the unique feature of smoothly, “zooming” up close on a specific area of the canvas page, which allows you to show the section that you want, at certain times, keeping the students from being distracted from other information on the screen. Although Prezi does not have as many advanced features like “Microsoft PowerPoint”, it does have the basics needed to create a presentation. Prezi provides you with options of animation, however the user has to have the power and the ability to make the presentation engaging and interesting. Each section, where you display information, whether it is images or text, it is important to only reinforce key points or introduce different topics. You should refrain from reading directly off the presentation screen, demonstrating that you know and understand what you’re teaching; furthermore, having a heavily cluttered canvas can be distracting and confusing for some learners.
Every learner has a different combination of learning Styles. Prezi caters for these diverse styles through multimedia methods, such as embedding images, sound and design. They can also be used by the students, not just the teachers. The learners can work in collaborate learning groups, which involves all students in the learning experience. Working within groups also gives the learners rolls to play, from a scribe/ recorder, to the group spokesperson. A great feature of the Prezi being online is that once you make an account, you can access it from any computer with access to the internet. Prezi’s are also able to be downloaded; meaning that you can transport them on a USB stick or simply that you will not need to access the internet to access the file. Prezi’s are great for an educational teaching environment because you can present them more than once. If you are teaching multiple classes the same topic, you could show the same presentation rather than writing the same thing on the board every class.

Overall, I believe Prezi is a useful tool that can help keep a presentation interesting, in a learning environment. Creating a presentation through Prezi (or any other presentation program) in a group situation can help learners build on their technology capability skills as well as their social skills. Working within Collaborative groups also encourages peer teaching, and students teaching other learners, shows that they have understood the task/ topic, so much that they are able to support their peers in their learning experience. Although Prezi does have quite a few limitations, such as cost effective upgrades for certain extra features, it is a tool that can be utilised effectively to interest learners, therefore engage them in their studies.
View my Prezi here: http://prezi.com/7lo5y9s0zzrf/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-7lo5y9s0zzrf&rc=ref-35742869