If you are fed up with the monotonous aspect of power point, I suggest you to take the plunge and try Prezi instead. I am not trying to underestimate power point as such, it is greatly useful (As I have stated in the previous entry) but if you would like to spice things up a bit, Prezi is certaintly the way to go!
This was the very first time I used it and to tell the truth, I was a bit apprehensive about it since I thought it would be extremely difficult to handle. It just takes a few minutes until you get used to the experience and then is like riding a bike, really. The results are alluring and more glamorous, it is a pleasure to look at, especially the way in which you can arrange the slides to move backwards and forwards; it is completely novel. You are also allowed to zoom in and out, depending on the emphasis you might give to certain things and the display is not linear like in power point but is messy in a lovely kind of way; you can play with it to create the effect you desire and it also has enticing effects to highlight some words and the outcome is surprisingly modern.
We used Prezi for ECO's PW nº 2 and had the possibility of choosing either power point or Prezi. We worked in groups, which made the whole process more "doable" and when we got together we decided on a whim to give Prezi a try. Choosing Power point would have been a much safer choice but it is interesting to move towards unknown directions and be positively surprised. We were supposed to work with a unit called "Girls night out" and to come up with a lesson plan that includes one of these presentations. We thought it would be really interesting to create a Prezi presentation with our own "nights out", including real pictures and customs that we have here in Santa Fe as a contrast with the ones they have in The United States. Our Prezi would be used a model for learners to create their own Prezi with their own stories. I must say it came out wonderfully, and the foremost important aspect of this work was the authenticity implied.
All in all it is worth running the risk of trying new things out, I would definitely use it again for further presentations. We were not able to try it out in a real classroom, but I'm posistive that students would be thrilled to work this way. It is a personalized work, extremely menaingful and enjoyable.
Here I share our Prezi for you to see how gratifying the result is!
Hi Rocio! I've been reading your reflections about your first experience using Prezi and you're right, it was a pleasurable and original task the one you and your group created.
ResponderEliminarAs you said, your Prezi was aimed to be a model for your "imaginary" learners to create their own one later. I consider this to be of paramount importance simply because it allows learners to be actively involved in the process of learning. What does it mean? That when you give your students the possibility to create they feel that their work has truly objectives and the classroom becomes learning-centred rather than teacher-centred. This is important when evaluating teaching resources because it's not only "what" to teach but "how" to teach it. A valuable teaching resource like Prezi may become a dull experience for students if it is badly used. We should always asks ourselves when using Prezi, or any type of presentations, if they are really empowering the learning experience because all in all, that's the reason we are including them inside the classroom.
Thanks Vero! I see eye to eye with you about the importance of not only bearing in mind the "what to" but also the "how to". Having at hand applications and programs that are cutting-edge and really innovative do not assure you successful learning and teaching without a clear criteria about their use. In other words, technology renders useless if we are not mindful about its application in our practices and its potential implications.
ResponderEliminar