In this Blog, I will be focusing on the uses, advantages and disadvantages of a two presentation support tools. I will also provide a brief history of the tools, entailing their development and applications in various contexts, and how they are used in the present day. The presentation support tools I have chosen are PowerPoint and Prezi.
PowerPoint
The PowerPoint program was originally designed for Macintosh computers. It was originally called 'Presenter' and was owned by Forethought. In 1987, it was renamed to PowerPoint, because of trade marking problems. Soon after, Microsoft bought the company Forethought, making it their Graphic Business Unit which continued developing the programs. On May 22, 1990 - Microsoft officially launched PowerPoint, along with Windows 3.0.
Upon development of the program over the following decade, PowerPoint gained features like Visual Basic for Applications (which allowed a range of set transitions and effects in a non-linear movie-like style without the need for 'computer programming'), clipboard (which could hold multiple objects). "Another noticeable change was that the Office Assistant, whose frequent unsolicited appearances in PowerPoint 97 (as an animated paperclip) had annoyed many users, was changed to be less intrusive" (I didn't want to paraphrase this, it was perfect the way Wiki wrote it, haha).
PowerPoints have been and are still used in business and educational forums, for presenters. The simple user-friendly program allows even the least technically savvy to put together a quick visual accompaniment to their presentation - whether it be for an oral speech, drama activity, or formal interactive presentation. It is also possible to include photos, audio files, and import videos. The ever-increasing array of effects to put on both slides and objects and text within the slides is fun to play around with, and can make a bland presentation a little more interesting. The slideshow also has a level of adaptability, allowing the presenter to click for the next slide, or to have the slides timed and run automatically.
On the negative-side, there have been numerous complaints regarding the PowerPoint presentation. In the last 5 years, terms and phrases like "Death by PowerPoint" and PowerPoint Hell" have arisen and is often used by views of the presentation who are bored by "bad" PowerPoint presentations. This begs the question, what makes a 'bad' PowerPoint presentation??
Bad PowerPoints are the product of silly, pointless or over-the-top effects and transitions put in, with the addition of a presenter simply reading the text word for word off the screen. This is disengaging both audio-graphically, and visually. There is almost a catch 22 situation here, however. It is argued that plonking all of the text and information in a powerpoint is excruciatingly boring for the viewer, and makes for a highly un-engaging, long-drawn-out presentation. On the other hand, there are arguments that "reducing complex issues to bulleted points is detrimental to the decision making process; in other words, because the amount of information in a presentation must be condensed, viewing a PowerPoint presentation does not give one enough detailed information to make a truly informed decision."
Bad PowerPoints are the product of silly, pointless or over-the-top effects and transitions put in, with the addition of a presenter simply reading the text word for word off the screen. This is disengaging both audio-graphically, and visually. There is almost a catch 22 situation here, however. It is argued that plonking all of the text and information in a powerpoint is excruciatingly boring for the viewer, and makes for a highly un-engaging, long-drawn-out presentation. On the other hand, there are arguments that "reducing complex issues to bulleted points is detrimental to the decision making process; in other words, because the amount of information in a presentation must be condensed, viewing a PowerPoint presentation does not give one enough detailed information to make a truly informed decision."
It seems that in some ways, with a PowerPoint, you can never win. However, PowerPoint presentations have, and continue to serve as simple, easy to use presentation support tools. There had to be some kind of response to the 'boredom' and 'death' (metaphorically speak, of course) that it often caused in the viewer though! Approaching 2007, an alternative became clear.
Prezi
As defined by Wikipedia, "Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software and storytelling tool for exploring and sharing ideas upon a virtual canvas." The revolutionary concept in this presentation support tool is it's Zooming User Interface. The result is incredibly engaging presentation support which is visually impressive, succinct and simple. Prezi is known for it's "2.5D" space in which the presenter can guide his/her audience through, or the view can direct him/herself.
The videos above are a quick introduction to what Prezi is about, especially with relation to teachers and educators.. Underneath is another testimonial-styled video with 5 reasons why you should use Prezi instead of PowerPoint.
Wikipedia lists some products and features of Prezi:
Prezi ZUI
The Prezi online and offline ZUI editors feature an unconventional tool palette.
• “Pan & Zoom” Prezi’s panning and zooming navigation give it a more cinematic feel than two-dimensional presentation software.
• The “Prezi Zebra”, named for its striped appearance (Prezi’s logo is a former version of the Zebra) is an object manipulation icon that lets you size, rotate, or edit an object.
• The “Prezi canvas” is an open space upon which the users places and navigates between text, images, videos, and other presentation media.
• A “Frame" is a UI construct that groups presentation media together as a single presentation object.
• A "Path" is a navigational sequence that connects presentation objects for the purposes of structuring a linear presentation.
Prezi Desktop
Prezi Desktop allows Prezi Pro or Edu Pro subscribers to work off-line and create and save their presentations on their own Windows, Mac or Linuxsystems.
Prezi Meeting
Prezi Meeting is an online collaboration feature that allows up to ten people (co-located or geographically separated) to co-edit and show their prezis in real time. Users participate in a prezi simultaneously, and each is visually represented in the presentation window by a small Prezi avatar. Prezi Meeting is included in all license types.
Prezi Viewer for iPad
Prezi Viewer is an app developed for the iPad for viewing prezis created on one's Prezi online account. The iPad touchscreen and multi-touch UI enables users to pan, and pinch to zoom in or out or their prezi media.
Prezi has found a home in business and conference settings, brainstorming, mind-mapping and story-boarding, collaborative design, advertising, eCards, Resumes and Portfolios and YES, even Education! Teachers who are incorporating the exciting, new, visual and technological capabilities of tools like Prezi are greatly increasing the likeliness to appeal to their learner, resulting in higher engagement and participation, and ultimately greater maximising learning outcomes, and preparing our students for a digital age far beyond our own. In closing, here is a Prezi presentation that was created by students in a year 5 class. I can imagine there excitement in creating this, and the satisfaction they would have gotten out of publishing it, and having people watch it and learn from it. What do you think?
Presentations, whether formal or casual, have a consistent presence in education, both on the part of the teacher and learners. There are many presentation forms; most commonly the visual or oral presentation. In this digital age, it has become somewhat primitive to, for example, speak infront of a group of people without some kind of digital media support tool. PowerPoint has provided the last few generations with sufficient visual aid in oral presentations. Teachers and students continue to use this. A program as simple as PowerPoint can be used independently by learners as young as year 1, with some guidance from the teacher, and in any subject. For example, with the use of interactive whiteboards or even a computer and projector, a maths lesson focused on timetables can come to life by simply animating 3 timetables to drop from above the screen into place with every click.
However, in the last 5 years – even PowerPoint has lost a degree of its appeal, with younger and older learners, and teachers as well. One of the newest innovations for digital media presentations is Prezi. As a bright, fun and visually captivating alternative to PowerPoint, Prezi can take any information and make it interesting for learners. Teachers can use the tool to cover a large amount of information, whilst systematically zooming in and out to highlight significant details, or to connect information from somewhere else that is relevant. In the same way, learners can create their own Prezis to present information to the rest of the class, perhaps to accompany an oral presentation. PowerPoint and Prezi are both highly relivant in the classroom, and apply to all subjects.
It is likely that media presentations will continue to progress and there will be newer, more impressive tools in the near future. As teachers, it is not only convenient and effective, but a responsibility to progress and use these tools in teaching. Aside from enhancing learning experiences (which is a primary objective of all teachers), it will prepare them for a digital age far beyond what we, the teachers, might ever know.
References:
Voss, D. (N/A). Points of View: PowerPoint in the Classroom. PowerPoint in the Classroom, Is it Really Necessary? Accessed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC520839/
Using PowerPoints in the Classroom (2002). Accessed November, at http://www.online.tusc.k12.al.us/tutorials/pptclass/pptclass.htm
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon
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