Farewell PowerPoint

I just finished my first, and truthfully, easy to use Prezi presentation and am wishing I would have known about this sooner. The reason I chose Prezi was it seems to be the most popular and has the highest ranking out of Animoto and Slide Rocket.  I didn't commit to testing either of the other two media devices, but after using Prezi once, I see no reason to go searching for a substitute.  I've been hearing rumors and have long been suspicious of PowerPoint's insipid personality to now realize how much of a gem Prezi is.  Prezi is much more effective than PowerPoint because it offers a nontraditional layout that can be interacted with at the user's discretion.  It allows users to convey information in a more visual and deeper sense than the two-dimensional interface that PowerPoint provides.  I can't imagine a student getting excited over a PowerPoint.  Especially since they have probably already determined that PowerPoint means note taking which doesn't get many students excited.  Prezi offers a fresh format that can help to keep students engaged with it's whacky format, interactivity, and cool multimedia dimension that keeps information from becoming stagnant.

I plan to use Prezi much like a PowerPoint: to convey information for note taking.  However, there are other ways to incorporate Prezi in the classroom.  For example, a teacher could have students design their own publication or use Prezi, use Prezi as a sort of interactive scavenger hunt, use Prezi to construct timelines, schematics, or story boards.  There seems to be a lot Prezi can offer if one is willing to upgrade to the professional version.  This does not anger me, because Microsoft Word costs money, so it makes sense that Prezi has to ask for a fee to use it at its full potential.  Overall, I am excited to begin using Prezi in earnest as a professional and unique way to share information and I will not miss PowerPoint one bit. 

Make sure to check out my first presentation using Prezi

Prezi

The Potential of PLN's

PLN's have a great potential to build and experience unique connections amongst students and teachers throughout the world.  Social bookmarking allows educators and students to find like minded people who  share similar interests and then discover what those people are reading.  It's a great way to uncover ideas, articles, and experiences that can be used to enhance anything from teaching to technology.  Blogs are similar to social bookmarking in that they both encourage people to share their thoughts and opinions.  Both are also free to use and upload which helps encourage its success.  Blogs and social bookmarking can help in your PLN by allowing others to see your thoughts or scholarly articles and encourages a web consciousness of shared educational values. 


I was most impressed by the Ning websites.  I signed up for global education and classroom 2.0.  I also found some teachers I work with that were already signed up on this site so it's great that I am able to establish a connection so quickly.  The global education classroom reminds me of the MOOC format in that it is free and anyone from around the world can participate in real time discussion.  I hoped into a session on flattening the classroom and was immediately overwhelmed by how amazing it was to see people from all over the world engaging in real time discussion.  I believe that these Ning websites really balance the scale of education by allowing free, easy access to legitimate learning experiences.  I fear that these may one day put the public sector in jeopardy and a serious alternative to education.  This is not going to happen in my lifetime, but I can see as the world progressively becomes linked in and flattened, this model of online learning could be the standard.  You can find me at global education and my name is Beau Holley.