This week's assignment task was to present a reflection on either a:
- Creative way to use powerpoint
- Prezi - a zooming presentation tool
- Glogster - an online 'scrapbooking' tool
However, when I went to read the introduction and overview to topic 5, I found this in the moodle site:
Learning Resources
'As usual, there are readings for you to engage in to explore the purpose of the tools and their use in learning. These resources are less this week as you search for your own resources and readings to support your e-learning design.'
'As usual, there are readings for you to engage in to explore the purpose of the tools and their use in learning. These resources are less this week as you search for your own resources and readings to support your e-learning design.'
At first I started to panic - I struggle with technology, especially ones I have never used before - but then I got thinking about something Dr Rickie Fisher had spoken about recently. "If you are offered a position in a school that is outside your specialised teacher area - you take it." I then put everything into perspective. If I am teaching in an area I know nothing about, what am I going to do. Simple - teach! But first, I would research, research, research and then do more research, until I had a complete understanding and only then would I put 'pen to paper'. So that's what I did for this week's topic.
A typical presentation is usually done in a linear style. Prezi is not linear, you start with a 'black canvas' and you add and manipulate content anywhere on the page. You can really take your audience on a journey - if it is done in the correct way.
Prezi is appropriate for all ages and all presentations - just like the age old powerpoint presentation - any topic can be presented in a sophisticated and engaging way. Students can really have fun and let their creative flare shine.
Over on my wikispace is a page on the Positive, Minus and Interesting points on Prezi.
As I knew nothing about any of these topics I consulted YouTube for an overview of each. In past reflections I found it difficult to think about interesting and engaging ways to incorporate ICT's into the accounting and legal studies areas. But this week was different, I instantly knew which tool would best suit my students, now let me explain why.....
Firstly, I found that the creative ways to use powerpoint was not suitable for an older audience - great for primary school children though. As soon as I read that a Glogster was an online scrapbooking tool, I had memories of days gone past where scrapbooking was the 'in thing'. I ran away then and I am running away now, but not for only that reason - you are required to pay for the use of Glogster after seven days and there is no way I am paying that for it.
One of the major advantages of Prezi is that it is web-based. FINALLY, a software tool that does not require you or students to download to a computer. As a teacher you will not have the frustration of trying to use an ICT only to find that you do not have the administrator rights to install.
Prezi is appropriate for all ages and all presentations - just like the age old powerpoint presentation - any topic can be presented in a sophisticated and engaging way. Students can really have fun and let their creative flare shine.
Over on my wikispace is a page on the Positive, Minus and Interesting points on Prezi.
If you have time, a creative flair and a lot of ICT skill, this is what you can produce with Prezi - and yes, it is really the best Prezi presentation I found.
And now mine.
After viewing the best Prezi presentation ever, you may think mine are a little sub-standard. But this is after all my first attempt and while restricted by time constraints this week, I really enjoyed working on the topic I came up with. But most of all, I enjoyed it because I could really see the pedagological benefits (higher order thinking) of students preparing and using Prezi as an aid in an oral presentation in my subject areas. I will continue to read and review material on Prezi's and hopefully one day I will be able to present the best Prezi presentation ever to my accounting and legal studies students - as this ICT tool really does have a place in these teaching areas.
Giving students freedom to use a Prezi online may raise online legal, safe and ethical issues. Prezi presentations may be not private. Presentations are available online for anyone to search and use, unless you pay for and upgrade. Therefore, as a teacher I would monitor what is being prepared to ensure that their presentations are adhering to the legal, safe and ethical policies of the school. Although the site does offer educational licences for students and teachers which would negate the online issues allowing presentations to be private and not publicly accessed. However, as I did not set up my presentation with this licence as a teacher I would certainly trial it before I allowed students to use the ICT tool.
Although, with any ICT there are pitfalls and to present a balanced argument I will hesitantly critique Prezi's:
- Prezi can be considered a powerpoint presentation with the added effect of 'sea sickness' from the continual zooming in and out effect Prezi offers.
- Organising information spatially on a giant canvas is a major feature of Prezi - I found this frustrating. I was constantly reviewing my presentation to see how aesthetically pleasing the overall presentation was to the viewer. When compared to powerpoint, what you put in each slide is exactly what you are going to show the viewer.
- The audience is still required to read text to gain an understanding and at times the zooming feature grabs my attention more than the topic of the presentation.
By no means was this the end of my list, in actual fact my list was quite lengthy. So I stopped writing and started to think was I the only one thinking this, was I being over critical? So, I Googled "pitfalls of Prezi" and found this in depth, brilliantly written blog post by Phil Waknell.
Phil is right when he quotes Guy Kawasaki, "If you need animation to make your presentation interesting, you must suck", he has a very valid point - as a teacher you need to be sincere in your delivery of knowledge to the students. After all Dr Rickie Fisher also said, "You need to know what you are doing...they are smart...they will see right through you if you don't."
So here is to being a teacher that does not....well....turn out like Guy Kawasaki says.
Finally on my learning journey I have an ICT tool to use.
JRay.
Finally on my learning journey I have an ICT tool to use.
JRay.
REFERENCES:
Learning Materials: Accessed 1/04/2015: Retrieved From: https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=15524
Phil Presents: Accessed 1/04/2015: Retrieved From:
https://philpresents.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/two-reasons-i-dont-recommend-prezi/
This is very impressive!!
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