A Beautiful Sunrise - PowerPoint or Prezi - What's the Difference?



FreeWine's flickr photostream

 Although you will find a zebra in Prezi, it is not the kind you normally find in a wilderness.  However, this zebra does allow you to maneuver within Prezi fairly effectively.  I had seen Prezi before and had chose to avoid that terrain at the time - if it was a piece of nature, I would have compared it to the sky which indicates a storm is coming.  However, after my trek though this part of the woods, I found it to be a beautiful sunrise!

Getting started with Prezi is fairly smooth.  Prezi has included a few video tutorials to introduce the basics and some tips on creating effective Prezi presentations under their Learn page.  I feel the first video was helpful to me because the format of a Prezi is not the traditional linear format I am used to.  As it was, it took me a little bit of trial and error to figure out the layout (very spatial versus linear - unless you choose to make it a linear presentation).  The presentation space appears to be endless, and I only figured that out as I continued to add to my presentation.  I didn't realize I could add images until I viewed the tutorial.  I'm sure I would have figured it out, but the tutorial let me start creating with a basic idea of what I was doing.  It also took me a few attempts at typing to identify how to type different fonts, choose different displays, move images and text around, adding frames and sizing all of these (enlarging and reducing).  However, the zebra control is easy to operate, which is required to do some of this.  


the mad LOL scientist's photostream via flickr


I was learning about Prezi while at work today and using it to create a presentation for a novel study I am teaching in class.  I showed the tool to a colleague.  When explaining what the tool was I mentioned that it was much like a PowerPoint presentation - just a little more style.  As Tony McNeill writes in his blog, The Digital Migrant: Prezi, PowerPoint, multimodality and the "logic of the image" (Nov. 10, 2009) PowerPoint does receive a lot of bad press.  It is the duct tape of the technological savvy presenter.  McNeill writes about the linearity of the PowerPoint presentation, the sequential presentation of bullets of information and the teacher-centered delivery of knowledge.  He questions if Prezi is not the same linearity, only packaged in a new form.  I initially agreed until I read a quote on his blog:

A more positive take on Prezi is that allows us to think through the possibilities creating texts informed by what Gunther Kress calls the 'logic of the image'. Here is Kress on the 'logic of the text' and the 'logic of the image': 



juliejordanscott's flickr photostream

The two modes of writing and of image are each governed by distinct logics, and have distinctly different affordances. The organisation of writing – still leaning on the logics of speech is governed by the logic of time, and by the logic of sequence of its elements in time, in temporally governed arrangements. The organisation of image, by contrast, is governed by the logic of space, and by the logic of simultaneity of its visual/depicted elements in spatially organised arrangements. (McNeill, par. 11-12)

In the Prezi I created for my novel study, I felt the Prezi captured a concept that a PowerPoint couldn't.  My topic was the themes in the novel Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer.  When I looked at the presentation as one complete picture containing smaller elements, I felt it represented the complexity of the themes woven into the story.  This is not a linear concept, but rather one that invites entry into the presentation at any point. 

Artemis Fowl on Prezi

I have created a linear presentation, but I also have the ability to leave that presentation to explore other ideas and connections - and in a smoother transition that I would have ability to do in a PowerPoint (we have all seen presenters exit a presentation to show us something and then try to return to where they left off as we sit there patiently waiting for the presentation to resume).  In a Prezi, I can maneuver non-linearly just as easy, and at any point.  The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is a great example of this feature.  This Prezi contains video clips with audio (I haven't figured that out yet, but have found an article by Zoltan Randai in the Prezi Manual: Editing Your Prezi which explains how to embed video and YouTube into your Prezi), information portions and visuals.  You can also visit the Prezi Manual to learn how to do more than the basics, and troubleshoot any problems you may encounter.  This is also where I discovered how you can insert sound into your Prezi presentation.

I did find a video which explains how to transfer a PowerPoint to a DVD, and in this video it demonstrates the process for converting a slide to a jpeg photo:

While all these are things that can be presented in a PowerPoint, I was able to interact with the screens.  I could zoom in when I was curious about a specific picture (maybe you can do this in PowerPoint, but I haven't done it).  I could zoom out of the presentation and choose another path of interest.  I wasn't forced to follow a linear path - this is comparable to how we surf the Internet.  I think the Prezi invites exploration, whereas the PowerPoint suggests the viewer is an audience in receiving mode.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World on Prezi

As I was learning about Prezi, I kept thinking that is a tool I would likely use only for professional presentations.  However, after viewing the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, I thought it would be a great way to present a trip.  My brother has taken several trips, and it would be an interesting way for him to show the pictures, maps and give an explanation for each.  As a viewer of his Prezi, I could maneuver to parts that interested me, and explore them as briefly or deeply as I wanted to.  However, I could also play the Prezi, and allow his order of presentation to unfold. 

Another example which I think exemplifies the effective potential of this tool is "Mixing Mind and Metaphor - Talk by James Geary, given at TED Global 2009 July. Prezi was co-created by James and Adam Somlai-Fischer.See the talk at http://blog.ted.com/2009/12/18/metaphorically/.  I have included the Prezi and the TED talks presentation he used it in to see it in action.  It is a very interesting presentation, by the way!



Mixing Mind and Metaphor on Prezi

It is easy to share either by sharing the link, posting to Facebook or Twitter, or by simply emailing to others.

In the classroom, there are examples of how the tool can be used in various subjects areas on the Explore page.  I return to a comment MacNeill makes on his blog, it isn't so much the tool, but rather how you use it (Nov. 10, 2009, par. 13).  Some of the Prezis I watched could give a viewer motion sickness rather than better conceptual understanding.  I like it for the non-linear concepts, so can visualize the use in building background knowledge as long as the Prezi contained enough information to allow the viewer to explore in a non-linear fashion and find substance.  I would have also found it more versatile if I could have found a way to add commentary to it - something to play with and explore further later.

Overall, it is an interesting alternative to PowerPoint.  Originally I did not view this tool as versatile as other presentation tools, however the ability to mash-up video and audio within the Prezi does give it substance.  It definitely has a place for a particular type of presentation.


I continued my journey onto VoiceThread.

References


MacNeill, T.  (Nov. 10, 2009).  Prezi, PowerPoint, multimodality and the 'logic of the image' , retrieved from http://digitalmigrant.blogspot.com/2009/11/prezi-powerpoint-multimodality-and.html.


mrivera1. (2008).  PowerPoint to DVD by turning slides into JPEG format, retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5_7ZJq4iI.

Wiki With Me - Quick and Easy Collaboration

What is a Wiki?

Wikis are really a simple tool to understand and use.  In a nutshell, they are an online site where any member of the wiki can add information, edit pages, and communicate with others, to extents determined by the wiki security settings.  It is a site for collaboration.  There are numerous tutorial and educational videos available to walk a person through defining it, using it and setting one up.  Honestly, the first wiki I ever set up I did without any assistance - it was that easy.  However, I recommend watching Wikis in Plain English - it is a great visual explanation of how a wiki works and the collaborative nature of the tool. 

TeacherTube Videos - What is a PBwiki? also provides some details as to what a wiki is and how it can be used.

The last tutorial which gives a great step-by-step instruction on using Wikispaces is this slideshare tutorial.

Wikispaces Tutorial UPDATED

View more presentations from Jennifer Dorman.

I know there are numerous wiki providers available, but I was already using Wikispaces and chose to explore this platform further.  Wikispaces has some quick and easy to follow tutorials to help you get set up and running with Wikispaces very quickly.  I hadn't watched these before.  Even though I had been using Wikispaces for a couple of months now, I learned about new tools and possibilities from these tutorials.  It was enough to help me take my wiki creation to the next level.

The first exciting discovery I made was under "Manage Wiki" on the sidebar of my Wikispaces.  I explored the tools to manage my wiki and found a very easy way to import a post from my Web2pt0Me blog into my wiki.  There is also a feature under widgits, which we will look at next, which allows you to add RSS feeds to your wiki as well.  This is a great way to compile information from a variety sources into one site.  Unfortunately, I was not able to get the feed to update automatically, so I would have to play around with that more to see if it can be done.

Under "Edit This Page" I had already figured out how to embed pictures, insert tables, upload files and create internal/external links.  However, I had not yet explored the widgets.  There are some very practical and enhancing tools which can be added to the wiki to increase it's value as a collaborative platform. 

First, let's look at the Wikispaces widgets:

I wanted to explore all these widgets to understand what they did and how they would enhance the functionality of the wiki.  And so my exploration began.

As mentioned above, I inserted an RSS feed into my wiki.  I used my Web2pt0Me URL for this.  The result was a list of all postings to date on my blog.  I could set the number of posts I wanted to appear, up to a maximum of fifteen.  I couldn't get new posts to appear, so it seems one would have to manually return to the site to look for any new posts.  Again, this is something I will have to look further into.

I then played with adding a calendar to my wiki.  There are a few choices of which calendar platform to add, however I went with Google Calendar because it is one that I have wanted to look into further.  I did get sidetracked from my wiki exploration when I entered the world of Google Calendar because there are so many interesting features and options available.  I did refocus myself and explored its function within a wiki.  I was able to embed my Google Calendar within the wiki page with great ease.  The steps are clearly explained and the template is extremely user friendly for embedding the html text.  Once embedded, I played with the size and location of the calendar on my wiki page, and saved it.  Any changes I make to my Google Calendar are updated automatically on the wiki.  I did not like the fact that a personal email address appeared on the top of the calendar, and will look further into how to address this issue.

Next stop for me was to look at the "Notify Me" page on the wiki tabs.  This feature allows a wiki member to subscribe to the feeds for new posts and/or comments.  This feature allows those interested in the site to be notified when new posts or comments are made, either through a RSS reader or email.  The benefit to this is members don't have to continually check the site for changes, the changes will come to them.

I easily embedded YouTube video to the site, which is a feature I like.  In a collaborative sense, videos which support the focus of the wiki can also easily be included either through embedding or linking.

The "History" page was also useful to look at.  It is a tool to follow the contributions of members to the wiki site, noting their changes and dates/times of contributions.  You simply chose the histories you want to compare, and the additions and deletions to the page are highlighted in green and red respectively.  When you review changes, you are taken to the changes that occured and in the order they occured in.

One last widget which is worth noting, especially as we want to teach our students to cite and reference sources, is the References widget.  This was extremely easy to add, and once the reference was added, I was able to cite the source within my wiki page. 

Okay, so that was the exploration I had time for right now.  There are other widgets and wiki managing tools I looked at, and they either seemed very straight forward or worthy of further investigation at a later time.  For now, I had many new tools to ponder in relation to personal and professional use.  It was enough; I was excited to start playing with these tools.

My Life - Wikified

As I was exploring the wiki tutorials, videos, and various other wiki resources, I kept thinking of how I could use this tool to help organize my ladies' ringette team.  Because wikis are so easy to set up, I created one specifically for the team.  I decided which widgets would make the site effective, efficient and user-friendly.  Currently my team members and I organize our game attendance and carpooling through email.  It is not always the most efficient because not everyone replies-all to the most current email, or early responders are forgotten by the time the last responses trickle in.  The wiki seems like a great alternative for our team.  The only down side I can see at this point is the ease of email response (which is often from our cell phones) verses having to access the wiki to respond. 

I included my Google Calendar.  I can input the game dates on my calendar and they appear on the wiki calendar.  Very useful.  I included a table for those who will attend the next game and those who won't (to encourage everyone to respond one way or the other).  I included a separate page for the team roster and contact information.  I also included a dialogue box so we could discuss carpooling arrangements (a favorite part of the weekly games).  In the end, I had a wiki for our team - I just need to ask everyone to join.  Once they do, they will be able to upload team pictures, tournament information, and other details that we discuss either in the change room or through email.



I would love if each of my kids' sports teams had a wiki set up.  I am not talking about the organization's website; I am talking about a wiki specific to my child's team.  It would make it so easy for me as a parent to organize our busy lives.  The ability to collaborate with other parents in organizing team fundraisers, tournaments, carpooling, sportswear, and the many other facets of the team would be so manageable.  The history would be there for quick reference, rather than searching numerous emails.

I can also picture using a wiki as a place to organize camping trips with friends and extended family, or any other event for that matter.  It would also be a great place to create a family tree, or a family sharing site (since my family extends across Canada and the United States).  For my family members who are leary of the public domain, we could even upgrade the account to include more private settings. 

I think the possibilities become endless once you begin to think of the many collaborative events we participate in on a regular basis.  Essentially, if it is collaborative, a wiki could be a good tool to use.

Wiki As A Professional Tool

My first experience with a wiki for a classroom project sold me on the use of wikis in the classroom.  I created a full blown inquiry project which housed all the lesson materials, resources, links, assessment and provided a great visual support for students, parents and teachers alike.  This has been an extremely easy lesson to share - I simply give someone the URL address, and they have everything they need.  I don't have to look up things saved on my computer, pull papers from a filing cabinet, or anything else - the wiki is my filing cabinet for the lesson. 

I am also proud to say I introduced our AISI coordinator to the wiki for a place where AISI leaders could collaborate on the critical thinking work we are doing as a district.  It is a great tool to link Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) which are separated by either distance or time constraints.  Further, it allows for easy transfer and sharing of materials, resources, links and any other relevant information. 

It is worthwhile to mention a few benefits available to educators through Wikispaces.  Firstly, educators can upgrade any K-12 educational wiki to a Plus account, which comes with additional features and data capacities.  However, for a $200/year fee, a Wikispaces account can be upgraded to Super, with even more file storage capacity.  As a collaborative tool for an organization, this is much more economical than providing release time for teachers to collaborate and share materials.  Further, if an organization wanted a completely private domain, the could upgrade to a Private Label.  This would be beneficial for organizations with tighter internet policies.

I had also used a wiki to create a pathfinder.  I am already considering how I will use a wiki to set up book clubs and literature circles for my language arts classes.  With the push for 21st century skills, particularly collaboration, web 2.0 tools such as wikis become an essential part of the classroom.

While I have touched on only a few of the possibilities for wikis, WebTools4u2use provides a comprehensive list of professional uses for wikis.  Also included are the necessary assessment rubrics when using wikis in the classroom.  It is an amazing site to explore.

Wikis can also be used in presentations and to support presentations, as shown in the NECC Librarians 2008 conference.

I think the list for the uses of wikis is endless, as the opportunities for collaboration continue to present themselves to me on a daily basis.  I just did a presentation this weekend with two other collegues.  In hindsight, because we came together from different locations, the wiki would have been a great place to collaborate. 

Although I did not explore all the widgets, I did get to look at the ones that are key to me right now.  I am excited there is still more to learn because working with the wiki has been fun.  Again, an awareness of the tool and its possible uses is key.  With that, you are well prepared to wiki at will!