PowerPoint or Prezi?

POWERPOINT

So what is PowerPoint?

Before I started this E-learning Journey one of the few ICT tools I used most frequently was Microsoft's PowerPoint. On many occasions I would use this tool to support my oral presentations. The above PowerPoint is about my journey in the arts. I found it simple to create, easy to insert pictures and sounds and could portray my information engagingly. I use to love using the PowerPoint for presentations because they were simple to compile but after researching and testing other online tools I now believe I would probably use one of the other 21st ICT tools like a Website or Blog. To me PowerPoint is now old school in this fast changing technological world.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Microsoft's Powerpoint ->

Strengths:

• Very simple to setup, add slides, images, graphic organisers, links, etc.
• Easy to make into visually appealing slide show and the ability to print slides easily
• Easily accessible to most learners/ teachers
• Written support for oral presentations (may help learners who are shy or get nervous)
• Contain only the work of the individual with no one able to edit or comment on it

Weaknesses:

• Used only as a script for learners when completing an oral presentation. No oral skills presented because it is used as a security blanket!
• Issues arise when opening on different computers etc (this has happened to me on several occasions, including powerpoint having no sound etc)
• Can use an excess of text, making it a challenge to read

Besides using a PowerPoint for the obvious oral presentation in a school context, I have also come up with a few other ideas, these include:

• Teacher notes for a particular unit rather than writing on the whiteboard etc.
• A cut and paste of information/ images from the internet for learners to sort through and find information for a particular project/ task

To be honest, the more I try to come up with strategies to incorporate this tool into the classroom I keep thinking there are better tools to use than PowerPoint. After researching many new, exciting and engaging tools, I really do believe PowerPoint is a Dinosaur. After researching the new tools I believe there are better ICT tools out there to use in our 21st century classroom with our 21st century learners.

Does anyone else agree with me? ... PowerPoint is a way of the past???

Now people are turning to Prezi...

PREZI

So what is a Prezi?

This was simple to set up at http://prezi.com.

I was blown away by some of the Prezis I looked at. A great one called "Playing to Learn?" by Maria Anderson was fantastic. I have added this to the end of this post.

Prezis are a lot more engaging than the old fashioned PowerPoint. Yes alittle more complex to set up but they can just look amasing once completed. There are step by step instructions and lots of information on how to create you own Prezi.

I would definatly think about using this rather than PowerPoint for my next presentation either at university or in the classroom. Students would love these!!!! They would definitely work for learners of upper primary and secondary school.

Playing to Learn? on Prezi