A Pessimistic Perspective Of Prezi Presentations

Recently we learned about Prezi, another interactive presentation tool. The primary difference between this and Glogster is the creator of a Prezi presentation has infinite space to work with while a Glog limits you to a single page. The idea is to use this web 2.0 tool in lieu of power point slides. Honestly, I have a very definitive view of this tool: I hate it.

The end product of using Prezi is spectacular- from one idea to another, the flow can twist and turn and captivate the viewer. Yet getting to the end product or any product at all proved impossible for me, the weak computer user. Prezi is not a user-friendly tool, and instructions on using Prezi are too vague. I tried for almost an hour to create a Prezi for my lesson plan and eventually forfeited- and I NEVER give up on anything.

Nothing went well for me in this process of creating my own Prezi: the navigation tool bar in the shape of a sphere constantly threw me for a loop. If there must be a "next time" for me, I will try to get help from an experienced user so that I may effectively create a Prezi. Advanced computer users will have a field day with this web 2.0 tool, but it honestly isn't for me.

If I ever figure it out, I would imagine Prezi to be a great substitute for boring, colorless slide show presentations. I do not, however, recommend student use of Prezi for the elementary grades. If the teacher has difficulty working this user-unfriendly tool, then I highly doubt the students will have any success.

How I felt using Prezi