I only recently became aware of Prezi through this course.
In looking at various examples of Prezis for general use as well as language
teaching, it seems to be an interesting potential tool. Prezi does do away with
the monotonous linear sequences of information that are inevitable in PowerPoint.
However, I'm not sure how effective it can be in teaching language. Yes, it is
possible to embed images and videos, as well as zoom in and focus on certain
aspects of the presentation. The 'glitz' and 'glam' of the transitioning and
zoom effects are not enough in it of themselves to translate this presentation
type into a valuable language learning tool. It does, however, seem to have a
lot more potential for use by students (rather than language teachers).
Students may be more motivated to use Prezi for short presentations in the
target language, either by themselves or collaboratively. In all, Prezi seems
to be more intuitive in terms of representing how our minds process and form
associations, but it is important not be distracted by the 'special effects'.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteGreat insight about Prezi. It is one of those tools that is shiny at first and then the excitement generally fades away. The one good benefit of prezi is that if you embed it into a website, students can zoom in/out and pan across the entire presentation at their own pace, which creates a self-controlled learning activity. On the other hand, it seems like a lot of work to create a Prezi, which is very similar to PowerPoint. I'm still looking for good examples of instructional uses of Prezi.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI am also newly introduced to Prezi since I came to UCSB. At first I was fascinated by its visual and special effects which make presentation dynamic and so fancy. After the shocking experience, I tried to make my presentation using Prezi for the first time, however, it was as complicated and time- consuming as PowerPoint. I found no significant differences in terms of convenience since it was new software for me which I have to learn. So I ended up with using PowerPoint. I am still doubting how presentation tools can be used for student- centered language learning and how it will provide autonomy to language learners; however, as you said, it can possibly attract students interest and motivate them for collaborating works. I also want to fine the way that I can use presentation tools in effective way that motivate language learners to be more engaged in language learning process.