Using Prezi in Your Classroom

PowerPoint has been a staple in college classrooms for more than a decade.  The slide-by-slide bulleted lists are familiar to students everywhere.  PowerPoint can be effective, but it can also get a little stale.  If you want a change in your presentational repertoire, there's a fairly new free presentation program online that can be used to add a little more pizazz to your lectures.

Prezi is a zooming presentational tool that is great for both linear and nonlinear information. As Denna Jones in her guest column in Professionally Speaking stated, "Think of it [Prezi] as a dynamic canvas that can move in a multitude of directions, and not (as with PowerPoint) just forwards and backwards."  Prezi is a way to present information in a nonlinear way.  The following Prezi presentation by Adam Somlai-Fischer shows the dynamic capabilities of using this program.

Why should you move beyond slides? on Prezi

Moving back and forth from one idea to another is one of Prezi's strengths. Unfortunately, if you move too quickly, your audience could become seasick, so layers and smaller movements are recommended. It's easy to add media to your presentation, too.

If you're interested in trying something new this semester, take a look at Prezi. Their website has all the information you need, including presentations that others have created to share. Give it a try!