Using Prezi and Slide Rocker: Dynamic and Usefully Innovative Educational Technologies...

Considering the presentations from this week's class, my reflections regarding several of these informative pieces were in regards to Prezi and Slide Rocket. I would definitely use both of these, especially when PowerPoint sometimes seems overdone to the max, at times. It is nice to have a new variation on an old theme.

In my discipline, English, since we are so Humanities oriented, they offer up numerous possibilities as both groups so clearly revealed in their work. Slide Rocket might work nicely, say, to introduce a unit; for example, the Harlem Renaissance. Insert the videos of the great Jazz music that typified the era, and slide in poems by Claude McKay,Langston Hughes, and reveal the great brownstones in Harlem with the lovely, well-dressed people who populated that fashionable part of town. It would really make the era come alive, sliding the info across to a receptive classroom who love visual forms of learning. Seems to make learning come to life.

With the fun, dynamic form of presentation Prezi offers, I have seen it used quite frequently, although I have never created one myself. This group sparks my desire to do just that with the indication of movement, ease, and excitement it creates. Seeing Mr. Tim Johnson, Wilson Principal, and his School Improvement Chair, Cheryl Coronado, present quite frequently at various staff meetings, I know the effectiveness it offers when everyone else sticks to the tried-and-true. Their presentations offer polish and pizzazz, particularly now that he uses his iPad to import videos he creates himself. Also, Mrs. Silvasi, who works with Social Studies in Portsmouth, took a page out of their book, following suit by presenting her revised Social Studies curriculum using Prezi.

I would like to try perhaps, to use it in the fall to present the revised outside reading list, just to generate a bit of excitement, too. Why not?  It makes it much more fun.

I do know for a fact, the first time I saw Mr. Johnson present using Prezi, I stayed after to discuss it with Mrs. Coronado who was on the ground level in creating it with him. She gladly shared information and the whole review team gave them a warm reception. It stood out, for sure, in a sea of PowerPoints. After all, variety is the spice of life.