I think it is safe to say that practically everyone working in the classroom knows how to construct a Power Point. You create text. You import supporting images,sounds or video. Finally, you organize them over a compatible color background! So how come so many Power Points are bland and boring?
One reason could be that most folks think text in a Power Point is the substance where you present your ideas, and graphics are decoration. But, if you consider your presentation as a series of ideas connected through text, images, video, and motion then you are more likely to immerse them in an engaging visual experience, a Prezi.
Prezi.com is a web based application that lets you easily create dynamic relationships between concepts using visual asset in intelligent motion. That means any video, web page, photo, design, document, slide or graph can be orchestrated together into a coherent presentation that appears to travel in space and time.
Recently, I created a slide survey of my 25 years in computer-aided art-making entitled, "A Brief History of My Digital Artwork". Initially, it was going to be a Power Point. But upon reflection, I decided to make it a Prezi. It also occurred to me that it might be fun to deconstruct a section of my Prezi for this blog, and go
behind the scenes to see how everything worked. I’ll start things off with a brief introduction to the Prezi interface and then, we’ll watch "A Brief History of My Digital Artwork".
Let’s start at the Prezi.com welcome page. First thing you might notice is no log in requirement. Visitors are encouraged to create a Prezi from scratch, or steal elements from the Prezi library without creating an account. More on that later.
In Example1, I circled areas for your investigation: At the top of the screen, the Learn tab has three short video tutorials, some cheat sheet summaries, and a tips and tricks section. To the right, I circled the Desktop icon which opens into another useful tutorial about Prezi workspace organization.
On the left, I circled the New Prezi icon for those who want to jump right in and splash about. The 3rd arrow points to a tutorial on how to covert Power Points to a Prezi.
One reason could be that most folks think text in a Power Point is the substance where you present your ideas, and graphics are decoration. But, if you consider your presentation as a series of ideas connected through text, images, video, and motion then you are more likely to immerse them in an engaging visual experience, a Prezi.
Prezi.com is a web based application that lets you easily create dynamic relationships between concepts using visual asset in intelligent motion. That means any video, web page, photo, design, document, slide or graph can be orchestrated together into a coherent presentation that appears to travel in space and time.
Recently, I created a slide survey of my 25 years in computer-aided art-making entitled, "A Brief History of My Digital Artwork". Initially, it was going to be a Power Point. But upon reflection, I decided to make it a Prezi. It also occurred to me that it might be fun to deconstruct a section of my Prezi for this blog, and go
behind the scenes to see how everything worked. I’ll start things off with a brief introduction to the Prezi interface and then, we’ll watch "A Brief History of My Digital Artwork".
Let’s start at the Prezi.com welcome page. First thing you might notice is no log in requirement. Visitors are encouraged to create a Prezi from scratch, or steal elements from the Prezi library without creating an account. More on that later.
Example 1
In Example1, I circled areas for your investigation: At the top of the screen, the Learn tab has three short video tutorials, some cheat sheet summaries, and a tips and tricks section. To the right, I circled the Desktop icon which opens into another useful tutorial about Prezi workspace organization.
On the left, I circled the New Prezi icon for those who want to jump right in and splash about. The 3rd arrow points to a tutorial on how to covert Power Points to a Prezi.
Example 2
Example 2 is "A Brief History of My Digital Artwork’s" start position in Edit View.
Above the workspace is a reorganization of the “File” menu. You can “Save” your work; make unlimited “Undos” and “Redos”; create a meeting for several people to simultaneously work on a Prezi; and “Print”, get “Help” or “Exit”. On the left of the workspace is the “work menu” with its circular function tabs: “Insert” lets you upload content. “Frame” organizes the content into manageable groups. “Path” creates navigation paths between the groups. “Colors” lets you color your background with solids, gradients or patterns. “Show” plays your Prezi. And “Write” allows you to add text. The “Zebra Menu” is your all-in-one text editor. You can revise, zoom and rotate text. The (+) plus icon opens a set of options including font selection. The “Zoom Scale” on the right side of the workspace helps you simulate depth by zooming into a group during navigation. The “Home” icon at the top of the set brings you back to the start position. Okay, so those are the basic tools and concepts. Let’s see it all in action with “A Brief History of My Digital Artwork”, and I’ll look for you in part 2 of Presentation with Dimension. Enjoy! 