I enjoyed the different topics my fellow Oranges came up with (I am beginning to see trends in what the presenters present on; Shannon likes dancing, Bethany likes acting, and Morgan is really concerned about stress). The presentations were a little hard to watch because all the technical difficulties. But this is to be expected when using technology for the first time. Hopefully the next time we use these new technologies we will have fixed the glitches.
Difficulties aside, there were lots of really cool presentations. My favorite was Becca’s presentation of “The Water Cycle”. I appreciated how she had the cycle as the overarching structure that we moved along as we learned. I think her material fit the medium nicely and helped me realize a better way of using Prezi (and the rap song was awesome too, I would love to hear what that guy has to say about plate tectonics).
After seeing the other presentations and getting a feel for Prezi I realize that it probably was not the best way for me to present my topic. If I had it to do over I would choose a topic with more images like “The Life of John Barth” or something like that. As it stands, it took me all of Saturday to figure out the technology and so I 'm glad I chose Prezi over Smartboard. Twenty minutes would have been an insufficient amount of time to learn how to adequately use the Smartboard.
I will definitely use Prezi in my classroom. It is a fascinating way to present information. I really like the non-linear, image-driven feel. In language arts it could be a great way to present the life of the author or the historical setting of the story we are reading.
Beau, I completely share your enjoyment in learning what our group is about fundamentally by watching the recurrent themes and underlying themes within a learning, growing, and metamorphosing Orange cohort. We are a diverse group and I appreciate seeing each of us learn to utilize the techniques being introduced in the technology class.
ReplyDeleteI think that what you said makes a good case for creating a more image-centric prezi to capitalize on the student engagement factor. However, the text in your prezi was a clear and well represented display of the points you were making and it could be argued that it was presented in a much more engaging and interesting way than it might have been if the lesson only involved lecture and marker-board... the color schemes and images used were pleasing and interesting.
We have a lot of raw talent in the room... i totally agree in regard to Becca's prezi - it was way cool and well set up. I also appreciated Kurt's approach to the task by making it an instructional platform... clever folks.
I look forward to the next presentation of gadgetry.
Come back doctor!
Delete